We reported yesterday that Zach Hyman has no interest in leaving Toronto. He’s got one more season on his current contract that will see him make $2.25 million. If he wants to stay, what does an extension look like? Especially when you consider the uncertainty surrounding the NHL salary cap?
Hyman believes that his timing is good. That because he doesn’t need an extension this offseason, by the time he is looking for a new deal, the NHL should have seen somewhat of a bounce-back financially. Whether or not that proves to be true is unclear but some scribes are already looking at what Hyman would cost to keep him in a Maple Leafs uniform.
James Mirtle of The Athletic took a look at what a Hyman extension in Toronto could look like and used a couple comparable contracts to make an estimate.
Mirtle’s closest comparable is Colorado winger Joonas Donskoi, who signed a four-year, $3.9 million AAV deal last summer. Since Hyman produced a bit more than Donskoi, he figures a number closer to $4.5 million per season would be fair, but he also considers the idea that more term could bring that annual average per season down. He also looked at Jean-Gabriel Pageau who recently signed a long-term deal with the New York Islanders. Mirtle doesn’t figure Hyman will get what Pageau did.
There’s Nick Bonino, who signed for $4.1 million, and Mathieu Perreault, who signed for $4.125 million with the Jets four years back as a UFA. But, with all of the comparables, Mirtle found one thing in common. They are ways to say they aren’t comparable.
Mirtle writes:
None of these are perfect comparisons because there isn’t really one for a player like Hyman, who continues to improve despite his “advanced” age. But those that we do have seem to place Hyman into the range of 5.5 percent of the cap on a four- or five-year extension.
Given the cap is likely to remain relatively flat into next summer, that puts a new deal at about $4.5 million a season.
Related: Hyman Says He Doesn’t Want to Leave Maple Leafs
Hyman Has the Potential to Be Good Long-Term Bet
What Mirtle did make sure to point out is that, when looking at a number of statistical categories, Hyman is a decent bet. He’s physically fit and even after the completion of a seven-year deal, he’ll still be relatively young. And, according to Mirtle’s stats guy, Hyman is already providing value well above his current salary. Even if he’s a $5 million player, he may do so until well later in his next long-term deal.
And remember, Hyman already said he wants to stay. He may take even less to make that happen.
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