Contractual data: how our hockey players got new agreements in the NHL

Many deals involving Russians took place before the opening of the free agent market in the NHL. Two-time Stanley Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko swaps Detroit for Minnesota, Alexander Romanov signs a lucrative new contract with the Islanders, Ivan Provorov extends his contract with Columbus, and Andrei Kuzmenko gets another chance to become an important player for Los Angeles. These and other transactions are described in the Izvestia article.

More than a hundred

"You need such a cow yourself" is a brief description of two deals involving Russian NHL players. Defender Ivan Provorov, who was featured in all sorts of trade rumors before last season, had a great time in Columbus last season and was awarded a powerful contract (seven years and $59.5 million).

Whereas Andrey Kuzmenko performed well during a short period of time with Los Angeles, but dropped in money from 5.5 million to 4.3 million. This is an obvious move on the part of the club. The Russian striker is unstable and has not played at a strong level in the NHL for two consecutive seasons. He will hold the upcoming championship decently — then he will be able to count on more both in terms of time and money.

Defender Alexander Romanov has signed a major contract in his life, agreeing with the Islanders on a deal for a period of eight years and a total of $ 50 million. Considering the expected increase in the salary cap, this agreement will look acceptable to the club. Romanov is a strong defender, but he doesn't make a difference in attack at the NHL level, and with the exchange of Noah Dobson to Montreal, the burden on the 25-year-old Russian will increase even more. It will not be easy for him to cope with such responsibility.

Minnesota acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from Detroit for minimal compensation, also known as "future benefits." The experienced striker has one more year left on his contract with a salary of $4.75 million. Thus, his new club is trying to cheaply and angrily resolve the issue of a forward in the top 9 of the attack, without making long-term commitments. Tarasenko's season in Detroit was frankly not going well, and it seems that he is giving up — age and health are taking their toll. But the veteran can give some useful advice both in words and in deeds to the newcomer of the team, Danila Yurov, with whom he will probably play in the same team.

The fate of top defenders

Vladislav Gavrikov and Dmitry Orlov are still available. The first one will definitely receive a "contract of life". Gavrikov is called by some overseas publications the best free agent after Mitch Marner. It's easier to say who doesn't need a cool and incredibly stable stay-at-home mom. Vladislav's re-signing is called a priority for Los Angeles this summer. The Kings have enough money under the salary cap for a new long-term deal with the Lokomotiv graduate. Now the question is whether the hockey player himself wants to stay in California.

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It will be much more difficult to find an acceptable option for Dmitry Orlov, who spent the last playoffs far below expectations. At his age, he can certainly count on another two- to three-year contract. But it's already very difficult to imagine that this summer someone will give him a salary of more than $5 million per season. In any case, it's definitely not worth waiting for Ovechkin's former partner in the KHL in the near future.

Finalists signed top defenders

Edmonton and Florida have signed new contracts with their leading right—handed defenders, Evan Bouchard (four years and $42 million) and Aaron Ekblad (eight years and $48.8 million), respectively. The first one is quoted higher because of his age and ability to effectively support the attack, but the difference in salaries is still decent.

This once again underscores how much easier it is to build a contender for the title in the warm American south, where players are more willing to go because of soft taxes, pleasant climate and lack of pressure from fans. Bouchard signed an agreement for only four years, realizing that at the age of 29 he could enter the market and, with the ceiling rising, expect a decent salary increase. It's a good move. Apparently, the main star of the team, Connor McDavid, will do the same, preferring a shorter term under a new contract.

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Marchand and Marner

Florida general manager Bill Zito spent all the money, in addition to Sam Bennett and Ekblad, he retained charismatic veteran Brad Marchand. The former Boston forward was instrumental in winning the Stanley Cup for the Panthers and was awarded a six-year contract worth a total of $31.5 million. At the time of the expiration of the agreement, the player will already be 43 years old! Now you can live with that, because Zito has retained all the leaders, and Florida is capable of aiming for at least one more title.

Toronto will have to fight the Panthers in the East without Mitch Marner. He signed a contract for eight years and a total of $96 million, and then was immediately traded to Vegas. There, after the daily pressure from the media in Canada, he will have an easier time.

The Golden Knights are a team that now has all the tools for a real run for the title. The Maple Leafs, having lost a big star, instead received a strong striker Nicolas Roy for the third link and cleared a place in their own payroll.