Inside the NHL’s Biggest Contract Surprises of 2025: Who’s Winning and Losing Big Bucks?
No team has more A-grade deals than the Oilers, who have six belonging to their top three forwards (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman) and their top three defensemen (Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman). Add Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the mix and Edmonton is getting tremendous bang for its buck from the core. It’s why the Oilers are back-to-back Cup finalists.
There are two reasons the Oilers don’t rank higher despite that. The first is two major problem contracts in Darnell Nurse and Trent Frederic, both of which create a lot of negative long-term value that digs into the team’s total surplus. The other is the lack of term for some of their core guys. Compared to Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay, the Oilers have significantly less money locked up in their most important players.
Post Comment