When the NHL introduced the salary cap ahead of the 2005-06 season, it was a complete game-changer. No longer could the rich teams carelessly throw money at big-name free agents without any consequences. Every single contract that a team gives out has to be meticulously run through before the player signs on the dotted line.

If a team can properly manage the salary cap, their chances of long term success greaten. On the other hand, if a team mishandles the cap, they can be stuck in cap hell for seasons to come. When you look at the team’s currently at the bottom of the NHL standings, chances are you will find a terrible player contract or two.

Here is every NHL team’s worst contract for the 2019-20 season.

Anaheim Ducks: Erik Gudbranson

Cap Hit: $4,000,000

Signed Until: 2020/21

Erik Gudbranson was the third overall pick back in 2010, so far into his NHL career he has not lived up to that high draft status. While in junior he showed a bit of offensive potential he has been nothing more than a defensive defenseman.

While there is nothing wrong with being a stay at home guy, the problem is he’s not a particularly great one. The fact that he has played for three different teams over the past couple of seasons goes to show just how little value he has to NHL teams. He is capable of being a very solid depth defenseman but he is being paid like a top-four defender.

Arizona Coyotes: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Cap Hit: $8,250,000

Signed Until: 2026-27

While the Arizona Coyotes finally look like they are turning the corner, there haven’t been too many positive things to say for the past several seasons. One of their lone bright spots was their star defenseman and captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson. For a while, it was looking like he was going to become an elite defenseman in the league, but he seems to have peaked as just a very good player.

Ekman-Larsson’s defensive game is rock solid but his offensive game has really taken a hit this year. He has hit double digits in goals over the past six seasons, but this year will be a struggle to hit that mark. While Ekman-Larsson still deserves to be paid good money, over $8 million a season seems a bit too much.

Boston Bruins: David Backes

Cap Hit: $6,000,000

Signed Until: 2020/21

There was a time when David Backes was a very productive NHL player. He has hit the twenty goal plateau six times in his career. However, ever since Backes signed a big contract with the Bruins back in 2016, his career has been on a steady decline.

Injuries and lack of production have reduced Backes role on Boston to a gloried fourth line player. He has played just 14 games this season due to a combination of injury and being a healthy scratch. At $6 million a season, that’s a ton of money for someone to eat popcorn in the press box.

Buffalo Sabres: Kyle Okposo

Cap Hit: $6,000,000

Signed Until: 2022/23

Kyle Okposo has had some great seasons during his thirteen plus year career. He started out his career with New York Islanders where he established himself a consistent producer. In 2013-14, it looked to be a breakout year for Okposo. While on Long Island he recorded a career-high 69 points in just 71 games.

Fast forward to 2016 when he signed a big-ticket contract with the Buffalo Sabres. They were hoping that Okposo could turn into a point per game player. Unfortunately for the Sabres, his career started to trend downward once he arrived in Buffalo. This season, Okposo is on pace to record a career-low 20 points.

Calgary Flames: Milan Lucic

Cap Hit: $5,250,000

Signed Until: 2022/23

In what was some sort of minor miracle, this past off-season the Edmonton Oilers were able to ship off Milan Lucic and his albatross of a contract to the Calgary Flames. Lucic wasn’t just a terrible fit with Oilers, it has become clear that Lucic has lost a step… or three. In 2018-19, he recorded a career-low six goals and twenty points while with Edmonton.

The Flames thought Lucic’s grit was something the team was lacking, They were also hoping that Lucic could somehow become the dominant player he once was with the Boston Bruins. As expected by most, he has continued to be a disappointment. While he has brought some toughness to the Flames lineup, his production has somehow dropped even further into the abyss.

Carolina Hurricanes: Jake Gardiner

Cap Hit: $4,050,000

Signed Until: 2022/23

Before joining the Hurricanes, Jake Gardiner spent eight seasons playing under the bright lights of Toronto. Over time he became the fan’s main whipping boy when the team wasn’t doing so good. Gardiner has proven over the years that he can be an excellent offensive defenseman. However, it is his poor defensive game that is constantly being criticized.

