Zaitsev is a young defender with good potential. The issue is more the timing
and length of the contract than the dollar value. He was extended for seven
seasons after just one year in the NHL. After the extension, his point total
dropped from 36 to 13, and he played in only 60 games. Zaitsev could still
blossom into a strong NHL defender worthy of his contract. But the term is
worrisome for a player who took a step back last season.Vancouver Canucks: Loui
 Eriksson

(Four years, $6 million, with NTC) 

Loui Eriksson was once a very good hockey player. He routinely scored 60-plus
points and 25-plus goals in his years with Dallas and Boston. In his final year
 in Boston, he scored 30 goals and added 33 assists. He was primed to cash in
during free agency, but the Canucks were an odd team to sign him.Loui Eriksson
(Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports)

The Canucks' core was aging, as the Sedins were approaching retirement, and
offering Eriksson a six-year, $36-million deal was a strange move. Though the
Canucks could not have predicted Eriksson's severe and immediate decline (he's
scored just 47 points and played just 115 games in his two seasons), they
should never have offered this deal in the first place. It was an awful
contract from start to finish.Vegas Golden Knights: Ryan Reaves

(Two years, $2.775 million) 

The Golden Knights are a fascinating case because they built their roster
largely on contracts that other teams didn't want. But because of their
miraculous season, a lot of those contracts (Reilly Smith's, for example) now
look good or great. (Of course, they still have the David Clarkson contract on
the books, but as with the Nathan Horton deal with the Maple Leafs, the LTIR
gives them flexibility there).

Still, the contracts the Knights themselves have signed haven't been perfect.
Ryan Reaves is the league's best enforcer, but that role is dying out as the
league evolves. Paying almost $3 million per season for a fourth-line player is
 a stretch, even for as well rounded a fourth-line player as Reaves
is.Washington Capitals: T.J. Oshie

(Seven years, $5.75 million, with M-NTC) 

T.J. Oshie is a skilled top-six player at this point in his career. He was a
major factor in last year's Stanley Cup run for the Capitals, scoring 21 points
 in 24 games. He's also a fan favorite and a U.S. Hockey legend, with his
incredible shootout performance in the Sochi Olympics. There's no questioning
why the Capitals wanted to keep Oshie around for the long haul.Capitals right
wing T.J. Oshie (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

But in this case, the haul was a few years too long. He will be 38 by the end
of his current deal, and there's no reason to believe his level of play will
hold up that long. At almost $6 million per year, that's a big gamble for
Washington. But that picture of Oshie holding the Stanley Cup will probably
keep them happy for a long time.Winnipeg Jets: Bryan Little

(Six years, $5.291 million, with NMC) 

The Winnipeg Jets have a lot of good contracts. Bryan Little's deal is not one
of those. Little has been a strong NHL center for many years, and he's trained
himself to be a good faceoff man, too. The issue with Little has been health.
He's averaged just 66 games in the past three seasons, and last year, in his
first full season since 2013-14, his point-per-game pace dropped significantly.

Winnipeg fans fear that the Jets will live to regret signing Little to an
extension this long. He'll be 36 at the end of the deal, and his durability is
already an issue. If Little plays consistently this deal may pay off, but as
the Jets' core ages and needs new contracts, Little's deal may be a little bit
of a roadblock.

The post Every NHL Team's Worst Contract appeared first on The Hockey Writers.

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