Bargain Hunters: Top 10 NHLers excelling on cap-friendly contracts in 2024-25

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis(sellishockey)
Bargain Hunters: Top 10 NHLers excelling on cap-friendly contracts in 2024-25
Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

When you’re strapped for cash, you’ll look to save wherever you can.

That’s why teams chase value. And with the NHL having not raised the salary cap in any meaningful way since the COVID-19 shutdowns (until next year, of course), teams have had to get crafty to fill roles in their lineup.

Today, we’re looking at some of the most cost-effective players in the NHL in 2024-25. Some guidelines: the player needs to have a cap hit below $1 million, and must be a UFA on their next contract. This way, we avoid younger players who might not have been able to make more because of their inexperience.

So, here’s a look at 10 veterans playing above their pay grade:

Eric Robinson, LW (Carolina Hurricanes)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $750,000

Last season was a bit more of a difficult campaign for Robinson, who lost his spot in Columbus’ lineup and was ultimately moved to Buffalo in exchange for a seventh-rounder. Robinson had little to show for as the season wore on and went on to sign with Carolina, who has used him in every game to date. Robinson has been very impressive, and he’s chasing the first 30-point season of his career. The former 2021 World Championship bronze medalist with the United States is a hard-working winger who can hit, play the penalty kill, and bring energy to Carolina’s bottom six. He’s always been a decent depth shooter, too, and he’s being rewarded with what appears to be the first 15-goal season of his career.

Joel Kiviranta, LW (Colorado Avalanche)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $775,000

Kiviranta had a difficult 2023-24 season, which saw his first taste of AHL action since 2019-20. Kiviranta had nine points in 56 NHL games, which, at the time, was on par with his usual career numbers. This season, though, has been a breakout for the 28-year-old Finn. Kiviranta is on pace for just under 20 goals and 25 points as a solid depth contributor. Given the Avalanche have had some crazy turnover this year, those numbers can’t be understated. He’s an energetic winger who has to beat opponents with his work ethic instead of a big frame, and he matches up quite well. It’s like he had something to prove this season after his difficult first year in Colorado. Now, the pending UFA has become a tremendous value option for the Avalanche, and we’ve also seen how good he can be come playoff time, as well. That’ll be the real test.

James van Riemsdyk, LW (Columbus Blue Jackets)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $900,000

It’s been eight seasons since we last saw JVR register 60 points in a season, but he has since developed into a decent middle-six point producer. He had 38 points in 2021-22 with Philadelphia, 38 last year in Boston and is trending toward the same total again in his first year in Columbus. At $900,000, the Blue Jackets are definitely getting their money’s worth with him. He’s a 6-foot-3 winger who is dangerous around the net, but can also play a variety of roles around the lineup. van Riemsdyk was brought in to add some decent depth scoring while serving as a veteran presence. But in reality, he could score 20 goals while fitting in wherever they’ve needed him in the team’s playoff push. What a great pickup just days before training camp opened up.

Alex Lyon, G (Detroit Red Wings)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $900,000

At this point, Lyon has fallen to the third goalie spot in the crowded rotation in Detroit. Petr Mrazek has come in and played some solid hockey alongside Cam Talbot. Lyon might not see much playing time down the stretch, but he has easily been one of the most cost-effective goaltenders in the NHL in the past few years. It seems unlikely Lyon will be back in Detroit next season, but he has proven he can put up results, even on a bad team. It all started with his Linsanity run with the Florida Panthers to get the team into the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. He hasn’t come close to reaching that type of performance in Detroit, but he has done a lot to keep the Red Wings afloat the past two seasons while posting similar underlying analytics to Talbot.

