After setting career highs with 38 goals, 30 assists and 68 points, Tage Thompson signed a seven-year, $50 million extension with Buffalo in the summer of 2022.
asserted
Thompson → set → 2022
Before it even kicked in, he topped himself again with 47 goals, 47 assists and 94 points.
asserted
he → kick → goals
They are among players who signed long term before this past summer of high spending, when Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet set off a domino effect of big-money deals.
asserted
sheet → sign → deals
Suddenly this group looks grossly underpaid, perhaps with a tinge of regret, but also generally happy with prioritizing security for themselves and their families.
asserted
group → look → themselves
“It’s tough to kind of gauge where the cap’s going to go and honestly where your career’s going go,” Thompson said.
asserted
Thompson → ’ → ?
“Do I think there’s guys that wish they would have held out a little bit?
asserted
they → think → ?
Yeah, obviously you would have liked to sign a big ticket and get as much money as humanly possible.
asserted
you → like → money
But at the end of the day, you’re still talking about (a lot of money).”
asserted
you → talk → money
Thompson’s father, Brent, bounced around during his career on a series of one- and two-year contracts that moved the family around North America.
asserted
that → bounce → America
That played into his decision to choose stability over the risk of something shorter.
asserted
That → play → something
“When you sign it, too, there’s a big weight off your shoulders,” Thompson said.
asserted
Thompson → sign → shoulders
“There’s so many things that go on inside your head.
asserted
that → ’ → head
I think when you sign one of those long-term deals, it just kind of frees you up to just focus on what you can do to just help the team win and not have to worry about that next contract.”
asserted
team → think → contract
Thomas signed a few weeks before Thompson in 2022 and joked that he wished he could predict the future.
“If anybody could predict the future, then I don’t think there will be guys signing eight-year deals,” Boston captain David Pastrnak quipped.
uncertain
Pastrnak → sign → deals
“But it’s timing.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
It’s a little bit of luck.”
asserted
It → ’ → luck
Nazar signed for $46.13 million a little over a year ago, knowing the cap was going up and that he could have waited and made a little more.
uncertain
he → sign → more
He, too, set career highs with 15 goals, 26 assists and 41 points.
asserted
He → set → goals
“Obviously, no matter what, you’re going to think about it,” Nazar said.
asserted
Nazar → go → it
“If anything, it’s a good thing.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
Leave some money on the table for for other guys, and hopefully we can bring in some guys and do something really special.”
asserted
we → leave → something
That’s how Montreal’s Cole Caufield views his situation in the middle of his eight-year, $62.8 million contract.
asserted
Caufield → ’ → contract
Having forwards Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky all making less than $8 million annually through 2030 and No. 1 defenseman Lane Hutson at $8.85 million through ‘31 is a big reason the Canadiens could be good for a long, long time.
uncertain
Canadiens → have → time
“Obviously, money’s money, and we get paid a lot of it to do what we do,” Caufield said.
asserted
Caufield → ’ → what
“Right now it’s probably the biggest five, six years of our careers, and based on what we’ve built, I think what’s more important is winning.
asserted
’s → ’ → what
Coming off winning the Stanley Cup with Carolina, Jaccob Slavin may be the best value in the league at an average annual cap hit of under $6.4 million through 2032-33.
uncertain
Slavin → come → 2032
Not an offensive defenseman like Colorado’s Cale Makar, whose $163.2 million contract is the richest in league history, Slavin joked that “defense doesn’t pay” and isn’t worried that he should have held out for a few more bucks.
asserted
he → joke → bucks
“I don’t kick myself for signing when I did,” Slavin said.
asserted
Slavin → kick → myself
“I wanted to be in Raleigh.
asserted
I → want → Raleigh
I didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
asserted
I → want → ?
Jack Eichel, who won the Cup with Vegas in 2023 and helped the Golden Knights reach the final before losing to the Hurricanes, is just beginning his eight-year, $108 million contract signed last October.
asserted
Knights → win → contract
During that process, he and agent Pat Brisson were in touch with the union and saw the rising cap coming yet Eichel harbors no regrets.
asserted
Eichel → see → regrets
“It’s an incredible deal for me and my family,” Eichel said.
asserted
Eichel → ’ → me
The Aporia
