Ever since the Philadelphia Flyers took the NHL's biggest gamble and sent a record-breaking offer sheet to forward Leo Carlsson, we've seen a wave of record-breaking contract extensions this summer, but the latest big signing blows the rest out of proportion.
On Saturday the Colorado Avalanche inked defenseman Cale Makar to an eight-year, $163.2 million contract, the largest the League's ever seen. He became the first player in NHL history to reach the $20 million AAV mark, coming in at $20.4 million. That is a lot of money upfront but deserved for what he has done for the Avs over the course of his young career.
Makar set the bar for defensemen contracts. His $20.4 million is the top of the chain, meaning somebody like Quinn Hughes could get a similar number. For a second pairing defenseman, the AAV may fall around $10-12 million in a couple of years.
For the Nashville Predators, this huge shift in salary is paying off, as a good chunk of their defensive core is locked down for many years to come on what may be considered 'cheap' and 'team friendly' deals. That includes Brady Skjei, who's contract is considered one of the worst in the entire League at the moment.
Skjei, 32, signed a seven-year, $49 million contract opening day of free agency in 2024. The deal has him sticking with the Predators, unless he agrees to a trade, until he is 37 years old, which if you know anything about hockey, that is quite the age for a player. While the age and trade clause remain negatives of this deal, there shouldn't be much complaining about the cost now.
Skjei's current contract is a fraction of what it could've been with the salary inflation
Let's be honest, we all know the Skjei contract is not worth it based on what we've got out of him so far. He posted his highest point total in 2023-24 with 47, and saw a 14-point decrease in his first season with Nashville. His 10 goals were actually the third most in his career, so that's something to write home about. However, it was last season that we saw even more regression. Despite the team playing noticably better, Skjei only posted 26 points, three of which were goals.
The real struggle to adaptation for Skjei though is defense. Brunette's coaching style has allowed his offense to prosper and be utilized more. Defensively, he struggled to keep up to pace with the 200-foot system, constantly needing to rush up and down the ice with the play. Over time he began to adapt to the system and is looking much better. The Josi-Skjei line was the strongest defensive pairing last season offensively, showing that he is being put to good use. It's just the defense that worries some.
His growth in the Predators system is very promising. Eventually, that contract could pay off financially. Yes, the term and inability to move him is still an issue, but the idea that his cost isn't as grand anymore when looking at Makar and other top defensemen makes it less of a bust. If the salary inflation continues at this rate, we may begin to see second pairing defensemen start asking for more than Skjei, making his contract look better signing after signing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google