When the Vegas Golden Knights signed Jack Eichel to an eight-year, $108 million contract last season, the deal was seen as a lot of money... at least, on paper. The Golden Knights were paying a former Stanley Cup winner $13.5 million per year after he broke franchise records in assists (66) and points (94) in 2024-25.
But looking at that deal, you'll see plenty of reasons why the deal makes sense. The market dictates that salaries will get higher down the road. That ranges from Leo Carlsson's new $18 million AAV contract to Connor Bedard's recent deal.
Highest cap hits in NHL entering 26/27 season:
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) July 18, 2026
Leo Carlsson - $18M #NHLDucks
Kirill Kaprizov - $17M #mnwild
Connor Bedard - $15M #Blackhawks
Leon Draisaitl - $14M #LetsGoOilers
Jack Eichel - $13.5M #VegasBorn
Draisaitl, the only one who is NOT entering year 1 of contract
That's enough to make a senile podcaster think that the NHL's #rigged for the Golden Knights. But this doesn't just make Eichel's deal look like a steal (Rhymes Like Dimes). It makes Mitch Marner's eight-year, $96 million deal look even more valuable.
Why, you ask? As mentioned, the market can only go up. That means salaries will get bigger, along with the salary cap itself. But it's also what the two players bring to the table that makes them extremely valuable. That's especially true when you compare them to an ex-Golden Knight who got paid.
Why Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner will have valuable deals down the road
Look at Pavel Dorofeyev for a perfect example of this. Would you consider Dorofeyev worth $11 million per year when you compare his point shares to Marner's and Eichel's?
Player | Offensive Point Shares | Defensive Point Shares | Total Point Shares | Primary Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jack Eichel | 7.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 30 |
Mitch Marner | 5.6 | 2.8 | 8.4 | 38 |
Pavel Dorofeyev | 5.8 | 1.8 | 7.7 | 18 |
On an offensive scale, Dorofeyev would clear Marner, but not by much. He's made his living through punishing opponents on the power play, as proven by his 20 power play goals last season (a franchise record). But the defensive play is another animal.
Marner and Eichel have comparable defensive point shares, making them more valuable than Dorofeyev. Sure, that partially comes in the form of penalty killing. But it's still a testament to the two-way game that both superstars exude.
You must also look at the primary assist category as a good example. Dorofeyev doesn't excel at setting up scoring chances like Eichel and Marner do. His main objective is sniping and shooting first. That's especially true on the power play, where you can have him go long and fire away.
Of course, Eichel and Marner are capable of scoring goals when called upon as well. That adds to their overall value and makes them the only two players worthy of carrying contracts over $10 million AAV. You can't say the same for someone who primarily shoots the puck.
Looking at the aforementioned deals, you'll see that McCrimmon avoided a massive overpay with Dorofeyev. It isn't worth giving a third Golden Knight more than $10 million per year if he's not capable of doing anything else except shoot the puck. Plus, you get draft picks, which is a win-win in most cases.
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