5 worst player contracts currently in the NHL

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Apr 11, 2024 00:53 GMT

Every season, NHL teams make trades and sign free agents. Sometimes, those deals turn out to be franchise-altering and ordinary skaters become superstars on bargain contracts.

However, on the flip side, teams sometimes overpay for players, whether it's mortgaging the future for a veteran or acquiring a top scorer with an expensive contract.

Either way, the cookie crumbles and there are bonds to some bad deals in the mix. So today, we are looking at the five worst contracts in the NHL.

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5 worst player contracts currently in the NHL

#5. Darnell Nurse - Edmonton Oilers ($9.25 million)

Ken Holland divided the Edmonton Oilers fan base on Aug. 6, 2021, when he signed defenseman Darnell Nurse to an eight-year deal worth $74 million, paying him $9.5 million annually.

As a former first-round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft, Nurse debuted in 2014 and during his first eight seasons, collected 192 points in 477 games, with a +38 rating.

Since Nurse is one of the highest-paid players on the Oilers, he faces a lot of criticism about his performance, which includes just 26 points in 2023-24 and a plus-3 rating, significantly lower than the 43 points and plus-26 he had last season.

Despite Holland's best intentions, Nurse is not the team's number one defenseman and hamstrings them with a no-movement clause, meaning the Oilers are going to be stuck with him until the 2027-28 season.

#4. Seth Jones - Chicago Blackhawks ($9.5 million)

Seth Jones came to the Chicago Blackhawks in an out-of-nowhere trade in July 2021. After spending six years with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he swapped teams, going from one rebuilding franchise to another.

Even though the Blackhawks have former top pick Connor Bedard in the lineup, Chicago is one of the bottom teams in the NHL and only beginning to rebuild after three Stanley Cup titles from 2010 to 2015.

Seth Jones, Chicago Blackhawks

However, Jones was acquired to be the backbone of the Blackhawks' defense, and despite missing some time earlier this season due to injury, he's only collected 30 points and is minus-13. Since joining the club, he's a team-worst minus-88.

Although Jones has 118 points, which is second during his tenure behind the now-departed Patrick Kane, he's a defensive liability that causes his goalies headaches every night, whether they have the skills to stop the puck or not. He has six seasons left on an eight-year deal, paying him $9.5 million annually.

#3. Johnny Gaudreau - Columbus Blue Jackets ($9.75 million)

Johnny Gaudreau didn't like playing for the Calgary Flames and informed management that he would pursue free agency in the summer of 2021, stating that he wanted to play closer to his family in New Jersey.

Interestingly, Gaudreau shocked the hockey world by signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who do not play anywhere near New Jersey. His new deal, worth $68.25 million for seven seasons, pays him $9.75 million a year.

Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets

Since jumping ships to the East Coast, Gaudreau has collected 133 points in 158 games, good enough for a .84 points-per-game pace, which is significantly lower than the 1.01 average he had throughout nine seasons with the Flames.

Although he hasn't missed any time this season, Gaudreau is on pace for his worst goal total of his 11-year NHL career, barely reaching double digits and sitting with 11 with a few games left to play.

Last year, he had 74 points during his first season in Columbus and has 59 now, so he's still setting up teammates for goals with 48 assists. However, one of the most eye-popping statistics is his minus-28 rating, which is the worst on the team. This comes after a career-worst minus-33 rating in 2022-23.

#2. Jonathan Huberdeau - Calgary Flames ($10.5 million)

After losing to the Oilers in the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flames watched superstar players depart through free agency (Gaudreau) and via trade (Matthew Tkachuk). In their places, the club signed Nazem Kadri and brought Jonathan Huberdeau in the Tkachuk trade.

In 2021-22, Huberdeau led the NHL in assists with 85 en route to a career high with 115 points. Last year, he dropped to 40 helpers and 55 points, in one of the NHL's most significant point drops of all-time.

Naturally, there were excuses, like a new coach and a new system, but Huberdeau is playing even worse in 2023-24. After 76 games, he's got 11 goals and 38 assists for 49 points while compiling a career-worst minus-28 rating.

The Flames have traded away several key players and embraced the tank this season, bringing up prospects to play full-time roles. But after two seasons, Huberdeau has just 104 points and is minus-26, a far cry from his best season just two years ago.

As one of the top 15 highest-paid players in the NHL, the Flames have yet to see the results on the $10.5 million he earns annually and still has seven seasons to make it work.

#1. Erik Karlsson - Pittsburgh Penguins ($11.5 million)

In 2022-23, Erik Karlsson, then of the San Jose Sharks, became the first defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to score more than 100 points in a single season. Naturally, Karlsson went on to win his third Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defender.

However, the Sharks were slowly rebuilding, finishing as the NHL's fourth-worst team with a 22-44-16 record. In an attempt to kick their project into high gear, Sharks' general manager Mike Grier flipped Karlsson and his $11.5 million salary to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins

When Kyle Dubas took over the Penguins in the summer, his first move was to acquire Karlsson to give Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang one more shot at a Stanley Cup. It was a bold move by the general manager, especially since Pittsburgh just saw a 16-year playoff streak come crashing to an end on the final day of the NHL season.

As we fast forward almost nine months after Karlsson's move back to the Eastern Conference, it is safe to say that his first season has been quite a disappointment. After 78 games, he's just reached 51 points, which is half of the total he had last season when he was voted the best defenseman.

Of course, the situation is playing out like Huberdeau's since Karlsson is under a new coach and playing in a new system. But at 33, he's only had two campaigns with more than 80 points in his career, which means the Penguins are going to try and get everything they can out of a player who is only slowing down and is on the books until the end of 2026-27 NHL season.