When the Vegas Golden Knights signed Jack Eichel to an eight-year, $108 million contract last season, the deal was seen as a lot of money… at least on paper. The Golden Knights paid the former Stanley Cup champion $13.5 million per year after he broke franchise records for assists (66) and points (94) in the 2024-25 season.
But when you look at this deal, you’ll see a lot of reasons why it makes sense. The market dictates that wages will be higher in the future. This ranges from Leo Karlsson’s new $18 million AAV contract to the recent Connor Bedard deal.
Most NHL hits in 26/27 season:
Leo Karlsson – $18 million #NHLDucks
Kirill Kaprizov – $17M #mnwild
Connor Bedard – $15 million #Blackhawks
Leon Draisaitl – $14 million #LetsGoOilers
Jack Eichel – $13.5 million #VegasBornDraisaitl is the only one NOT entering the first year of his contract.
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) July 18, 2026
It’s enough to make a senile podcaster think the NHL is #rigged for the Golden Knights. But that doesn’t just make Eichel’s deal a steal (“Rhymes Like a Dime”). This makes Mitch Marner’s eight-year, $96 million deal look even more valuable.
Why, you ask? As mentioned, the market can only grow. This means that salaries will rise along with the salary cap itself. But it’s what these two players bring to the table that makes them extremely valuable. This is especially true when you compare them to the former Golden Knight who was paid.
Why Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner will have lucrative deals in the future
Look at Pavel Dorofeev – a perfect example of this. Do you think Dorofeev is worth $11 million per year when you compare his point share to Marner and Eichel?
Player | Attack point split | Shares of protective points | Total points | Primary assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jack Eichel | 7.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 30 |
Mitch Marner | 5.6 | 2.8 | 8.4 | 38 |
Pavel Dorofeyev | 5.8 | 1.8 | 7.7 | 18 |
On an offensive scale, Dorofeev would clear Marner, but not by much. He made his living punishing opponents on the power play, as evidenced by his 20 power play goals last season (a franchise record). But playing defense is a completely different matter.
Marner and Eichel have comparable defensive points, making them more valuable than Dorofeeva. Of course, some of this comes in the form of punishment killings. But it’s still a testament to the two-way game that both superstars exude.
You should also consider the primary care category as a good example. Dorofeev does not excel at creating scoring chances like Eichel and Marner do. His main goal is sniping and shooting first. This is especially true on the power play, where you can force him to go long and take shots.
Of course, Eichel and Marner are also capable of scoring goals when called upon. This increases their overall value and makes them the only two players worthy of contracts worth more than US$10 million. The same cannot be said for who shoots the puck first.
Looking at the above deals, you will see that McCrimmon avoided a huge overpayment with Dorofeev. It’s not worth giving the third Golden Knight more than $10 million a year if he can’t do anything other than shoot the puck. Plus, you get draft picks, which is a win-win in most cases.
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