Top five bad value NHL players in 2023-24

Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

At least they’re getting paid, right?

Last month, we looked at five players playing well above their salaries. A few of them have cooled off, but they’re still providing relatively solid value for their AAVs.

But what about players making loads of dough yet struggling to perform?

There are a few qualifiers here. Shutdown defensemen aren’t included because production isn’t their thing. We’ve set a minimum game threshold of 15 for skaters to avoid players missing too much time due to injury. Some players, like T.J. Oshie and Rickard Rakell, have been hurt this year but have played enough to get a good read on things. For the one goaltender, well… you’ll understand.

With the help of CapFriendly’s cost-per-point tool, here’s a look at five players performing way below their pay grades right now:

TJ Oshie, RW (Washington Capitals)

2023-24 Salary: $5.75 million, cost per point of $2.875 million

Oshie has dealt with injuries for most of his time in Washington, last breaking past the 70-game mark in 2017-18 and twice since 2015-16, albeit he was on pace to hit the number in the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. It’s not surprising that he’s currently out now, but it does look like he’s not far away from returning from a back problem. Oshie has just one goal and two points this year while averaging 16:40 a game. At $5.75 million, that’s a tough pill to swallow, and they’ve got one more year after this. It’s a shame he hasn’t remained healthy because he used to be a consistent 50-point threat for a good chunk of his career.

Rickard Rakell, RW (Pittsburgh Penguins)

2023-24 Salary: $5 million, cost per point of $1.25 million

Things were looking up for the Penguins over the summer, with the addition of Erik Karlsson spicing up the back end. Rakell, in particular, was one to watch given he was coming off the second 60-point season of his career. But with no goals and four points through 17 games – and an 18-point pace – it’s been a rough go for the Swedish winger. He’s been out with an injury since mid-November, but he has recently been back skating, so we’ll see if he gets back into action soon. Hopefully, it was a good chance to reset and refocus because the Penguins rely on Rakell too much for him to have such little impact.

Patrik Laine, C (Columbus Blue Jackets)

2023-24 Salary: $8.7 million, cost per point of $1.24 million

Laine’s struggles have been well-documented. Between becoming a healthy scratch, dealing with injuries and then some brutal overall play, Laine is on pace for 31 points – the lowest in a full season in his career by at least 20 points. He’s playing a bit better recently, registering three points over his past four games, but the noted goal-scorer hasn’t been doing a lot of what he’s paid to do. The talent is there, but the execution isn’t.

Josh Anderson, RW (Montreal Canadiens)

2023-24 Salary: $5.5 million, cost per point of $1.1 million

The good news? He finally scored! The bad news? It was an empty netter. Anderson’s season has been absolutely dreadful, and he holds a $5.5 million cap hit with a modified no-trade clause until 2027. Yeah, ugly. He’s on pace for just 16 points this year, half of his identical 32-point campaigns from the past two years. It doesn’t seem to matter who Anderson plays with, either. He’s snakebitten beyond belief at this point and it seems unlikely it’ll change anytime soon. It’s sad to see him fall off the way he has, but many at the time agreed the contract didn’t make much sense when he signed it. It’s untradable, really.

Jack Campbell, G (Edmonton Oilers)

2023-24 Salary: $5 million, cost per win of $5 million

Yeah, Campbell is the lone goalie on this list, but he deserves to be here. With a 1-4-0 record, a .873 save percentage and a 4.50 GAA – and we don’t need to get into the advanced analytics – Campbell’s contract has been an utter disaster for the Oilers. He had a positive 21-9-4 record last year, but the numbers were atrocious, and most expected at least a step up. But he has struggled in the AHL, grabbing a shutout on Nov. 21 but allowing at least three goals a night in every other contest. And to think the Oilers have him until 2027… yikes.

Discover Betano.ca – a premium Sports Betting and Online Casino experience. Offering numerous unique and dynamic betting options along with diverse digital and live casino games, Betano is where The Game Starts Now. 19+. Please play responsibly.