While the NHL’s winter months are defined by wins and losses, the summertime is a battleground of dollars and cents. Armed with ballpoint pens and checkbooks, General Managers around the league filter through the summer’s batch of free agents in hopes of bringing in the necessary talent to take their team to the next level.

Just like during the regular season, the offseason’s fiscal pandemonium also has winners and losers. Even in an era in which the “hometown discount” is almost all but extinct, General Managers still manage to lock up top tier talent at affordable prices. While there are still plenty of bad contracts in the league, a select group of players are working above and beyond the dollar value they are currently making. It is in that spirit that I have decided to share five contracts that I believe to be some of the best in the entire NHL.

Given how hard it can be to judge a players true “value”, I have decided to look at five specific contracts rather than ranking them - Enjoy!

Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens)

Cap Hit Rank For Forwards: Out of Top 50

At just 24-years-old, Canadiens’ forward Max Pacioretty has already become one of the premier American born hockey players currently in the NHL. Last season, Pacioretty finished with 39 points (15G-24A-39P) which was good enough for 33rd in the NHL and 1st on the Canadiens for the 2nd consecutive year. Signed through the 2018-2019 season, Pacioretty’s annual $4.5 million cap hit isn’t even high enough to place him in the top 50 highest paid forwards in the NHL. Given his role as the Canadiens’ premier scorer, it’s safe to say that the Habs have been blessed with a bargain.

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