From the moment that the Stanley Cup was awarded to the Carolina Hurricanes to the days leading up to free agency on July 1, this offseason felt like it might be ready to provide some unexpected fireworks. However, the last few weeks have been painfully slow. News trickles through every so often, but nothing nearly as hot as the trades we saw in mid-to-late June.
It was to be expected with as shallow a free agency class as we were getting. That doesn't mean that the money hasn't been flowing throughout the league. With the salary cap ballooning, teams are shelling out a ton of money, especially to young studs entering restricted free agent status to keep them around a little longer.
This summer, eight players have signed contracts worth more than $10 million per season. Five of those eight were RFAs or a year away from being RFAs. Macklin Celebrini's next deal will net him $18.8 million beginning in 2027-28. The Ducks matched Leo Carlsson's offer sheet from the Flyers for $18 million per year. Connor Bedard will make $15 million, and these are just the top three.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have kept things status quo. They haven't made many waves this offseason, primed to bring back almost an identical roster to the one that just won the Cup. The Canes have long garnered a reputation as one of the most economical teams in the league, and their owner being a penny-pincher has helped that. However, it means good deals for everyone.
No one does contract effiency better than the Hurricanes
According to The Athletic, the Carolina Hurricanes will head into the season with the best contract efficiency in the league, using a model that assigns a market value to each player based on their performance, age, and a million other factors, and comparing it to their actual contract. The Canes are knocking it out of the park.
The Canes are living proof that a team of properly valued and scheme-fitting players can be more efficient than having two or three guys who make boatloads of money. No one on the Hurricanes' roster makes over $10 million, with Sebastian Aho leading the pack at $9.75 million. Over $1 million separates his AAV from the next closest member of the roster (Nikolaj Ehlers, $8 million AAV).
This postseason also proved that the Canes might've gotten away with robbery after extending Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven last summer with a full season remaining on their entry-level deals. Blake (8x$5.12m) topped 50 points during the regular season before leading the team in points (20) during the playoffs, and Stankoven (8x$6m) led the team in goals (11) this postseason.
While the market value for these three forwards is high, no one should be making more than Seth Jarvis. His estimated value is over $14 million, nearly double the $7.42 million he's expected to make over the next six years. It makes plenty of sense. He has topped 30 goals in each of the last three seasons. He'll be sorely missed at the start of the year as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
The team's bread and butter has always been their defense, so it should come as no surprise that each of the five signed defensemen represents a positive contract value for the Canes. Jaccob Slavin leads the way, while Shayne Gostisbehere's value is more than double what the team is paying him. Their goalies, Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov, are also severely underpaid.
Only two players on the active roster, William Carrier and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, are listed as having negative values, with only Kotkaniemi's value being egregiously bad. Otherwise, the Canes are killing it. They have most of the team locked up for several more years, allowing them to maintain a wide championship window. There's no reason that they shouldn't be among the favorites in 2027.
I want to make it clear that I don't think having players who make a ton of money is a bad thing. Name one team in the league that wouldn't like to have a duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Canes don't have a player of that quality, but they're about as strong a team as there is in the NHL. Everyone has a role, performs it well, and it has led to success. I expect others to try to replicate it.
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