1.) It has to be a contract that is active during the 2014-2015 season (so don't expect to see DiPietro here)
2.) We will look at cap hit not total salary.
3.) Figures are based on Capgeek.
Let's get started:
LW- Benoit Pouliot (Edmonton Oilers)
Contract: 5 Years/$20 million
Cap hit: $4 Million
My Reasoning:
Pouliot was part of the New York Rangers run last season. Obviously the Oilers saw something in him that they liked. He did have a career year. However that was only 36 points in 80 games, which nearly doubled his career points total. He has never cracked the 20 goal mark. Sure, he might be able to crack the 2nd line on a team, but that team probably won't be with the Oilers with Taylor Hall and David Perron ahead of him in the depth chart.
Signed Until: 2018-2019
Pouliot was part of the New York Rangers run last season. Obviously the Oilers saw something in him that they liked. He did have a career year. However that was only 36 points in 80 games, which nearly doubled his career points total. He has never cracked the 20 goal mark. Sure, he might be able to crack the 2nd line on a team, but that team probably won't be with the Oilers with Taylor Hall and David Perron ahead of him in the depth chart.
Signed Until: 2018-2019
Similar Cap Hits at the Position: James van Riemsdyk, Loui Eriksson, Nikolai Kulemin, Milan Michalek, P.A. Parenteau
C- Dave Bolland (Florida Panthers)
Contract: 5-Years/$27.5 million
Cap hit: $5.5 million
My Reasoning:
Bolland's claim to fame is he scored the Cup winning goal for the Blackhawks in 2013. From there he was traded to the Maple Leafs where he only played 23 games due to an injury suffered against the Canucks. It was long rumoured that Bolland wanted a long-term deal and Leafs fans were relieved when GM Dave Nonis was saved from himself. Bolland signed a his long-term deal with the Florida Panthers.
Bolland has never had a 50-point season, he came close in 2008-2009 when he had 47 points, but since then he's been inconsistent.
Signed Until: 2018-2019
Similar Cap Hits at the Position: Shawn Horcoff, John Tavares, Jeff Skinner, Tyler Seguin, Nathan Horton.
RW- David Clarkson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Contract: 7 years/$36.75 million
Cap Hit: $5.25 million
My Reasoning:
There seems to be a pattern emerging here, a lot of 3rd liners get overpaid. Clarkson has never cracked the 50 point plateau. His career high, in 2011-2012, is 46 points. GM Dave Nonis' reasoning for signing Clarkson was that he could provide that grit and he'd bang in those ugly goals.
His "grit" involved him jumping off the bench to join a fight in a meaningless preseason game (resulting in a 10-game suspension), and defending a water bottle. And those ugly goals he was going to bang in? He had 5 last season.
Signed Until: 2019-2020
Similar Cap Hits at the Position: Joffrey Lupul, Marian Hossa, Bobby Ryan, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla.
D- Brooks Orpik (Washington Capitals)
Contract: 5 Years/$27.5 Million
Cap Hit: $5.5 Million
My Reasoning:
Orpik has spent his whole career with the Penguins until this offseason when he signed a 5 year deal with the rival Washington Capitals. Orpik is a stay-at-home defenseman, which means you're not going to see him clap in many on the powerplay from the point (he only has 1 career PPG), or at all really. His career high in goals scored is 2, which he's done 5 times, and he only has 13 career goals, which is fine because he's a defenseman, their job is to keep the puck out of the net.
Unfortunately, Orpik has never been a finalist for the Norris. In fact, he's only been considered for it once, in the lockout shortened 2012-2013 season, where he finished 18th. Washington is a team that desperately needs better defense, and Orpik can help the team, but a $5.5 million cap hit might be a little steep.
Signed Until: 2018-2019
Similar Cap Hits at the Position: Duncan Keith, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, James Wisniewski, Dan Girardi, Matt Carle
D- Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres)
Contract: 7 Years/$38.5 Million
Cap Hit: $5.5 Million
My Reasoning:
Myers made his NHL debut during the 2009-2010 season. He had a great season logging 48 points in 82 games. He won the Calder and was in the top 20 in Norris voting.He followed that up with another decent season. Then missed 27 games in 2011-2012 due to various injuries and a suspension.Unfortunately, before that 2011-2012 season, the Buffalo Sabres signed Myers to a 7 year contract extension, the contract came into effect in 2012-2013.
Since signing that contract, Myers' numbers have dropped and he's and his share of injury troubles. The Sabres haste in signing Myers before his entry level deal expired might be the downfall. However, if Myers can return to his rookie form, this signing will be a solid one. Hopefully, for the Sabres' sake, that happens soon.
Signed Until: 2018-2019
Similar Cap Hits at the Position: Duncan Keith, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, James Wisniewski, Dan Girardi, Matt Carle (same as Orpik)
G- Cam Ward (Carolina Hurricanes)
Contract: 6 Years/$37.8 Million
Cap Hit: $6.3 Million
My Reasoning:
Cam Ward has spent his entire career with the Carolina Hurricanes. In his rookie season, he lead the Canes to the franchise's first (and so far, only) Stanley Cup. Ward went on to win playoff MVP. But the next season, he could not carry the team to the playoffs. In fact, they became the first team since the 1938-1939 Black Hawks to miss the playoffs the year before and after they won the Cup.
However, since the Cup Victory, Ward has only played in the postseason once more: in 2008-2009 where they made it to the conference finals (and did this in the conference quarter finals) but were swept by the Penguins. Ward has put up some good numbers throughout his career, but when you think about elite goaltenders, Ward doesn't come to mind, yet he's the 5th-highest paid goaltender in the league.
Signed Until: 2015-2016
Similar Cap Hits at the Position: Carey Price, Ryan Miller, Corey Crawford, Semyon Varlamov, Kari Lehtonen
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