5M puts him roughly around the 15th-20th highest paid goalie mark. Some of those contracts have RFA years in them and are not UFA contracts. Additionally, the cap is set to rise dramatically. Three years from now, 5M is barely going to be legitimate starter money. For context, the 32nd highest paid goalie this season makes 3.15M.
I understand this contract taking people by surprise, because Daccord is not a big name, and he likely flew under the radar being in Seattle and not being in the playoffs. He was their MVP last year. He has been a very solid pro goalie and a well regarded goalie prospect for years. They were apparently surprised that he wasn't claimed two years ago when they had to waive him because of their depth in net.
If I was a Seattle fan, I would be happy with this contract. That doesn't mean there isn't risk. But similar to the Ullmark deal in Ottawa, the risk goes both ways. That's something people have to acknowledge. In a perfect world, the team gets to have their cake and eat it too. They get to test drive the goalie for 40 games, ensure they are a perfect fit, and then get them to sign. While the two situations aren't exactly the same because Ullmark has an extensive body of work that suggests he is almost certainly a top 5-10 goalie in the league, the risk is similar. If Daccord plays half a season and is a Vezina candidate like he was for the first half last year, all of a sudden Seattle is looking at 6.5M+ and a lot more term. With Ottawa, if they wait to sign Ullmark, they could fail to get into a playoff spot, and Ullmark could reconsider whether the fit is there.
There is a false idea that every contract has to be a homerun for the team, and if a contract is not a steal then the GM is an idiot. Things are more black and white in real life application. When it comes to choosing to extend a player early, risk goes both ways.
