So lately with Slafkovsky going back to his bad ways, there have been some valid concerns but also some hot takes on whether the team made a terrible mistake committing that kind of money for 8 years. Reminder: this a big player who’s still 20 years old and they are even more inconsistent than other players. I’ll be tackling the question on whether or not we should be concerned on Slafkovsky’s upcoming contract and whether it will affect negatively the window of this team by the time they can compete.
Information that was used for this analysis was the salary cap year by year starting on 2007-2008 to determine the cap hit % of each deal. Slafkovsky will represent a cap hit of 8.2% for year one of his deal.
| Season | 2007-2008 | 2008-2009 | 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 | 2025-2026 |
| Salary Cap | $ 50,300,000 | $ 56,700,000 | $ 56,800,000 | $ 59,400,000 | $ 64,300,000 | $ 69,000,000 | $ 71,400,000 | $ 73,000,000 | $ 75,000,000 | $ 79,500,000 | $ 81,500,000 | $ 82,500,000 | $ 83,500,000 | $ 88,000,000 | $ 92,400,000 |
| Equivalence in salary based on cap hit % | $ 4,124,600 | $ 4,649,400 | $ 4,657,600 | $ 4,870,800 | $ 5,272,600 | $ 5,658,000 | $ 5,854,800 | $ 5,986,000 | $ 6,150,000 | $ 6,519,000 | $ 6,683,000 | $ 6,765,000 | $ 6,847,000 | $ 7,216,000 | $ 7,600,000 |
Part A:
Should Slaf have been signed to a bridge deal?
One idea that’s been thrown is that Slafkovsky should have been at a short deal. Cheap plug (
HF Habs: - Analysis - The Inconsistency that come with Big Forwards) but after looking back at the comparables that there are for Slaf (forwards over 6 ft 2 that were picked in the top 15) and analyzing what contracts they were given, did management potentially make the right decision based on historical data. By narrowing down players who produced similar numbers during their ELC (0.65 to 0.72 PPG). I came up with a list of 11 players since 2003 draft.
| Name | Notes | AAV | Years | Salary Cap | Cap Hit % | Best Season (pts) | Age | Contract Details | Cap Hit % | 2nd Best Season | Age | Contract Details | 3rd Best Season | Age | Contract Details | Assessment | Bridge was/would have been best move? |
| Horton | Bridge 1 year 1.1M after ELC | $ 4,000,000 | 6 | $ 50,300,000 | 8.0% | 57 (in 65 GP) | 24 | $ 4,000,000 | 7.0% | 62 | 21 | $ 1,100,000 | 62 | 22 | $ 4,000,000 | Bridge should have been skipped | No |
| Carter | Signed an 11 year deal after this one | $ 5,000,000 | 3 | $ 56,700,000 | 8.8% | 84 | 24 | $ 5,000,000 | 8.8% | 66 | 26 | $ 5,000,000 | 66 | 32 | | Signed a deal no longer allowed | N/A |
| Michalek | Signed 3 year 4M after this one | $ 4,333,333 | 6 | $ 56,700,000 | 7.6% | 66 | 22 | ELC | | 60 | 27 | $ 4,333,333 | 57 | 24 | $ 4,333,333 | Best year happened during ELC | Yes |
| E. Kane | Signed 7 year 7M deal after this one | $ 5,250,000 | 6 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.2% | 49 (in 56 GP) | 29 | $ 7,000,000 | 8.6% | 57 | 20 | ELC | 56 | 27 | $ 7,000,000 | Kane's years were after his 2nd contract or ELC | Maybe? |
| Seguin | Signed 8 year 9.85M deal after this one | $ 5,750,000 | 6 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.9% | 84 | 22 | $ 5,750,000 | 8.9% | 77 (in 71 GP) | 23 | $ 5,750,000 | 80 | 27 | $ 5,750,000 | | No |
| Wennberg | Bought out on that deal after year 3 | $ 4,900,000 | 6 | $ 75,000,000 | 6.5% | 59 | 22 | ELC | | 40 (in 69 GP) | 21 | ELC | 35 (in 66 GP) | 23 | $ 4,900,000 | Was bought out and best years during ELC | Yes |
| PLD | Signed 1 year deal at 6M then the 8 year 8.5M deal | $ 5,000,000 | 2 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.1% | 63 (in 73 GP) | 24 | $ 6,000,000 | 7.3% | 61 | 20 | ELC | 60 | 23 | $ 5,000,000 | Would have saved on cap hit by committing earlier | No |
