More than a few NHL clubs have hindered themselves by signing players to hefty, lengthy contracts that come back to haunt their respective general managers, but there are some deals that should be commended.
In the spirit of Black Friday, let's take a look at some of the best bargains on rosters around the league, not including players who are unsigned beyond their entry-level contracts:
Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers
2016-17 salary: $4.3M
2016-17 cap hit: $3.975M
Simmonds is one of the most underrated scorers in the league, starting the season off with 10 goals and 18 points in 21 games after notching a career-high 32 goals in 2015-16.
He's in the fourth year of a six-year extension signed in 2012, and arguably deserves twice as much annually based on the 89 goals and 170 points he's racked up over the previous three campaigns.
Alex Galchenyuk, Montreal Canadiens
2016-17 salary: $3.1M
2016-17 cap hit: $2.8M
Galchenyuk's production has increased in every season since he entered the league in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign:
| Season | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 48 | 9 | 18 | 27 |
| 2013-14 | 65 | 13 | 18 | 31 |
| 2014-15 | 80 | 20 | 26 | 46 |
| 2015-16 | 82 | 30 | 26 | 56 |
The 22-year-old ranks sixth in the NHL with 21 points in his first 21 games this season, and he's done it while averaging only 15:56 in ice time - far less than any of the other top scorers in the league.
He signed a two-year bridge deal worth a total of $5.6 million in the summer of 2015, and he's been worth every penny, and then some, since.
Michael Grabner, New York Rangers
2016-17 salary: $1.65M
2016-17 cap hit: $1.65M
The league's most unlikely sniper finds himself in some elite company at the quarter point of the season.
Grabner is tied for second in the NHL with 12 goals alongside Alex Ovechkin and Patrik Laine, and sits two goals behind the league leader, Sidney Crosby.
This level of production probably isn't sustainable, and Grabner hasn't done anything like this since his first two full seasons in the league, but the two-year, $3.3-million deal he signed with the Rangers on July 1 still seems brilliant in hindsight.
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
2016-17 salary: $4.25M
2016-17 cap hit: $4M
Most of the attention on the Predators' blueline has been on P.K. Subban, but that's just fine for Josi, who's used to playing second fiddle as he did with Shea Weber prior to the blockbuster trade.
Josi has stepped up in Weber's absence, leading Nashville in average time-on-ice and ranking 10th in the NHL in that category while chipping in 10 points in 19 games.
The Swiss defenseman is coming off a season in which he collected a career-high 47 assists and 61 points, and his value can't be overstated.
He's reliable as they come on the back end, and the Predators are fortunate GM David Poile got him signed at the price he did.
Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins
2016-17 salary: $575,000
2016-17 cap hit: $628,333
Murray usurped the crease from Marc-Andre Fleury last spring, helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup and earning a split of the goaltending duties this season.
The 22-year-old was rewarded with a three-year, $11.25-million extension last month, and even that deal is looking like a steal considering his play so far in 2016-17.
Murray is 6-1-0 with a 1.58 GAA and .945 save percentage in seven games. His strong play and affordable contract make trading Fleury a no-brainer.
Honorable mentions: Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg, Los Angeles Kings goaltender Peter Budaj, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson.
(All salary information courtesy: CapFriendly)
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