Jesper Boqvist, RW (Florida Panthers)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $750,000

Boqvist had trouble establishing himself as a full-time NHLer prior to this season. He played 70 games with New Jersey in 2022-23 but split last year between Boston and their AHL affiliate. This year, though, he’s on pace for a career-best 15 goals and just under 30 points as a third-liner alongside the Finnish duo of Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. He’s decent on the penalty kill, blocks shots and brings a ton of energy to the table. The 26-year-old Swede needed some time to figure out his NHL role once he came over to North America a few years ago, but he has made a habit of being a difficult player to steal the puck off while serving as a complementary option to more offensively inclined linemates. Boqvist was recently signed to a two-year contract worth $1.5 million per season – the biggest salary of his career.

Adam Gaudette, RW (Ottawa Senators)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $775,000

It’s been a long road for Gaudette, who spent the first few years of his pro career struggling to stay in the NHL. The 28-year-old is on track to finish with 20 goals for the first time in his NHL career, which would beat his previous best of 12 set in 2019-20. Since that season, he has bounced around to many teams and even spent a year on an AHL-only deal. But an explosive 2023-24 season in Springfield helped set the stage for an NHL comeback this year, and he’s been a solid bottom-six forward for a team that has significantly benefited from his scoring abilities.

Darren Raddysh, D (Tampa Bay Lightning)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $975,000

Raddysh didn’t become a full-time NHLer until he was 27 in 2023-24. But with some openings in Tampa’s blueline, Raddysh posted an impressive 33-point rookie season after not missing a single game. This year, Raddysh has done a bit of everything, from holding down the fort on Tampa’s top power-play unit to watching from the press box as a healthy scratch. A 40-point season is definitely on the table, helping to replace some of the offense left behind when Mikhail Sergachev was traded to Utah. He’s been better offensively than defensively at points, but his overall game has been decent, especially at the low price. Raddysh is a hard-working defenseman who would probably fare better averaging 17-18 minutes a night. But his ability to slot in anywhere in the lineup has made him valuable.

Kevin Lankinen, G (Vancouver Canucks)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $875,000

Lankinen is the only player on this list set for a big payday. He was one of the last players to sign a deal before the start of the NHL season, signing a one-year deal just over the league minimum to help pad Vancouver’s crease to start the season. With Thatcher Demko out and Arturs Silovs unable to find his playoff groove again, Lankinen put the Canucks near the top of the standings early on. His numbers have petered off a bit, but the 29-year-old has already registered a career-high in wins and shutouts. He might just miss out on 30 wins, but it’s overall been a hugely successful season for the Finn. He’ll start a five-year deal worth $4.5 million per season next year – the biggest of his pro career by far, and it’s well deserved.

Tanner Pearson, LW (Vegas Golden Knights)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $750,000

Pearson might not be a 45-point guy like he once was. But the fact he’s healthy and playing solid hockey again after missing most of 2022-23 is just great to see. He’s tracking for around 30 points, which would be just the third time he’s hit that total since the 2017-18 season. The strong, 6-foot-1 forward has a great shot, but he also competes hard and still has the hockey sense that made him so dangerous close to a decade ago. Pearson is the type of forwards that contending teams crave – hard to play against with some depth-scoring abilities. More importantly, though, he’s cheap. The Golden Knights love to stretch every dollar, and Pearson has been mighty fine on the value scale.

Eric Comrie, G (Winnipeg Jets)

2024-25 Cap Hit: $825,000

The 29-year-old has had quite the NHL journey. He was drafted 59th overall by the Jets back in 2013 and would play parts of three seasons with the club. He’d end up with Detroit in 2019-20 before once again going to Winnipeg later that same season. Comrie then went to New Jersey in 2021, only to end up back in Winnipeg in the season’s second month. Comrie signed with Buffalo in 2022 and would play 29 games with the team – more than any other in his NHL career – before yet again landing in Manitoba before the 2024-25 season. So the Jets clearly like him, and he’s being rewarded with one of his best NHL seasons to date. His .914 save percentage is the best of his NHL career since his .920 in 19 games in 2021-22. Overall, he has been a solid backup for Connor Hellebuyck, which is exactly what they wanted to be. We’ll see if he cracked 20 games in an NHL season for the first time this year as the Jets look to push hard come playoff time.

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