In the third instalment of the series looking at players with the best value contracts in the NHL this season, we go to wingers. There are a number of wingers who have played very well this season on cheap deals. Some will be paid next season while others are still locked up on their great deals. Let’s take a look at the wingers with the best value in 2021-22 and some honourable mentions.
10. Tanner Jeannot ($800,000)
Tanner Jeannot has really stepped up in his rookie season and filled a hole left when the Nashville Predators traded Viktor Arvidsson. This Predators team wasn’t supposed to be this competitive, even holding second in the division for a time. A big part has been by the offensive production of Jeannot seemingly out of nowhere.
He has played a middle-six role this season and produced the third-most goals on the team next to Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg with 24. Jeannot is a rookie but is off of his entry-level deal. He has 300 hits and over 100 penalty minutes, making him a key physical presence on the team this season. Signed through next season, the Predators have a steal in this player for very cheap considering what he provides. He’s a real power forward like few others in the NHL.
9. Matt Boldy ($880,833)
Matt Boldy has played just over half of the games for the Minnesota Wild this season but has made a big impression. He has been inserted into the top-six of a very competitive team and has put up close to a point per game while scoring once every third game. He has 15 goals and 38 points in 44 games while contributing 10 points on the power play.
He is still on his entry-level contract for one more season after this one, and the Wild will need it with the dead cap they will have to pay. His production while still on his first contract will be integral for the Wild and their projected cap trouble next season. Like another player on this list, his games played are what is holding him back from being placed higher.
8. Mason Marchment ($800,000)
Mason Marchment is another player off of his entry-level deal but signed for very cheap. The Florida Panthers took a chance on him and he has really broken out after playing only 33 games last season. Despite getting into 54 games in 2021-22, he has posted 47 points and has been a threat in the top-nine (“Mason Marchment is ‘living the dream’ and becoming a key contributor for the Florida Panthers”, Miami Herald, 3/5/22).
The Panthers are a deep team and the scoring all around has helped boost the production, but he is nearly a point per game player making $800,000 on a standard contract while skating less than 15 minutes a night. Marchment costs the fourth-fewest per point among wingers in the NHL. He’s physical and has produced almost completely at five on five. The reason he isn’t higher on this list is the lack of games compared to the others.
7. Carter Verhaeghe ($1 million)
A teammate of Marchment comes in right above him on this list. Carter Verhaeghe had his breakout season last year but has continued to produce at a high level this season as well. All 22 of his goals and 50 of his 53 points have come at even strength to once again state how dominant throughout the lineup the Panthers have been this season.
This is the last season that the Panthers will be able to take advantage of this steal of a contract since Verhaeghe signed a three-year, $12.5 million deal starting next season. Verhaeghe has played top-six minutes this season and has been with the team the whole season minus an injury he is currently dealing with. He gives the Panthers the sixth-best cost per point in the NHL among wingers this season. His skill and finishing ability for a very cheap cost has him at number seven on this list
6. Jesper Bratt ($2.75 million)
Jesper Bratt has really enjoyed a breakout season for the New Jersey Devils who had no trouble scoring goals this season. Keeping them out of their own net was the issue. He makes under $3 million while putting up 70 points already this season.
He has doubled his career-best in points, is playing a minute and a half more per game, and has added 18 power-play points on top of that. He is second on the team in goals (25) and leads the team in points. The Devils will have to pay him this offseason to keep him around as he is a restricted free agent. He has also been very consistent in scoring as his longest drought of the season was the first five games.
5. Tim Stutzle ($925,000)
The third overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft Tim Stutzle has stepped up his game while growing more accustomed to the NHL. Along with Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings, it is a split decision as to who is having the better season. Stutzle has shifted to centre recently from the wing, but he has still been a primary winger in the NHL this season.
He has 20 goals and 53 points in 76 games playing on the second line. He is just 20 years old and is already outperforming his contract. His breakout gives the Ottawa Senators hope and an easier path to get back in the playoff picture.
4. Lucas Raymond ($925,000)
Raymond slightly edges Stutzle on this list since his production all around is slightly higher and he is just a rookie. He has the third-best cost per point among wingers this season. Raymond has 23 goals and 56 points while playing on the top line of the Red Wings. He has been a part of what hopes to be a quick turnaround under the management of Steve Yzerman.
He has been in a tight race for rookie of the year all season but has seemingly been passed by Trevor Zegras and teammate Moritz Seider. Raymond started the season off hot and has cooled down as the season has progressed. He lost his centre Dylan Larkin which has had an effect on him, but overall a rookie on an entry-level deal putting up this kind of offensive production is a steal.
3. Troy Terry ($1.45 million)
Troy Terry could be considered the most improved player of the season as he has shattered career highs in everything. He was at the forefront of goal-scorers in the NHL early on and put together a 16-game point streak that included 12 goals. This came in the first 17 games of the season and he never really cooled off despite the Anaheim Ducks dropping off. Now he can be considered one of the best snipers in the NHL.
Terry now has 36 goals and 65 points on the season in 73 games. His contract of $1.45 million suggests they thought he would improve after the 2019-20 season, but nobody saw a 29 goal and 45 point increase over one season. He has played top-line minutes all season, been a big contributor on a much-improved power play, and is signed for one more season on this great value contract.
2. Michael Bunting ($950,000)
After signing three separate contracts with the Arizona Coyotes since being drafted in 2014, Michael Bunting made his way to the Toronto Maple Leafs and found himself on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner all season. This has helped him grow as a player and break out in a big way.
The production may be allocated to being on a line with two of the best players in the league, but not everyone can be in the right position and contribute when playing with great players. Bunting is in the first year of his two-year, $1.9 million contract that sees him make south of $1 million per season. Based solely on his play this season, he will have earned a big pay raise. He has the second-best cost per point this season behind number one on this list and has 23 goals and 63 points.
1. Jason Robertson ($795,000)
The best value winger this season is without a doubt, Jason Robertson. He is leading the charge in Dallas and has been a part of one of the best and most underrated lines in the NHL this season. He has scored 38 goals and 75 points in 71 games in his second season in the league. He is in the final year of his entry-level deal which sees him making less than $800,000.
Robertson leads the team in goals, is second in points, and has the best points per game on the Stars this season. He also provides the team with the best value per point among all players in the NHL by a wide margin at $10,600 per point. There’s no arguing he has been the driving force on his line unlike many others on this list, and he is going to be paid this offseason.
Related: Top 10 Best Value Centers in the NHL in 2021-22
Here are some honourable mentions since there are a significant number of great contracts this season, whether they are entry-level or not:
- Jonathan Huberdeau ($5.9 million)
- Evan Rodrigues ($1 million)
- Cole Caufield ($880,833)
- Bryan Rust ($3.5 million)
- Brandon Hagel ($1.5 million)
- Jordan Kyrou ($2.8 million)
- Adrian Kempe ($2 million)
- Andrew Mangiapane ($2.425 million)
Any surprises above? Let me know in the comments if you agree with the list or who should get switched around.
