Top five NHLers who aren’t living up to their big contracts in 2024-25
A week ago, we looked at some of the best value players in the NHL – guys making below $1 million and finding ways to be important for their respective teams.
But what about the opposite? For this exercise, we’re looking at struggling players making $7 million and over. Big-name players on big-money deals that need to get it in gear sooner rather than later. These are the guys that make headlines for the good, the bad and the ugly – and right now, it’s the latter.
One name that was left off: Kevin Hayes, who has an AAV of $7.142 million. The Philadelphia Flyers retained 50 percent of his salary in his deal to the St. Louis Blues before the 2023-24 season, so his cap hit in Pittsburgh is only $3.571 million. And lets be real – Hayes has been a bottom-six forward for a few years now, anyway.
So, who needs to pick up the pace, and fast? Here’s a look at five struggling NHLers who need to show their employers they’re worth the mighty coin:
Elias Pettersson, C (Vancouver Canucks)
Contract: $11.6 million until 2031-32
Seriously – what the heck? Have the Canucks been icing the other Elias Pettersson by accident? The Swedish center hasn’t been the same since the start of the 2024 NHL playoffs, and now he’s sitting at one goal and four points in 10 games. At this rate, he’s on pace for 33 points – BY FAR the worst output of his career in a full season. He had a nice three-game point streak late in October but is riding his second three-game pointless streak of the season. It’s early in the first year of his new deal, but expectations are exceptionally high when you’re one of the highest-paid players in the league. No matter what, Pettersson needs to be infinitely better – the team won’t go far if he’s struggling like he is right now.
Dylan Cozens, C (Buffalo Sabres)
Contract: $7.1 million until 2029-30
Cozens is in the second year of a seven-year deal worth $7.1 million, and it’s already being scrutinized. The 23-year-old forward had a difficult 47-point season last year, falling 21 points from his 68-point output in 2022-23. Now, he’s on pace for fewer than 30 points, and he needed 11 games to get his first goal of the season. At his best, Cozens is a high-scoring, strong centerman who can do a bit of everything. But right now, he’s snakebitten in a way that’s just hard to explain. The Sabres as a whole are struggling, and they need Cozens to turn the wick up – and fast.
Jamie Benn, LW (Dallas Stars)
Contract: $9.5 million, pending UFA
It looks like Benn’s late-career revival has finally come to a close. He’s still on pace for more than 20 goals, but with five points in 11 games, he’s looking at a 37-point pace. It was fun watching the Stars’ captain explode for 78 and 60 points over his last two years, respectively, but it seems like Father Time might finally start catching up to the hard-hitting power forward. The timing is fine, thanks to the arrival of Logan Stankoven, so it’s not like Dallas is in a bad spot. Benn is set to become a UFA this summer and will make much less than his $9.5 million cap hit – and maybe we’ll see him take more of a Corey Perry-like depth role for a few years to remain effective in another way.
Jeremy Swayman, G (Boston Bruins)
Contract: $8.25 million until 2031-32
One of the biggest stories of the offseason was the public stalemate between Swayman and the Bruins. Swayman is now Boston’s No. 1, carrying a hefty price tag of $8.25 million until 2032. But with a 4-4-1 record and a .895 save percentage, it’s been a rocky ride for a young goaltender many consider to be one of the best in the world. Swayman is fresh off a shutout against Seattle, which had to be good for the confidence. But with a -0.03 goals saved above expected, Swayman has been average at best, and way off the mark at worst. Swayman has showed already in his young career that he’s capable of taking over and becoming a dominant force, and that’s why the Bruins felt comfortable trading Linus Ullmark last summer. But Bruins fans have plenty of reasons to be a bit salty right now given how the season has started.
Charlie McAvoy, D (Boston Bruins)
Contract: $9.5 million until 2029-30
The Bruins’ offense has struggled this year, and McAvoy is no different. He’s on pace to finish with 26 points, which is just under half the 47 he had last year. In fact, he has seen his offense fall over the past three years, although injuries have seen him miss games in both of the previous two years. The mobile, two-way blueliner is known for generating some high-quality chances from the point, but it feels like nothing is working. That’s the same for David Pastrnak (three points at 5-on-5) and Brad Marchand (two assists), who are getting points in other ways to remain relevant, but are just not finding success right now.
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