Jacob Stoller and Patrick Williams play a game of 'Would You Rather' with three young AHL defensemen on the rise. Nathan MacKinnon [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwMzM1OTk1OTExMDIxOTQ0/usatsi_20572273_168400847_lowres.jpg] Nathan MacKinnon For NHL GMs, salary cap efficiency is paramount to prolonging a contention window. Sure, contributions from players on entry-level contracts are great – but significant impacts from those players are few and far between. What really can make all the difference is signing a good player to a lengthy contract in the hopes of them becoming a great player during the course of that deal. We’re examining six long-term contracts — between six to eight years — from recent seasons that quickly became team-friendly deals, given the player's rapid progression. NATHAN MACKINNON, C, COLORADO AVALANCHE July 8, 2016: Seven years, $44,100,000 ($6.3M cap hit) Nathan MacKinnon’s formative NHL years were a bit of a rollercoaster. After the Nova Scotia product entered the league with a bang – leading all rookies in scoring with 63 points and winning the Calder Trophy as an 18-year-old in 2013-14 – the 2013 draft’s No. 1 pick endured a sophomore slump, scoring just 38 points in 64 games. While his offensive totals improved in his third season (52 points in 72 games), questions lingered about whether he’d ever become a franchise center as he prepared to sign his first big contract as his entry-level deal expired. But all those doubts were erased in the second year of that seven-year pact, with MacKinnon recording a season befitting of a superstar, racking up 97 points in 74 games. That propelled his career to new heights. Between 2017-18 and 2022-23, the final six years of his deal, MacKinnon recorded the third-most points of any NHLer (553), was a three-time Hart Trophy finalist, participated in every NHL All-Star Game and propelled the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup title. And he did so while counting just over $6 million against the cap. To put that in perspective, 67 other forwards counted for more against the cap in 2022-23 than did No. 29. ROMAN JOSI, D, NASHVILLE PREDATORS June 10, 2013: Seven years, $28,000,000 ($4M cap hit) Between 2013-14 and 2019-20, Roman Josi gave the Nashville Predators a stud No. 1 defenseman for just $4 million per season, an absolute steal for what he brought to the table. That $4-million figure took up just 6.2 percent of Nashville’s total salary-cap allowance back in 2013-14. In the 2023-24 cap environment (with a $83.5-million salary cap), that would equate to a $5.19-million cap hit. By the time the deal expired in 2019-20, Josi was taking up just 4.9 percent of the NHL’s $81.5-million cap. Throughout the seven-year deal, Josi’s 66 even-strength goals and 379 points ranked him fifth among all NHL defensemen. He also recorded the second-most shots of any blueliner in that time frame (1,571) and averaged 25:33 of ice time per night. He won the Norris Trophy in the final year of his contract, proving beyond any doubt the Preds were paying pennies on the dollar for his services. CONNOR HELLEBUYCK, G, WINNIPEG JETS July 12, 2018: Six years, $37,000,000 ($6.16M cap hit) There was a certain feeling of ‘buyer beware’ when the Jets made Connor Hellebuyck the NHL’s sixth-highest-paid goaltender heading into the 2018-19 season. Sure, Hellebuyck was fresh off backstopping the Jets to the Western Conference final, but Winnipeg was one of the league’s best defensive teams, and as we’ve seen time and time again, goalies are voodoo. It’s hard to chart out longevity between the pipes. But the Jets made the right call betting on ‘Bucky.’ Since Hellebuyck’s deal began, he has asserted himself as the best goalie in the NHL not named Andrei Vasilevskiy. Hellebuyck’s .916 save percentage since 2018-19 ranks second leaguewide in save percentage (minimum 100 games), and he’s second in wins (155) and shutouts (20) in that span. He won the 2020 Vezina Trophy after single-handedly leading a Jets team with one of the NHL’s worst bluelines to the 2020 bubble playoffs. Over the past three years, Hellebuyck has maintained a .915 save percentage, ninth-best among goalies who played at least 5,000 minutes, and he’s done so while facing the fourth-most expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.99), according to naturalstattrick.com [https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?fromseason=20202021&thruseason=20222023&stype=2&sit=all&score=all&stdoi=g&rate=y&team=ALL&pos=S&loc=B&toi=5000&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single&draftteam=ALL]. DAVID PASTRNAK, RW, BOSTON BRUINS Sept. 14, 2017: Six years, $40,000,000 ($6.66M cap hit) A big reason Boston has kept its contention window open for so long is management locked up its core players to team-friendly long-term deals. And David Pastrnak is a prime example of that. The Bruins were able to lock up Pastrnak – fresh off his breakout 34-goal, 70-point campaign – to a deal that ate up 8.88 percent of their cap space. For reference, in today’s cap climate, that would equate to a deal worth $7.42 million per season. Since 2017-18, only Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid and Alex Ovechkin have scored more even-strength goals than Pastrnak’s 153. Pastrnak (89) also ranks second in the NHL in power-play goals in that span, behind only Leon Draisaitl (109). He has transformed himself into one of the league’s premier goal-scorers while being paid like a first-line winger rather than the all-world superstar he’s been. Pastrnak scored the second-most goals in the league last season (61), but 58 NHL forwards carried cap hits that exceeded his $6.66-million figure. JACCOB SLAVIN, D, CAROLINA HURRICANES July 12, 2017: Seven years, $37,100,000 ($5.3M cap hit) While Boston has had some good luck with how its contracts have aged, when it comes to contract efficiency, the Carolina Hurricanes reign supreme. Locking up Jaccob Slavin for seven years after he crushed it in his first two NHL seasons – showcasing high-end durability and efficiency at both ends of the ice while playing a top-four role and proving to be an elite penalty-killer – was *chef's kiss.* Since 2018-19, Slavin has logged 22:59 of ice per night and posted a 56.4 percent Corsi-for and a 61.9 percent expected goals-for mark at 5-on-5, according to naturalstattrick.com. Slavin – the 50th highest-paid defenseman last year – still has another two years remaining on his seven-year deal, which will be a huge boon for a Hurricanes team looking to take that final step toward Cup contention. MARK SCHEIFELE, C, WINNIPEG JETS July 8, 2016: Eight years, $49,000,000 ($6.125M cap hit) The Jets have been big believers in Scheifele, dating back to when they drafted him seventh overall — which was much higher than expected — at the 2011 NHL draft. After recording 61 points in 71 games in the final year of his entry-level contract, the Jets locked in Scheifele through 2023-24. There wasn’t much time to wonder about No. 55 living up to the hype, as he recorded 82 points in 79 games the following year during the 2016-17 season. Since signing the deal in 2016, Scheifele has become one of the league’s best at the center position – ranking eighth in points (500) and goals (214), fifth in even-strength goals (152) and sixth in even-strength points (360) among centers.
