What Does Schmaltz's Extension Mean For Sabres' Tuch, Other Pending UFAs?

The NHL’s trade deadline is one week old, but the business of hockey continues all year long. On Wednesday, the Utah Mammoth re-signed star center Nick Schmaltz to an eight-year, $64-million contract extension, locking up the 30-year-old in the wake of a career-best season offensively.

Indeed, the fact that Schmaltz has posted a career-high 24 goals and 59 points in 66 games this season was a major contributing factor in the deal he got from Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong. As a looming UFA, Schmaltz had the leverage in negotiations, and he got a massive long-term commitment from Utah.

With that, Schmaltz’s new contract is likely to influence the other pending UFAs looking for new contracts this summer. 

For instance, Buffalo Sabres right winger Alex Tuch is a solid comparable for Schmaltz. Tuch is 29 years old, and this season, he’s generated 28 goals and 57 points in 64 games.

Tuch is currently earning only $4.75-million this year – so he figures to earn at least as much as Schmaltz’s $8-million-per-season salary that kicks in next season.

We can see a world where Tuch gets double his current salary. If Tuch has a terrific Stanley Cup playoff performance with the Sabres this year, he’s going to command significantly more than Schmaltz settled for. But even if that doesn’t happen, some team will give Tuch an $8-million average annual value on a long-term contract.

Meanwhile, here’s where it gets trickier for certain pending UFAs.

What will a player like Seattle Kraken left winger Jaden Schwartz get this summer? At 33 years old, Schwartz is a bit older than Schmaltz and is having a down season offensively with 10 goals and 21 points in 42 games. 

That said, Schwartz put up 26 goals in 81 games last season. Although Schwartz has made $5.5-million for the past five seasons, at a time when the NHL’s salary cap ceiling keeps rising, Schwartz is likely to get a raise this summer even if it’s on a shorter-term deal.

Getting to $8 million per year probably won't happen for Schwartz, but a $6-to-$7-million-per-year contract on a three-to-four-year deal isn’t at all out of the question for him.   

The only other looming UFA forward who will make significant money is Columbus Blue Jackets center, Charlie Coyle.

The 34-year-old Coyle is making $5.25-million in the final season of a six-year contract he signed with the Boston Bruins in 2019.

Though it’s highly unlikely Coyle will get anywhere close to what Schmaltz got, Coyle has posted 51 points in 65 games this season – and he’s only two years removed from a career-best 25-goal, 60-point season. 

Thus, as one of the few centers available on the open market, Coyle is almost assuredly going to break the $6-million barrier on his next contract. He’s not going to get a seven- or eight-year contract from any team, but Coyle will do very nicely for himself on a three- or four-year deal. 

In a straight-ahead supply-and-demand industry like pro hockey, NHL players who have solid numbers this season will be able to get close to what they want on new contracts. And because Schmaltz is a key component for the Mammoth, he would’ve got $8-million per year from one team or another this summer. 

But even in a rising cap marketplace, there’s only so much money to go around. And so we shouldn’t expect too many deals of Schmaltz’s deal’s magnitude. Tuch will be paid handsomely, and so will Schwartz. But after that, players will have to settle for far less – at least, until they prove themselves worthy of a bigger, longer-term commitment. 

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