Now or never for Oilers (sort of )
Klefbom, Adam Larsson and Kris Russell, and goalie Cam Talbot), assuming McDavid is earning $13.25-million and Draisaitl signs for $8-million per year.
That doesn’t leave Edmonton with much room under the cap for the rest of its roster, which is why they need to take advantage of having McDavid on an entry-level contract.
In order to win a Stanley Cup you not only need some of the best players in the league, you need some of the most underpaid players in the league.
When the Pittsburgh Penguins made the Cup final in 2008, Sidney Crosby had a cap hit of $850,000. Crosby was earning $8.7-million when they won it all a year later, but Evgeni Malkin, who was playoff MVP, was still on his entry-level contract (as were Jordan Staal and Kris Letang).
It’s also worth noting that after Malkin was bumped up to $8.7-million — and the team was forced to part ways with Staal and Sergei Gonchar — Pittsburgh didn’t reach the final again until six years later. By then, of course, goalie Matt Murray was on an entry-level contract. This year, when the team repeated as Cup champs, Jake Guentzel led the entire playoffs in goals while earning $734,167.
It’s a formula that shouldn’t be surprising to a Blackhawks fan.
When Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 2010, both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were on entrylevel contracts, while Duncan Keith was earning $1.475-million. Somehow, the Blackhawks have made it work by ditching non-core players like Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd and finding cheaper replacements in Brandon Saad, who was on an ELC for wins in 2013 and 2015.
That will be the challenge for the Oilers in the coming years, as 2016 fourth-overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi and defenceman Darnell Nurse inch closer to becoming restricted free agents. Until then, the clock is ticking for them to take advantage of another season when the best player in the world is being paid like a fourth-line forward.
And it’s not just Edmonton that is in this wonderful predicament.
After the Toronto Maple Leafs qualified for the playoffs with a roster full of rookies, it might be easy for management to sit back and relax and enjoy the what should be the beginning of something special. After all, in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, the team has arguably the best young core group of forwards in the NHL. But the kids grow up fast. Nylander, who tied for third on the team in scoring as a rookie, becomes a restricted free agent after this season. In two short years, Calder Trophy winner Auston Matthews, who led all rookies with 40 goals, and Mitch Marner, who tied Nylander with 61 points, will also be looking at McDavid- and Draisaitl-type raises.
Good luck trying to pay them all and also finding a top-pairing defenceman to play with Morgan Rielly. Or better yet, finding adequate replacements for James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov, who become UFAs in 2018.
It means that Toronto cannot afford to take a step back this year. If anything, the Leafs need to join the Oilers in contending for a Cup right now, while the team is structured in a way where the best players are also their cheapest.
After all, the window may never be as wide open as it is today.