The hope with Gardiner now sort of under the radar in Carolina and the pressure taken down a notch, he could improve his play in his own end. So far in his run with Canes, he has been an even bigger defensive liability than he was with the Maple Leafs. He is the runaway leader on the Canes with a team-worst minus-19 rating. He is also on pace this season for a career-low 17 points.

Chicago Blackhawks: Brent Seabrook

Cap Hit: $6,875,000

Signed Until: 2023/24

There might not be a worse contract in the NHL than that of Brent Seabrook. He played an integral role in the Blackhawks three Stanley Cup victories and GM Stan Bowman rewarded him with a massive contract. While in recent seasons he has been serviceable, his level of play has nowhere near earned him the money that he is being paid.

In 2019-20 Seabrook’s performance with the Blackhawks has been taken to an all-time low. Through 32 games, he has put up a measly four points. There is no sign that Seabrook will ever get back to form as he was recently placed on the season-ending IR with multiple hip injuries.

Colorado Avalanche: Erik Johnson

Cap Hit: $6,000,000

Signed Until: 2022/23

Erik Johnson was the first overall pick back in the 2006 NHL Draft. While the defenseman has had a solid NHL career, he has not lived up to the hype that comes with being a first overall selection. In his 11 NHL seasons, he has not hit the forty point plateau a single time in his career.

While Johnson has become known more as a shutdown defenseman, the amount he is paid says otherwise. Thankfully for the Avalanche, they have some great value contracts on their team, that Johnson’s high salary doesn’t cause issues with their salary cap just yet.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Alexander Wennberg

Cap Hit: $4,900,000

Signed Until: 2022/23

Alexander Wennberg’s fall from grace happened rather fast. After a great 40 point sophomore season in 2015-16, the Blue Jackets forward looked to have a breakout campaign in 2016-17. Wennberg finished second on the Blue Jackets in scoring with an impressive 59 points. However, it’s been all downhill for him in Columbus since then.

In the three seasons since his career year, Wennberg has seen his production and time on ice gradually decline. His play had become so bad that he often found himself a healthy scratch during the Blue Jackets 2019 playoff run. In 2019-20, he is on pace to have a career-low in points. At just 25 years old, it looks like a change in scenery might be the best option for Wennberg to turn his career around. Although Columbus might find moving his contract a bit of a difficult task.

Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn

Cap Hit: $9,500,000

Signed Until: 2024/25

Back in 2015-16, Jamie Benn had by far and away the best season of his NHL career. He scored a career-high 41 goals while his 89 points led the entire league. Since that amazing season, Benn’s production has been like a rollercoaster. So far in 2019-20, it seems Benn’s offense has completely fallen off the track.

In 2018-19, Benn put up a rather disappointing 53 points. Benn and the Dallas Stars were hoping that the 2019-20 season could be a huge bounce-back year. Instead, Benn has somehow been even worse offensively. He is on pace for a career-low 39 points. As a guy who is amongst the highest-paid players in the league, that is just unacceptable. With a bunch of years still left on his current deal, it looks like Dallas Stars might have a huge headache of a contract on their hands for years to come.

Detroit Red Wings: Frans Nielsen

Cap Hit: $5,250,000

Signed Until: 20021/22

The Detroit Red Wings are just a shell of a team that was so dominant in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2019-20, they have been by far the worst team in the league. New general manager Steve Yzerman has his work cut out for him. The team lacks young stars and has a bunch of ageing veterans with terrible contracts.

It’s hard to pick just one bad contract, but if you had to choose the worst, it would have to be Frans Nielsen. Back when the Wings signed him to a big contract in 2016, they still had aspirations of being a perennial playoff contender. However, not only has the team fallen in the standings in recent seasons, Neilsen’s production has declined with the team. in 2019-20, he is on pace to record a paltry eight points. Unfortunately for the Wings, barring a buyout, Nielsen still has a couple of years left on his contract,

Edmonton Oilers: Mikko Koskinen

Cap Hit: $4,500,000

Signed Until: 2021/22

Over the last couple of seasons, the Edmonton Oilers have been able to rid themselves of most of their bad contracts through buyouts and trades. Most of their terrible contracts were given out by their former general manager Peter Chiarelli. The very last contract he gave out before he was fired by the Oilers was to goaltender Mikko Koskinen.