| Necas | Signed 2 years at 6.5M after this one | $ 3,000,000 | 2 | $ 82,500,000 | 3.6% | 71 | 24 | $ 3,000,000 | 3.6% | 46 (in 38 GP)* | 26 | $ 6,500,000 | 41 (in 53 GP) | 22 | ELC | Might regret for next contract | No |
| B. Tkachuk | $ 8,205,714 | 7 | $ 81,500,000 | 10.1% | 83 | 23 | $ 8,205,714 | 9.9% | 37 (in 37 GP) | 25 | $ 8,205,714 | 74 | 24 | $ 8,205,714 | | Yes | |
| Byfield | | $ 6,250,000 | 5 | $ 88,000,000 | 7.1% | 55 | 21 | ELC | | | | | | | | Not looking good right now | Maybe? |
| Voracek | Bridge 1 year 2.25M after ELC, then 8 years at 8.25M after this deal | $ 4,250,000 | 4 | $ 64,300,000 | 6.6% | 85 | 28 | $ 8,250,000 | 11.0% | 81 | 25 | $ 4,250,000 | 66 | 29 | $ 8,250,000 | Cap Hit could have been lower for big contract if committed earlier | No |
| AVG | | | | | 7.4% | 73 | 24 | | 8.2% | | | | | | | | |
I looked at the 3 best years of the players in this sample and noted the age it occurred, the contract details (was it during a bridge, ELC, etc) to determine if the teams ended up taking the right approach with their respective player and if they ended up rewarding a player for past performance or properly predicting the trajectory of their player and ending up with a semi bargain.
Would a bridge deal have been the best move for the organization? Based on historical data (5 no’s, 3 yes and 2 maybe’s), I would say no it wouldn’t have. Unless they simply went with shorter term but then you potentially run into the risk of not getting s much of a bargain. One can argue the teams who signed Kane, Seguin, Voracek, Horton and Tkachuk would have been better off adding 1-2 extra years.
Looking at the data for the best seasons of the players from this sample. The age is 24 years old where players produce their most productive year. Reminder: Slafkovsky is just 20 years old. The average cap hit % during those most productive years is in the 8.2% range (note ELCs were excluded here).
Part B
What kind of cap hit should be expected if Slafkovsky’s ceiling is a 67-70 points player in his best years and would it provide good value for the team?
The next concern of some folks is whether Slafkovsky will be overpaid for what he brings at his next deal. BY analyzing the cap increases every year from 2006-2007 all the way until the pandemic, there was an average cap increase of 2.4M every season. If we fast forward to Slafkovsky’s season where he’ll be 24 years old (2028-2029) and project the cap to go up by 7.2M, if so Slafkovsky’s cap hit would be 7.63% and would be the equivalent to 7.050M in next year’s cap if converted.
| 2026-2027 | 2027-2028 | 2028-2029 | 2029-2030 | 2030-2031 | 2031-2032 |
| $ 94,800,000 | $ 97,200,000 | $ 99,600,000 | $ 102,000,000 | $ 104,400,000 | $ 106,800,000 |
| $ 7,600,000 | $ 7,600,000 | $ 7,600,000 | $ 7,600,000 | $ 7,600,000 | $ 7,600,000 |
8.02% | 7.82% | 7.63% | 7.45% | 7.28% | 7.12% |
I think this barometer is a bit arbitrary but I could see Slafkovsky being a player that averages between 67-70 points during his prime. By splitting the last 14 seasons in different segments and adjusting for scoring surge I narrowed down the forwards from 2010-2015 who averaged 60-63 points during that time span. I did the same from 2015-2020 with forwards who averaged between 64 and 66 points during that period. Finally for the 2020-2024 stretched I looked at forwards who averaged between 67 and 70 points during that stretch. That offered me a sample of 45 players. I looked at their cap hit % during each season and excluded those on ELCs.
