When it comes to signing excellent young NHL defencemen to long-term extensions, no two players were better taken care of this offseason than Atlantic rivals Jake Sanderson and Rasmus Dahlin.
Last month, Sanderson signed an eight-year deal with an AAV of $8.05 million – a deal that will make him the Ottawa Senators' highest-paid defenceman next fall. Today, the Buffalo Sabres took care of their guy, handing Dahlin an eight-year contract worth $11 million per season.
All of this sets up an interesting debate. Now that they're locked up, which player would you rather have for the next nine years? 21 year old Jake Sanderson on his 8 x 8 extension or 23 year old Rasmus Dahlin at 8 x 11?
Fans of both teams will, of course, holler loudly that their guy is the best. And as the THN Senators site editor, who watched Sanderson play every night last season, I will admit to a fondness for the local kid's game.
But I'll try and look at things objectively.
There's no question that the 23-year-old Dahlin is the better defenceman right now. He was an all-star last season with 73 points and finished eighth in Norris Trophy voting. He took a massive leap in his defensive play and while he doesn't fight, he's developed a real edge and chippiness to his game. In short, he's not much fun for opposing forwards to play against.
Senator fans know what they have in Sanderson, and his offensive stats (32 points in 77 games) don't tell his whole story. Sanderson's puck handling skills, vision and closing speed are elite, far beyond what you might expect from an NHL rookie, regardless of draft pedigree.
While Thomas Chabot will, once again, be handed most of the top power play time in Ottawa, Sanderson is probably already a superior option. The trouble is, Chabot doesn't kill penalties – never has. So the Senators needed Sanderson to be that shut down guy as well, treating him like a steady veteran and not a 20 year old kid.
Sanderson finished 5th in the NHL in shorthanded time on ice, not among rookies, among everyone. This year, the club is expected to take some of that PK load off, providing Sanderson with more creation time, 5 on 5 or on the power play.
Sanderson is the complete package and, at 21, will only get better from here. Can he impact a game right now the way Rasmus Dahlin does? Not yet. But he will soon. The question is how soon? If it takes three years or more, then Dahlin wins this debate.
But Sanderson's improvement and development as a rookie was meteoric and we expect that to continue in his sophomore year. It was huge for the Senators to get this deal done now because he'd likely get considerably more this time next year.
If all things were equal, Dahlen would be the choice. He's a sure thing. The bird in the hand. He's already a top five defenceman in the league. Sanderson's deal carries some risk because he's not at that level... not yet.
But with a big money difference added to the mix, combined with our through-the-roof optimism of what Sanderson will become, that changes things.
One way to help decide on this debate is to look at the full investment over the next nine years:
Dahlin: $94 million
Sanderson: $66.25 million
Is Dahlin's head start worth paying the extra $28 million premium?
Let's be honest, any team would be over the moon to lock up either player. Their next nine years will both be crammed with accomplishments. Dahlin is better right now by virtue of the two year head start. But now that the Senators are a cap team, we're happy to choose Sanderson in this debate and pocket the savings that will help the club in other areas down the line.