The big Finish netminder was coming off his first NHL season after spending the past decade plying his craft over in Europe. In 55 games during the 2018-19 season, Koskinen’s play with the Oilers was hit and miss. If Chiarelli gave Koskinen a one-year extension it wouldn’t have been an issue, but that fact he gave him three years, raised some eyebrows.

So far in his second NHL season, Koskinen has once again been very inconsistent. The Oilers have a couple of elite players in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. As long as they can get some average goaltending, they are capable of carrying the team to the playoffs. With the amount of money Koskinen is getting paid, him providing average goaltending is the least he can do.

Florida Panthers: Mike Matheson

Cap Hit: $4,875,000

Signed Until: 2025/26

The Florida Panthers are one of the best young, up and coming teams in the league. Florida has a very talented core group of players who will at least make the team competitive for years to come. One of the players the Panthers thought would be a huge part of that core was defenseman Mike Matheson. It’s safe to say that Matheson has not progressed the way the Panthers had hoped when they signed him to a massive 8-year contract in 2017.

In the two and a half years since the deal, Matheson’s play has been inconsistent. In 2018-19, he matched a career-high with 27 points, but he also had a team-worst minus 24 rating. So far in 2019-20, Matheson has had trouble playing without the puck, so much so that he has found himself being a healthy scratch. At nearly $5 million a season, that is too much money for a guy to sit in the press box.

Los Angeles Kings: Jonathan Quick

Cap Hit: $5,800,000

Signed Until: 2022/23

At this point it doesn’t matter what Jonathan Quick does, he will always be a Los Angeles Kings legend. A Conn Smythe Trophy and two Stanley Cups will earn you an accolade like that. However, the last couple of seasons have been terrible for both the Kings and Quick. In 2018-19, his play took a complete nosedive. His numbers were amongst the worst in the league with a .888 save percentage to go along with a 3.38 GAA.

The 2019-20 season was a chance for Quick to show that the previous year was just a bump in the road. However, at 33 years old, it’s looking like his days of being an elite goaltender are over. The Kings are once again near the bottom of the standings this season, and Quick’s play hasn’t helped. It’s possible that Quick’s numbers could improve on a better team, but it’s going to be hard to find a team willing to take on his lengthy contract,

Minnesota Wild: Zach Parise

Cap Hit: $7,538,461

Signed Until: 2024/25

Back in 2012, the Minnesota Wild signed Zach Parise to a massive 13-year, $98 million contract. Most experts thought the deal would eventually blow up in the Wild’s face. Flash forward to the year 2019, and it’s safe to say those experts were right. Parise had some decent seasons during his first few years with the Wild, but for the most part, his play hasn’t been all that impressive.

In recent years, Parise has dealt with a couple of substantial injuries. in 2017-18, he had just 24 points in 48 games with the Wild. Although he has had a bit of a resurgence over the last couple of seasons, at this point, any year he can reach the fifty point plateau is a win for Minnesota. At 35 years old, this contract is only going to look worse as the years go by.

Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price

Cap Hit: $10,500,000

Signed Until: 2025/26

It wasn’t too long ago, that Carey Price was considered by many to be the best goaltender on the planet. The 2014-15 season was a particularly special season for Price as not only did he win the Vezina Trophy, he also won the Hart Trophy as the leagues MVP. It was because of his great pedigree that the Montreal Canadiens decided to lock him down in 2017 to a gigantic eight-year, $84 million contract.

The very next season after signing the big deal, it just so happened that Price had the worst season of his NHL career. His save percentage was a career-low .900 and he had a less than stellar 3.11 GAA. Price bounced back the following year, but so far in 2019-20, he has not been all that impressive. Price is the highest-paid player on the Canadiens by a longshot. Hopefully, for the Habs sake, he can have another bounce-back year, if not, Price’s contract could soon become one of the worst in the NHL.

Nashville Predators: Kyle Turris

Cap Hit: $6,000,000

Signed Until: 2023/24

After a somewhat controversial and slow start to his NHL career with the Phoenix Coyotes, Kyle Turris made a name for himself with the Ottawa Senators. Throughout his six-plus seasons with the Sens, Turris established himself as a solid second-line centre. So when he was traded to the Nashville Predators in 2017, his new team was more than happy to sign to Turris to a six-year contract extension. Just over two seasons into the contract, the Predators are having second thoughts.

