Jim Benning given flowers for his money management skills on a specific contract
Quinn Hughes' contract named as one of the best in the National Hockey League in a recent article on The Athletic.
Just under three months before being fired by the Vancouver Canucks, Jim Benning signed both Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes to contract extensions that worked out quite well for everyone involved.
Benning locked up Quinn Hughes to a six-year contract worth $7.85 million per season and it's safe to say that it has aged like wine given the growth in his game over the last couple of seasons and has put himself in the conversation as the best defenceman in Vancouver Canucks history, despite only playing five full seasons so far.
An article on The Athletic recently highlighted the ten best contracts in the National Hockey League and coming in at number nine was Canucks captain Quinn Hughes.
Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic shared a model that shows what a player should be earning based on their production and what they've done on both sides of the puck to help their team. For Quinn Hughes, Luszczyszyn's model shows that his value is around $14.7 million per season.
He added, "How much is that worth? Approximately $14 million to 16 million over the next three seasons, or about 16 percent of the salary cap. Hughes is that good (sorry for ever doubting that!) and he's only 24. That means we can expect him to maintain this level and maybe become even better over the next few seasons."
There's no doubt that Benning had his fair share of bad move and decisions during his tenure with the Vancouver Canucks, but Hughes' contract extension may have been one of his best.
Hughes will become eligible to sign a new contract extension as of July 1st, 2026 and it's going to be interesting to see how much more growth there is in his game over the next two seasons and if he's able to maintain his high offensive output, which, if so, could land him a deal in the range of $12-$15 million per season. While $15 million may seem like a lot, with the salary cap set to go up even further in the coming years, there's a good chance that contract could also look like a steal from the Canucks' perspective.
Source: The Athletic
NHL's 10 best contracts, 2024 edition: Jack Hughes, Nathan MacKinnon and more
| POLL | ||
When Hughes is eligible for a new extension in July 2026, what do you think his AAV will be? | ||
| $12-$13 million | 181 | 66.3 % |
| $13-$14 million | 62 | 22.7 % |
| $14-$15 million | 30 | 11 % |
| List of polls | ||
