While superstar bargains like Leon Draisaitl provide elite surplus value, pricey depth commitments continue to anchor Edmonton’s cap efficiency, preventing the roster from ranking higher than other NHL teams.
A recent ranking of the NHL's best teams and how they've managed the salary cap showed an interesting trend for the Edmonton Oilers. Coming in at No. 12 on Dom Luszczyszyn's list, Edmonton ranked decently overall, but their front office keeps running into the same issue: the stars are worth every penny, and the depth is where things get messy.
Ranking No. 1 in surplus value, Leon Draisaitl's $14 million annual hit looks like a steal given what he brings to the ice and how much he's being paid. The fact that he's locked in for seven more years at $14 million per season only makes it look better as the cap climbs.
Ranking at the top of the Oilers list in terms of Positive value, Connor McDavid is a bargain too. Even with just two years left on his current deal — a player of his caliber at his price point is essentially found money. He'd rank even higher if he wasn't due for another extension in the next couple of seasons.
Throw in strong value from Evan Bouchard and Zach Hyman, and Edmonton's top of the roster remains as cost-effective as any team's in the league.
The problem is everything around them.
Edmonton Is Giving Away Value In Certain Areas
Luszczyszyn points out that Edmonton finally shed Darnell Nurse's contract this offseason, which by itself was big for their ranking. But in its place, the front office has committed roughly $20 million combined to Jason Dickinson, Trent Frederic, Jake Walman and Tristan Jarry — a group that, collectively, does not come close to justifying that price tag.
There was a bright spot that got added this summer: Ryan Shea. He writes, "Ryan Shea, at least, was a great bet this summer; he’s not far from Nurse’s on-ice value at less than half the cost."
The top two teams on the list were the Carolina Hurricanes (No. 1) and the Montreal Canadiens (No. 2). Both teams have great deals for their top talent, solid contracts for their depth guys, and almost no real albatross deals on their respective rosters. Jesperi Kotkaniemi got the worst grade for the Hurricanes (D+), while Philip Danault and Josh Anderson both got C- grades for the Canadiens.
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