| Name | 2009-2010 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2010-2011 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2011-2012 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2013-2014 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2014-2015 | Salary Cap 2 | Cap Hit |
| Paul Stastny | $ 6,600,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 11.6% | $ 6,600,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 11.1% | $ 6,600,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 10.3% | $ 6,600,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 10.3% | $ 7,000,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 10.1% |
| Patrik Elias | $ 6,000,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 10.6% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 10.1% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 9.3% | $ 5,500,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.6% | $ 5,500,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 8.0% |
| Daniel Alfredsson | $ 5,400,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 9.5% | $ 5,400,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 9.1% | $ 5,400,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.4% | $ 5,500,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.6% | | | |
| Jason Pominville | $ 5,300,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 9.3% | $ 5,300,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 8.9% | $ 5,300,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.2% | $ 5,300,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.2% | $ 5,600,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 8.1% |
| Jeff Carter | $ 5,000,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 8.8% | $ 5,000,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 8.4% | $ 5,272,727 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.2% | $ 5,272,727 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.2% | $ 5,272,727 | $ 69,000,000 | 7.6% |
| Patrice Bergeron | $ 4,750,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 8.4% | $ 4,750,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 8.0% | $ 5,000,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 7.8% | $ 5,000,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 7.8% | $ 6,875,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 10.0% |
| Andy McDonald | $ 4,700,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 8.3% | $ 4,700,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 7.9% | $ 4,700,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 7.3% | | | | | | |
| Johan Franzen | $ 3,954,545 | $ 56,800,000 | 7.0% | $ 3,954,545 | $ 59,400,000 | 6.7% | $ 3,954,545 | $ 64,300,000 | 6.2% | $ 3,954,545 | $ 64,300,000 | 6.2% | $ 3,954,545 | $ 69,000,000 | 5.7% |
| David Krejci | $ 3,750,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 6.6% | $ 3,750,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 6.3% | $ 3,750,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 5.8% | $ 5,250,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 8.2% | $ 5,250,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 7.6% |
| Chris Kunitz | $ 3,725,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 6.6% | $ 3,725,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 6.3% | $ 3,725,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 5.8% | $ 3,725,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 5.8% | $ 3,850,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 5.6% |
| Ray Whitney | $ 3,550,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 6.3% | $ 3,000,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 5.1% | $ 3,000,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 4.7% | $ 4,500,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 7.0% | | | |
| Alex Steen | $ 1,700,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 3.0% | $ 3,362,500 | $ 59,400,000 | 5.7% | $ 3,362,500 | $ 64,300,000 | 5.2% | $ 3,362,500 | $ 64,300,000 | 5.2% | $ 5,800,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 8.4% |
| Loui Eriksson | $ 1,600,000 | $ 56,800,000 | 2.8% | $ 4,250,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 7.2% | $ 4,250,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 6.6% | $ 4,250,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 6.6% | $ 4,250,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 6.2% |
| Matt Duchene | ELC | $ 56,800,000 | | ELC | $ 59,400,000 | | ELC | $ 64,300,000 | | $ 3,500,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 5.4% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 8.7% |
| Jakub Voracek | ELC | $ 56,800,000 | | ELC | $ 59,400,000 | | $ 2,250,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 3.5% | $ 4,250,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 6.6% | $ 4,250,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 6.2% |
| Bobby Ryan | ELC | $ 56,800,000 | | $ 5,100,000 | $ 59,400,000 | 8.6% | $ 5,100,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 7.9% | $ 5,100,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 7.9% | $ 5,100,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 7.4% |
| Max Pacioretty | ELC | $ 56,800,000 | | ELC | $ 59,400,000 | | $ 1,625,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 2.5% | $ 4,500,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 7.0% | $ 4,500,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 6.5% |
| Logan Couture | ELC | $ 56,800,000 | | ELC | $ 59,400,000 | | ELC | $ 64,300,000 | | $ 2,875,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 4.5% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 8.7% |
| Jaromir Jagr | $ 56,800,000 | | | $ 59,400,000 | | $ 3,300,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 5.1% | $ 4,000,000 | $ 64,300,000 | 6.2% | $ 5,500,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 8.0% | |
| RNH | | $ 56,800,000 | | | $ 59,400,000 | | ELC | $ 64,300,000 | | ELC | $ 64,300,000 | | $ 6,000,000 | $ 69,000,000 | 8.7% |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | $ 56,800,000 | | | $ 59,400,000 | | | $ 64,300,000 | | ELC | $ 64,300,000 | | ELC | $ 69,000,000 | | |
| AVG | $ 4,309,965 | | 7.6% | $ 4,635,146 | | 7.8% | $ 4,269,987 | | 6.6% | $ 4,579,987 | | 7.1% | $ 5,335,428 | | 7.7% |
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| Name | 2015-2016 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2016-2017 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2017-2018 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2018-2019 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2019-2020 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit |
| David Krejci | $ 7,250,000 | $ 71,400,000 | 10.2% | $ 7,250,000 | $ 73,000,000 | 9.9% | $ 7,250,000 | $ 75,000,000 | 9.7% | $ 7,250,000 | $ 79,500,000 | 9.1% | $ 7,250,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.9% |
