UnderAchieving/Over-Paid!?!

1) When we looked at the NHL overall stats sheet the other day it struck us how a few of the more highly paid players were NO where to be found among even the top 20 point producers thus far in the NHL. Its not like this is the first week of the season either. To this point most teams have completed close to a third of their regular season games and the players below while sucking up a vast amount of precious salary cap resources are not producing to the level of their compensation. If this were pre 2005 it wouldn't matter nearly as much, but in today's NHL if a highly compensated star player isn't cutting it its a double whammy to their teams!

• Alex Ovechkin- Salary 9 million Goals: 8 Points: 19 Projected Totals: 26/62




• Eric Staal: Salary: 7.75 mil Goals:5 points 14 Projected Totals: 15/41




• Dany Heatley- 9 million Goals: 7 goals 16 points Projected Totals: 22/50




• Scott Gomez- 7.5 mil Goals: 0 goals points 4. Projected Totals: 0/25(missed 10 games)




• Jarome Iginla- 7 mil Goals 7 Points 15. Projected Totals: 23/49




• Rick Nash- 7.5 mil Goals 8 Points 19 Projected totals: 25/60




• Vincent Lecavalier-10 million Goals: 10 Points: 18 Projected Totals: 34/62




• Henrik Zetterburg-7.75 mil Goals:5 Points 14 Projected Totals: 17/48

2) Those are 8 players, all making in excess of 7-10 million dollars this season. None are on pace to amass more than 62 points. In my opinion if a player is making close to 15-20% of his teams' salary cap allotment, he best be putting up numbers minimally of 40 goals and 90 points. Some of these numbers have to be alarming to their teams. Eric Staal on pace for 15 goals and 40 points? No wonder the Canes are in the toilet. Alex Ovechkin, once the most feared player in the NHL is now no better than an average 2nd line forward projecting 26 goals. Hardly earnig his 9+ million dollar salary. Vincent Lecavalier? Amazing that he was given such an absurd contract when he hasn't put up decent numbers in years, yet he earns more than any other NHLer, despite being on pace to attain a tad over 60 points.

3) We could go through each of these players in addition to several others (like Ovechkin's team mate Alex Semin who is on pace for 18 goals 36 points to go with his 6.7 mil salary) or goalie Robeto Luongo, who's stats hardly match his 6.7 mil salary. The bottom line to all these stats is the fact that most of these players are signed to long term deals. In excess of 5 years and in the case of Ovechkin 12(7 more to go!) Its insanity to sign ANY player beyond 5 years. Goalies (are you listening Mr. Wang?) are especially problematic in giving them long term deals.