The 7 Best Contracts in the DCHL

Loosely ranking what I believe to be the 7 best contracts in the DCHL

DISCLAIMER: These are the best contracts in the DCHL excluding ELC contracts, as well as any contract with only one year remaining. Also, I avoided picking multiple players from the same team, which may go against the idea of the article if a team were to have two of the best contracts in the league. I just think it's more fun to include more teams rather than talking about only a few teams.

Honourable Mentions: Pavel Buchnevich, STL (5.898Mx5); Dylan Larkin, COL (5.709Mx2); Chandler Stephenson, CAR (2.875Mx3)

7 - Jesper Bratt, MIN

The Wild are a team that have some of the best value contracts in the league. Rantanen at 8.6M, Aho at 7.8M, Rakell at under 4M. I had to debate really hard between two choices for this team: Pettersson at 6.8M or Bratt at 2.5M. At the end of the day, Bratt’s $2,549,250 AAV for 3 years just slightly edges out Pettersson in my opinion. Pettersson is the better player, but value wise it’s hard to argue against a 70-point player for under 3M. Especially on a team as young as the Devils that year after year will improve both individually and as a unit, I’m not hesitant to say that Bratt could very well pass the 80 point mark for the first time in his career, and perhaps even more. This contract is one that has already aged beautifully and even just next year could very well be towards the top of this list depending on how this season goes.

6 - Brandon Hagel, PHI

What a comeback story for Hagel! Having previously been drafted by the Sabres in 2016 and being practically released by the team to signing with the Lightning for 6.5M for 8 years. He previously could not even make the roster for the Sabres, who at the time were frequently at the bottom of the league. He now plays on the 2nd line, top powerplay, and top penalty kill for one of the best teams in the league. Hagel got paid in the NHL, but in the DCHL he has one of the best value contracts in the league at $1,404,000 a year for 4 years. If Hagel can continue to improve or even just consistently play at the level he has been for the last couple years, he’ll even make his NHL contract look like an underpayment, let alone the current value he offers at under 1.5M.

5 - Adrian Kempe, CHI

Perhaps it’s only because his breakout was fairly recent, but Adrian Kempe for only $2,080,000 a year for 2 more years is such fantastic value. I’m not sure how many people here have watched a Kings game, but if you do then you know just how much of a monster Kempe really is. I honestly thing he’s a top 15 winger in the league, and I don’t even think it’s debatable. I think it’s because a lot of people tend to underestimate west coast teams. Either way, Kempe is currently making less money than 15 other players on the DCHL Blackhawks, and especially when you look at the names of the players making more than him (one of which we’ll get to in the article on worst contracts), this is such a good value deal for such a talented player who will likely only be getting better as the NHL Kings improve.

4 - Matthew Tkachuk, VGK

Tkachuk is one of the top players in the league, and it’s hard to argue against that after back to back 100+ point seasons. Which makes it crazy that Vegas was able to sign Tkachuk for only $6,552,000 a year; and he’s making that amount for 3 more years! Not to mention the fact that Tkachuk still qualifies as an RFA after this deal expires, so he will still be under team control after this deal is done for at least another 5 years. Pretty sweet deal for a top 10 player in the league!

3 - Mika Zibanejad, EDM

The Oilers are another team that have many very good value contracts. I believe them to be one of the best teams in the league, and yet only one of their players is making more than 7.5M, and it isn’t Mika. Mika, the highest rated forward on the Oilers, is only making $5,752,500 for 2 more years. For someone of his caliber, that is amazing value.

2 - Nathan MacKinnon, NSH

Nashville had multiple options for this article, namely Johnny Gaudreau and Brady Tkachuk, but MacKinnon’s deal takes the cake. MacKinnon is, at worst, a top 5 player in the entire league. The kind of player you break the bank for. Yet in the DCHL, he will be making $6,463,800 for 4 more years. It’s the kind of contract that, when you see some of the ones in the worst section, will have you wondering how this was ever allowed to happen. It’s genuinely incredible value, and if not for Tage’s contract, would be the best value deal in the league.

1 - Tage Thompson, LAK

Between the power rankings and now this, I may just be stroking JL's ego a bit too much, but seriously I don't think there is a better contract in the league. In the NHL, Tage makes 7.142M a year and will be doing so until 2029-30. Even that is pretty terrific value for what Tage has brought to the table, so for him to be making under $1,310,400 a year for 3 more years is probably as good of a value deal as you’re ever going to get. On top of that, Tage is still an RFA after this deal so they also control his rights.

Look forward to the 7 worst contracts in the DCHL article coming within the next couple days!