| Joe Pavelski | $ 6,000,000 | $ 71,400,000 | 8.4% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 73,000,000 | 8.2% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 75,000,000 | 8.0% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 79,500,000 | 7.5% | $ 7,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.6% |
| Brayden Schenn | $ 2,500,000 | $ 71,400,000 | 3.5% | $ 5,125,000 | $ 73,000,000 | 7.0% | $ 5,125,000 | $ 75,000,000 | 6.8% | $ 5,125,000 | $ 79,500,000 | 6.4% | $ 5,125,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.3% |
| Mike Hoffman | $ 2,000,000 | $ 71,400,000 | 2.8% | $ 5,187,500 | $ 73,000,000 | 7.1% | $ 5,187,500 | $ 75,000,000 | 6.9% | $ 5,187,500 | $ 79,500,000 | 6.5% | $ 5,187,500 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.4% |
| Sean Couturier | $ 1,750,000 | $ 71,400,000 | 2.5% | $ 4,333,333 | $ 73,000,000 | 5.9% | $ 4,333,333 | $ 75,000,000 | 5.8% | $ 4,333,333 | $ 79,500,000 | 5.5% | $ 4,333,333 | $ 81,500,000 | 5.3% |
| Filip Forsberg | ELC | $ 71,400,000 | | $ 6,000,000 | $ 73,000,000 | 8.2% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 75,000,000 | 8.0% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 79,500,000 | 7.5% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.4% |
| AVG | $ 3,900,000 | | 5.5% | $ 5,649,306 | | 7.7% | $ 5,649,306 | | 7.5% | $ 5,649,306 | | 7.1% | $ 5,815,972 | | 7.1% |
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| Name | 2020-2021 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2021-2022 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2022-2023 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | 2023-2024 | Salary Cap | Cap Hit | | | |
| Duchene | $ 8,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 9.8% | $ 8,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 9.8% | $ 8,000,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 9.7% | $ 8,000,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 9.6% | | | |
| Tarasenko | $ 7,500,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 9.2% | $ 7,500,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 9.2% | $ 7,500,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 9.1% | $ 5,000,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 6.0% | | | |
| Pacioretty | $ 7,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.6% | $ 7,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.6% | $ 7,000,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 8.5% | $ 4,000,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 4.8% | | | |
| Bergeron | $ 6,875,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.4% | $ 6,875,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.4% | $ 5,000,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 6.1% | | $ 83,500,000 | | | | |
| Laine | $ 6,750,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.3% | $ 7,500,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 9.2% | $ 8,700,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 10.5% | $ 8,700,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 10.4% | | | |
| Kreider | $ 6,500,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.0% | $ 6,500,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 8.0% | $ 6,500,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 7.9% | $ 6,500,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 7.8% | | | |
| Nelson | $ 6,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.4% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.4% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 7.3% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 7.2% | | | |
| Meier | $ 6,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.4% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.4% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 7.3% | $ 8,800,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 10.5% | | | |
| Ehlers | $ 6,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.4% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.4% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 7.3% | $ 6,000,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 7.2% | | | |
| Schmaltz | $ 5,850,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.2% | $ 5,850,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 7.2% | $ 5,850,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 7.1% | $ 5,850,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 7.0% | | | |
| Konecny | $ 5,500,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.7% | $ 5,500,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.7% | $ 5,500,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 6.7% | $ 5,500,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 6.6% | | | |
| Marchessault | $ 5,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.1% | $ 5,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.1% | $ 5,000,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 6.1% | $ 5,000,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 6.0% | | | |
| Lindholm | $ 4,850,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.0% | $ 4,850,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 6.0% | $ 4,850,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 5.9% | $ 4,850,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 5.8% | | | |
| Tuch | $ 4,750,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 5.8% | $ 4,750,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 5.8% | $ 4,750,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 5.8% | $ 4,750,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 5.7% | | | |
| Verhaeghe | $ 1,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 1.2% | $ 1,000,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 1.2% | $ 4,166,667 | $ 82,500,000 | 5.1% | $ 4,166,667 | $ 83,500,000 | 5.0% | | | |
| Suzuki | ELC | $ 81,500,000 | | ELC | $ 81,500,000 | | $ 7,875,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 9.5% | $ 7,875,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 9.4% | | | |
| Boldy | ELC | $ 81,500,000 | | ELC | $ 81,500,000 | | ELC | $ 82,500,000 | | $ 7,000,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 8.4% | | | |
| Svechnikov | ELC | $ 81,500,000 | | $ 7,750,000 | $ 81,500,000 | 9.5% | $ 7,750,000 | $ 82,500,000 | 9.4% | $ 7,750,000 | $ 83,500,000 | 9.3% | | | |
| AVG | $ 5,838,333 | | 7.2% | $ 6,004,688 | | 7.4% | $ 6,261,275 | | 7.6% | $ 6,220,098 | | 7.4% | | | |
For the most part, the players have a more favorable cap hit % than Slafkovsky’s projected 7.6% (keep in mind that number would keep going down as years go by; 3 seasons later we could be looking at 7.12%). The average during those 14 seasons was a cap hit of 7.2% for that kind of productivity. There were 3 seasons where 7.6% would have offered better value during that season, 1 where it was even and 10 where it would have been worse value.