In 2018-19, Turris’ production took a major hit, only putting up 23 points in 55 games. The Predators ran out of patience with him, and eventually, Turris found himself playing fewer and fewer minutes. The 2019-20 season has been the same struggling story. If there has ever been a case where a player needs a change of scenery more, it’s Kyle Turris. The problem is with three more years left on his contract, it’s going to be hard to find a team that still believes in him and his price tag.

New Jersey Devils: P.K. Subban

Cap Hit: $9,000,000

Signed Until: 2021/22

On paper, the New Jersey Devils looked like they had one of the best offseasons in the league heading into the 2019-20 NHL season. They selected the highly coveted prospect, Jack Hughes with the 1st overall selection and signed one of the best net-front presences in veteran Wayne Simmonds. However, arguably the biggest splash the team made was when they acquired star defenseman P.K Subban.

Subban is a former Norris Trophy winner who is almost yearly ranks amongst the league’s top defenders in points. The Devils were hoping he could be a key piece in the team making a return to the playoffs. So far, the P.K Subban experiment in New Jersey has been an utter failure. Not only is the team struggling, but Subban’s play has been brutal at times. He is constantly getting beat defensively and it also doesn’t help that he is on pace for the worst point total of his career.

New York Islanders: Andrew Ladd

Cap Hit: 5,500,000

Signed Until: 2022/23

While Andrew Ladd didn’t quite live up the expectations that come with being a top-five draft pick, he has had himself a great NHL career. He won Stanley Cups with both the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks. However, he had the most individual success of his career with the Winnipeg Jets. He served as the Team Captain from 2011-2016. As good as a leader that Ladd was with the Jets, he also had the most productive years of his career.

Unfortunately for Ladd and Winnipeg, the two sides were not able to agree on a contract extension and Ladd was shipped off back to the Blackhawks in 2017. After a solid second stint with Chicago, Ladd signed a lengthy seven-year contract with the New York Islanders. Pretty much from the get-go, Ladd has just not fit in with the Islanders. His career has since gone into a rapid decline. In 2019-20, he has 13 points in 26 games…playing for the team’s AHL affiliate. At 34 years old, Ladd is a prime candidate to be bought out this offseason.

New York Rangers: Marc Staal

Cap Hit: $5,700,000

Signed Until: 2020/21

The Staal brothers have made quite an impact throughout their NHL careers. Eric is a three-time forty goal scorer and Stanley Cup Champion. Jordan is regarded as one of the best two-way forwards in the league and is a Stanley Cup Champion as well. The last of the Staal brothers to have a lengthy NHL career is the only defenceman of the family, Marc. He has played his entire thirteen season NHL career with the New York Rangers. He is known primarily as a shutdown defenseman.

Earlier on in his career, Marc Staal did produce a decent amount of points, topping off with a career-high 29 points in 2010-11. However, in recent years his offence has almost completely dried up. That wouldn’t matter too much if his defensive game had not dropped off as well. He is now best suited as a bottom pairing defenseman, that’s if he is even able to stay healthy. At this point in his career, Staal is only worth a fraction of the money he getting paid.

Ottawa Senators: Bobby Ryan

Cap Hit: $7,250,000

Signed Until: 2021/22

When it comes to bad contracts, one of the first names that come to mind is Bobby Ryan. It seemed like as soon as he became an Ottawa Senator in 2013, fans and experts alike have criticized Ryan’s contract. This criticism is fair game considering he is being paid over $7 million a season and he hasn’t topped 56 points as a Senator.

After an excellent 2017 playoff run with Ottawa where he recorded 15 points in 19 games, there was hope he could carry it over to the next season. Unfortunately, that was not at all the case as Ryan’s play continued to be mediocre at best. In 2018-19, Ryan had his best season in a long time, when he produced 42 points. However, he was also a team-worst minus twenty-nine.

As of right now, Bobby Ryan’s NHL career is up in the air. After recording just four points in 16 games in 2019-20, he entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. At this point, his hockey career has taken a backseat in his life. Here’s hoping Ryan can come out stronger after this.

