The contract
Tampa Bay Lightning signal defenseman Victor Hedman to a four-year extension with an $8 million AAV.
After the heartbreak of dropping a franchise cornerstone in Steven Stamkos on Monday, the Lightning locked up protection pillar Victor Hedman a 12 months early.
By signing Hedman now, the group and the participant keep away from the curler coaster that was simply skilled with Stamkos. As a substitute, the participant can go into the season with none distractions. And administration good points certainty round one among their most essential gamers and spine on protection. Between Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Point, and now Jake Guentzel, the Lightning’s new-look core is formally all underneath contract for at the least three years. That ought to give GM Julien BriseBois a agency cap quantity to work round annually to discover a supporting solid to assist prolong this group’s rivalry window.
Most significantly for a Lightning group that has to function on a strict price range, Hedman ought to convey constructive worth all through the lifetime of his subsequent deal. An uncharacteristic down 12 months in 2022-23 could have sparked some concern about Tampa Bay’s primary, however he bounced again this previous season and picked up the tempo down the stretch together with his finest play of the 12 months. He has managed with no ton of help round him these final couple of seasons. With the return of Ryan McDonagh, he has the assistance he’s been lacking to share the burden of matchup minutes which bodes effectively for him sustaining his excessive stage of play.
Hedman will likely be 34 years outdated when his subsequent contract kicks in, however he ought to have the ability to ship constructive worth all through the deal. The deal slides in slightly below Evolving-Hockey’s four-year projection which carried an $8.6 million cap hit. And it is available in under his forecasted value over that span of $8.4 million.
It’s a fairly distinctive deal for somebody of Hedman’s caliber. The closest match, per CapFriendly’s comparable software, is Dmitry Orlov’s two-year deal signed with the Hurricanes final season — and it solely comes at a 52.4 % match which isn’t very shut in any respect. An absence of comparables isn’t a foul factor, although. Had Tampa Bay adopted the course others have taken with franchise defensemen of their early to mid-30s, this deal might have been longer. Simply consider Brent Burns’ eight-year cope with the Sharks signed at 32, or Kris Letang’s six-year contract signed with Pittsburgh again in 2022 at 35. Protecting the time period quick is within the Lightning’s finest curiosity.
May it nonetheless be a burden when he hits 37? It’s potential. Gamers’ values are likely to sink of their late-30s as age-related decline hits them. However bear in mind: When their worth begins as excessive as Hedman’s does, their lows can nonetheless be above common for a participant of that age.
The deal itself could sting as a result of Stamkos simply signed for 4 years at a median annual worth of $8 million yesterday in Nashville. However Hedman signing this deal plus Guentzel for seven years at $9 million is one of the best path ahead for the Lightning now and in the long term.
Contract grade: A
Match grade: A
(Picture: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Pictures)
