The Stanley Cup Playoffs are where heroes are made and Cups are won. And in some cases, it’s where paycheques are written.
While they’re all hunting for the Stanley Cup, we looked at some players on expiring contracts whose performances this spring could up their value come July 1.
Robin Lehner, New York Islanders
Expiring contract: One year, $1.5 million cap hit | UFA
Lehner’s comeback campaign, both personally and professionally, has been one of the best stories of 2018-19. He shared the crease with Thomas Greiss throughout the regular season, with the tandem leading the league with the fewest goals against (191), but the spotlight’s all Lehner’s now — and he’s stealing the show.
After letting just three pucks past him on 41 shots in Game 1 (his first-ever post-season start), he held the Pittsburgh Penguins to a single goal in each of the next three games to complete the Round 1 sweep. The Islanders’ six goals against this spring is the lowest of all playoff teams and his 1.47 goals-against average and .956 save percentage have him atop the stats pages among his post-season peers.
And it’s not like Lehner’s making easy saves: the 27-year-old faced 136 shots in the first-round series, with 31 of those coming of the stick off either Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Phil Kessel — and they scored just two goals between them, with Crosby getting shutout altogether.
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Expiring contract: Entry-level, $925,000 cap hit | RFA
The Maple Leafs’ best playmaker (68 assists) and points leader (94) this season has had hockey fans — and fellow hockey players — wondering just how rich the soon-to-be RFA will become when his entry-level deal expires on July 1. With every great play, we mentally add a few more dollars to the cheque. (Man, the Marner Jar is really filling up fast, eh?)
The 21-year-old has been incredible all season long, and he’s already reached a new level in the playoffs. Marner scored twice in Game 1 of the first round against the Bruins and has been as strong defensively as he has been offensively throughout the series, blocking shots and back-checking and helping to keep Boston’s best line at bay in Game 3’s victory. It’s hard to put a value on that kind of two-way play… but you can bet his agent will be doing just that this off-season.
Matt Duchene, Columbus Blue Jackets
Expiring contract: Five years, $6-million cap hit | UFA
With six players on expiring deals, the Columbus Blue Jackets have plenty of individual incentive — you know, in case a Stanley Cup isn’t incentive enough — and have struck incredible chemistry in their odds-defying first-round sweep of the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning.
Pending UFA Artemi Panarin (2G, 3A) will certainly be earning a hefty raise when he signs with the Florida Panthers a team of his choosing in free agency this summer, but… we already knew that. The bigger question has been around Matt Duchene and whether he’d stay in Columbus after being picked up from Ottawa at the deadline or hit the market and join the fourth team of his career.
Regardless of where your NHL allegiances lie (OK, unless you’re a Lightning fan), it’s been fun to see the playoff-starved centreman shed the unfortunate label of being a bad-luck-charm and seize the opportunity he’s gotten this post-season. Duchene was held without a point in Game 1 against the Lightning but was the Blue Jackets’ top producer the rest of the way, leading Columbus with three goals and seven points — including his first-ever playoff goal. Looks like his luck is finally turning around.
And now, for the biggest reason behind the Blue Jackets’ post-season success…
Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
Expiring contract: Four years, $7.425M cap hit | UFA
We’ve known Bobrovsky to be an elite regular season goaltender, but he’s also developed an unfortunate reputation for being just a regular season goaltender… post-season play hasn’t exactly been his forte. That changed in the Blue Jackets’ first-round sweep of the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning.
Save for a three-goal first period by Tampa Bay in Game 1, Bobrovsky was a brick wall behind an electric Blue Jackets team. The Russian netminder stopped all but eight of the 117 shots fired his way through four games, limiting the Lightning to just a single goal in Games 2 and 3. His 2.01 goals-against average and .932 save percentage are even more impressive when lined up next to his career post-season numbers going into this series: .898 save percentage and 3.37 goals-against average. Farewell, playoff demons.
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Expiring contract: Entry-level, $925,000 cap hit | RFA
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has his work cut out for him this summer, especially when it comes to a pair of pending RFAs.
Patrik Laine, with his hot-and-cold regular season, has been the target of plenty of speculation when it comes to his upcoming contract and his strong post-season so far (3G, 1A) will certainly help his case. But another intriguing name here is Kyle Connor, whose overtime winner Tuesday night gave him the team lead in playoff goals (3) and points (5). Four of those points came in back-to-back victories in Games 3 and 4 to even up the series against the St. Louis Blues.
That the 22-year-old is finding success in the post-season is not surprising. He ranked second in regular season goals (34) among his teammates and third in total points (66). Should he continue to propel the Jets to playoff wins, he’ll be an interesting RFA to watch this summer.
Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders
Expiring contract: Six year, $6 million cap hit | UFA
Eberle was really quiet in the Edmonton Oilers’ two-round playoff run in 2016-17, but he’s certainly making noise this spring. After finding new life on Long Island with a solid 59-point regular season last year, Eberle didn’t have the strongest campaign in 2018-19 but is making up for it now when it counts the most. The 28-year-old has scored in all four of the Islanders’ playoff games to help sweep the Penguins in Round 1, tallying six points for the team lead.
Simply put, he’s playing some of the best hockey of his career, and it couldn’t have come at a better time — for him and his team.
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