Philadelphia Flyers: Kevin Hayes

Cap Hit: $7,142,857

Signed Until: 2025/26

Let’s start this by saying, Kevin Hayes is not a bad player, he is, in fact, a very good player. However, is he worth north of 7 million dollars a season? Not a chance. Hayes is a very versatile player, who can kill penalties and be put on the powerplay. The problem is offensively he is just too inconsistent. Throughout his career, he has averaged around 45 points a season. That is a decent number of points, just not at that price level. You will not find a forward getting paid as much Hayes who has not yet hit the fifty point plateau.

At the age of 27, what you see with Hayes now is what you are going to get. The Flyers are always going to find a use for Hayes, but their money could have been spent better elsewhere. Hayes is one of the most expensive middle-six players in the league.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Brandon Tanev

Cap Hit: $3,500,000

Signed Until: 2024/25

There were plenty of large contracts that were given out during the 2019 NHL offseason. However, you could make the case that the Pittsburgh Penguins signing of Brandon Tanev was the most shocking of all. Tanev is a solid bottom-six player, who was coming off just his second full NHL season with the Winnipeg Jets. Due to being tight against the cap, the Jets didn’t have the money to pay Tanev. While it wasn’t surprising that teams would be interested in a gritty forward who was coming off a career-high 29 point season, it was shocking that the Penguins gave Tanev a six-year deal. Bottom six players just don’t get signed to long-term contracts, especially players who are unrestricted free agents.

To be fair Tanev is on pace to nearly hit the 40 point mark. If he can do that for the next six seasons, this contact could turn out to look like a bargain. Although his uptick in production is in large part due to Penguins suffering so many injuries. Nonetheless, at 28 years old, the chances of him keeping up the pace is rather slim.

St. Louis Blues: Justin Faulk

Cap Hit: $6,500,000

Signed Until: 2025/26

In 2018-19 the St.Louis Blues had to hit rock bottom before they made a magical run to a Stanley Cup victory. In 2019-20 they wanted to make sure that they would come flying out of the gate. The team already had a deep roster when they decided to add even more depth to their team with the acquisition of Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes.

The defenseman had spent the past eight seasons with the Hurricanes where he established himself as a great offensive player on the backend. He had a career season offensively in 2014-15 when he recorded 49 points. That total seemed to be a bit of an anomaly for Faulk as he hasn’t reached the 40 point plateau since.

Before he even played a game with the Blues they signed Faulk to a lengthy and pricey contract. The Blues probably have a bit of buyers remorse as Faulk is on pace to have the least amount of points in his career. Not putting up a lot of points is a big deal for the Blues considering Faulk lacks defensive prowess.

San Jose Sharks: Martin Jones

Cap Hit: $5,750,000

Signed Until: 2023/24

On paper, the San Jose Sharks should be one of the better playoff contenders in the league. They have some solid forwards upfront and have one of the best bluelines in the league. However, the one area that has really hampered them in recent seasons is their goaltending. In his first few seasons with the Sharks, goalie Martin Jones looked like he had the potential to be among the elite goalies in the league. Nevertheless, for the past couple of seasons, Jones has struggled to even look average at the best of times.

In 2018-19, the Sharks somehow managed to make the playoffs despite Jones posting some dreadful numbers. His goals-against average was just shy of three, while his save percentage dipped below .900. If San Jose was going to do any damage in 2019-20, they were going to need a lot better performance out of Jones. So far in 2019-20, the Sharks have well underperformed, in huge part to Jones, who once again can’t seem to stop a beachball. With four more seasons still to go on his contract after this year, the Sharks have a big problem on their hands.

Tampa Bay Lighting: Tyler Johnson

Cap Hit: $5,000,000

Signed Until: 2023/24

Tyler Johnson’s NHL career is a great underdog story. As a player on the smaller side, he was passed over in the NHL draft even though he put up great numbers in junior. After two fantastic seasons in the AHL, Johnson joined the Tampa Bay Lightning full-time in 2013 and he hasn’t looked back. In just his second NHL season in 2014-15, Johnson had a breakout campaign where he registered a career-high 72 points.