Note: I used a very conservative approach for this, based on previous reports by Elliott Friedman, we could be looking a massive jump for salary cap in upcoming years with the expansions.
Part C
Will Slafkovsky’s cap hit be a nuisance to the team if he tops out as that kind of player?
I looked at the roster of the Stanley Cup winners since 2012 (that’s as far as the resource I used could go). Again I will be basing myself off Slafkovsky’s project 7.63% where he’ll be 24 years old which could be a realistic target for our stanley cup window to open up.
| Season | 2011-2012 | Cap Hit | 2012-2013 | Cap Hit | 2013-2014 | Cap Hit | 2014-2015 | Cap Hit | 2015-2016 | Cap Hit | 2016-2017 | Cap Hit | 2017-2018 | Cap Hit | 2018-2019 | Cap Hit | 2019-2020 | Cap Hit | 2020-2021 | Cap Hit | 2021-2022 | Cap Hit | 2022-2023 | Cap Hit | 2023-2024 | Cap Hit | | | |
| Winner | LAK | | CHI | | LAK | | CHI | | PIT | | PIT | | WSH | | STL | | TB | | TB | | COL | | VGK | | FLA | | | | |
| Highest paid players | Doughty | 10.89% | Kane | 8.97% | Gaborik | 11.66% | Kane | 9.13% | Malkin | 13.31% | Malkin | 13.01% | Ovechkin | 12.72% | Tarasenko | 9.43% | Kucherov | 11.60% | Vasilevskiy | 11.60% | Rantanen | 11.30% | Eichel | 12.12% | Bobrovsky | 11.98% | | | |
| Kopitar | 10.58% | Toews | 8.97% | Doughty | 10.89% | Toews | 9.13% | Crosby | 12.18% | Crosby | 11.92% | Kuznetsov | 10.40% | ROR | 9.43% | Stamkos | 10.40% | Kucherov | 11.60% | Makar | 11.04% | Pietrangelo | 10.67% | Barkov | 11.98% | | | |
| Slaf | Richards | 8.94% | Sharp | 8.40% | Kopitar | 10.58% | Crawford | 8.70% | Letang | 10.15% | Letang | 9.93% | Backstrom | 8.93% | Pietrangelo | 8.18% | Hedman | 9.66% | Stamkos | 10.40% | Landeskog | 8.59% | | | Tkachuk | 11.38% | | | |
7.63% | Carter | 8.20% | Seabrook | 8.26% | Quick | 9.02% | Sharp | 8.55% | Kessel | 9.52% | Kessel | 9.32% | Holtby | 8.13% | | | McDonagh | 8.28% | Hedman | 9.66% | MacKinnon | 7.73% | | | Ekblad | 8.98% | | | |
| | | Keith | 7.89% | Richards | 8.94% | Seabrook | 8.41% | Fleury | 8.05% | Fleury | 7.88% | Niskanen | 7.67% | | | Point | 8.28% | McDonagh | 8.28% | | | | | Reinhart | 7.78% | | | |
| | | Hossa | 7.70% | Carter | 8.20% | Keith | 8.03% | | | | | Oshie | 7.67% | | | | | Point | 8.28% | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Hossa | 7.64% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rank | | 5 | | 7 | | 7 | | 8 | | 6 | | 6 | | 7 | | 4 | | 6 | | 7 | | 4 | | 3 | | 6 | | AVG | 5.85 |
On average, with that cap hit, Slafkovsky would be the 5.85th (round up to 6th) highest paid player on a SC winning team. That is very encouraging because in my opinion, I think the team won’t be in trouble if Slafkovsky is the team’s 4th or 5th best player on the team. The fact that the rest of the core is locked up at a bargain price is even more reason to be optimistic about the future of this team.
Hope you enjoyed this read!