Although Johnson didn’t come close to reaching that high point total during the next couple of seasons, the Lighting still locked him down to a seven-year contract in 2017. At the time of the contract, Tampa Bay thought he was going to be a huge part of their core for years to come. However, Johnson has become more of an afterthought with the emergence of players like Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. At this point, Johnson’s talent and salary are being wasted in Tampa Bay.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Cody Ceci

Cap Hit: $4,500,000

Signed Until: 2019/20

As much talk as there has recently been about the Toronto Maple Leaf’s cap situation, it’s not necessarily because they have bad contracts. The team is loaded with so many talented players that have earned their high paying contracts. If you look up and down their roster, you will be hard-pressed to find a truly bad contract. Although, if you had to choose one player it would have to be defenseman Cody Ceci.

The Maple Leafs acquired Ceci this past off-season from the Ottawa Senators. It was a move that was less about getting better defensively than it was to create more cap space. While Ceci has been a serviceable defenseman, he is not worth his current salary. Luckily for the Leafs, they can just let the defenseman walk after this season.

Vancouver Canucks: Loui Eriksson

Cap Hit: $6,000,000

Signed Until: 2021/22

Few players in recent memory have fallen harder and faster than the career of Loui Eriksson. He was a fantastic player for both the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins, putting up multiple 70-plus point seasons. When the Vancouver Canucks signed Eriksson to a six-year contract in 2016, it raised some eyebrows in the hockey community. It’s not that Eriksson wasn’t considered to be a great player at the time, it was the fact that Canucks weren’t exactly considered even playoff contenders.

Flash forward to 2019. Not only have the Canucks failed to make the playoffs, but Eriksson’s play has also been shockingly bad. He has battled injury problems during is his time with Vancouver, but even when he is healthy, his production has been abysmal. He played his first full season with the Canucks in 2018-19 and he only managed to produce a paltry 29 points. In 2019-20, Eriksson is on pace for an even more embarrassing point total and he has been a healthy scratch in multiple games to boot.

Vegas Golden Knights: Paul Stastny

Cap Hit: $6,500,000

Signed Until: 2020-21

Paul Stastny has a lengthy and successful NHL career. It seems that no matter where he goes he always seems to be a perfect fit. After a very productive 2018 playoff run with the Winnipeg Jets, Stastny cashed in during that offseason. He signed a fairly lucrative three-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Stastny’s first season in Vegas was marred by injury but he still managed to put up an impressive 42 points in 50 games. His second season as Knight has not been as fruitful. While he has managed to stay healthy, he is on pace for the lowest point total of his career. At 34 years old, it is more than likely that Stastny is starting to decline. Thankfully for Vegas, there is only one year left on his deal after this season.

Washington Capitals: Richard Panik

Cap Hit: $2,750,000

Signed Until: 2022/23

Richard Panik has been nothing but a tease throughout his NHL career. The Slovakian native was a highly regarded prospect coming out of junior.

After originally being drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2009, Panik has jumped around from team to team, Panik had what looked to be a breakout year with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016-17 when he recorded a career-high 44 points. Things didn’t end up working for him in Chicago, and he was shipped off to Arizona in 2017. Panik once again showed promise in his year and a half in the desert, often being featured on the Coyotes top line.

Panik’s play in Arizona earned him a four year,$11 million contract with the Washington Capitals. So far in his tenure with his new team, it seems like Panik has gone back to his disappointing ways. In 27 games this season, he has registered just four points. Fourtunately for Panik he has a lot of time on his contract to get things right.

Winnipeg Jets: Bryan Little

Cap Hit: $5,291,666

Signed Until: 2023/24

When the Winnipeg Jets made their return in 2011-12, the team wasn’t exactly loaded with star talent. One of the forwards they were going heavily rely on was Bryan Little. He was only twenty-three at the time and was just a few years removed from a thirty goal season.

For the next few seasons, Little would remain one of the Jets top offensive producers. The team slowly started getting better around him to the point where Little became a secondary scorer for Winnipeg. The team wasn’t sure if their young guns were ready for a larger role so they signed Little to a six-year extension in 2017.

If the Jets had a chance to go back and not resign Little, they would probably do it in a heartbeat. He has spent the majority of 2019-20 on the injury list. Winnipeg Jets haven’t seemed to miss him either. However, they defiantly missing the cap space Little is using up.