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Can good NHL contracts direct Stanley Cup wins? Tampa Bay Lightning top 2025-26's best value teams
Can good NHL contracts direct Stanley Cup wins? Tampa Bay Lightning top 2025-26's best value teams

Time of India

time5 days ago

  • Business
  • Time of India

Can good NHL contracts direct Stanley Cup wins? Tampa Bay Lightning top 2025-26's best value teams

Tampa Bay Lightning (via Getty Images) The Tampa Bay Lightning are demonstrating that intelligent spending could very well be the solution to Stanley Cup relevance in the modern NHL . In The Athletic's most recent Contract Efficiency Rankings for the 2025–26 season, Tampa Bay Lightning is at the top of the league in getting value from their players versus cap expense. In a league where the difference between a playoff spot and an early summer is paper-thin, effective contracts may indeed be the new competitive edge. Tampa Bay Lightning lead The Athletic's 2025-26 contract efficiency rankings A dramatic increase in the salary cap has shifted how NHL teams maintain their rosters. No longer simply about superstar power, front offices are now measured by how much value they get out of every dollar invested, particularly on long-term contracts. That's where Dom Luszczyszyn's Contract Efficiency Rankings are helpful. His yearly assessment, omitting entry-level deals, looks at a player's on-ice expected contribution and compares it with his salary, highlighting teams that spend effectively. This season, the Tampa Bay Lightning rose from outside the top 10 to No. 1—a measure of how fortunes can change immediately when smart management is paired with player development. Though they can no longer be said to be a dynasty, the Lightning's smart financial planning is holding them in the title hunt. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Become Fluent in Any Language Talkpal AI Undo Tampa Bay's signature deals feature veteran contributors playing above their deals and middle-of-the-pack players offering elite production on modest cap costs. Tampa Still Has the Depth to Remain Dangerous in the East How contract strategy does help teams lead to Stanley Cup It's also worth mentioning that contract efficiency is not simply about underpaying skill—it's about not having dead weight and avoiding terrible long-term deals. Teams that get locked into bloated deals tend to get handcuffed during key windows. At the same time, the Tampa Bay Lightning's rise up the rankings hints at a franchise not merely holding its own during the cap age but flourishing within it. From extending productive veterans at reasonable prices to finding breakout players before their price becomes prohibitive, their cap approach seems methodical and successful. While no formula for winning a Stanley Cup exists, contract efficiency is as close to a blueprint as the contemporary NHL has. The Tampa Bay Lightning are just one team that's increasing in value rankings and still a true threat, proving that fiscal responsibility and crafty roster assembly are as crucial as ever. Also read: NHL 2025-26 prospect outlook: Tampa Bay Lightning gamble on development over star power In a league that rewards smart cap management as much as raw talent, don't be surprised if the most cap-savvy teams are the ones lifting the Cup in June. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!

NHL's new wisest spenders. Plus: Happy birthday to a legend
NHL's new wisest spenders. Plus: Happy birthday to a legend

New York Times

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • New York Times

NHL's new wisest spenders. Plus: Happy birthday to a legend

Red Light newsletter 🏒 | This is The Athletic's hockey newsletter. Sign up here to receive Red Light directly in your inbox. Good morning to everyone wondering why McIndoe changed his last name and stopped being funny. We're five weeks from July 1 in one direction and six weeks from training camp in the other. The NHL will never be quieter. We'll make it through together. I say this with the utmost sincerity, and I don't mean it as a backhanded compliment: If it weren't for Dom Luszczyszyn, the offseason would (somehow) be even more dull. Last week, he dropped his list of the best and worst contracts in the league. This week — since not every team can employ your Brandon Hagels, your Jack Hugheses or your Jonathan Huberdeaus — he's doing full cap-sheet evaluations for every roster, with the Tampa Bay Lightning making a huge leap from No. 13 last year to the No. 1 wisest spenders this year. Advertisement A few other takeaways from Dom's contract efficiency rankings: • I appreciate the volatility. Only two teams in the league have three A-grade contracts and three D-grade contracts. One of them (Canadiens) can blame their old general manager. The other one (Kings) definitely, definitely cannot. • Where are the Panthers? In the right spot for this sort of exercise, actually. Brad Marchand, as you may have heard, is old, and Sam Bennett isn't paid for his regular-season work. Those aren't the kind of deals that grade out all that well. Seeing the champs somewhere other than No. 1 wasn't surprising. • Oh, Seattle. Remember the expansion draft and all that talk of 'weaponized cap space?' Whatever happened there? The full list is worth your time. These are vegetables, sure, but they're well-seasoned. As a Pittsburgh resident, I shouldn't be working today. It's Sidney Crosby's 38th birthday, which is technically a civic holiday. Banks are closed and everything. In honor of all that, Josh Yohe put together a few nice, Crosby-centric pieces. The first is a thorough accounting of his greatest goals. I won't spoil the whole thing. I will, however, spoil No. 1, because I agree with Josh and was in the building for it: In 2011, on his second shift back from the concussion-related catastrophe that derailed his career, Crosby made a play behind his own net, skated up ice and, after getting the puck, went wide to beat Anders Nilsson. Then he said a bad word, very happily and very loudly. Was it Crosby's most spectacular goal? No. Did it come when the stakes were the highest? From a team standpoint, another no. The full context, though, makes it a no-brainer choice. Fourteen years have passed, and Crosby has reinforced his greatness a hundred times over, but it's always worth remembering just how close it all came to falling apart. Don't ever take players like him for granted. Advertisement Josh didn't stop there. This collection of small, previously untold moments that give a glimpse into who Crosby is as a person, from a reporter who's been around him as much as anybody is even more fun. And don't miss this Crosby-centric Q&A with Josh and his column on what No. 87's final chapters in the NHL might look like. In 2007, the Penguins made Crosby the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 297 days old. Since then, two players have broken that record. Who are they? Two weeks back, McIndoe quantified just how thoroughly the league had shut down. It's time for an update. As of today, it's been … 🍻 I've learned plenty from Fluto Shinzawa's work over the years, and this piece on the drinking habits (or lack thereof) among some NHL players is no different. 🤔 We mentioned Nick Robertson earlier. He's a Maple Leaf for now after a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, but his situation still feels pretty murky, as Chris Johnston wrote. ✈️ I have a feeling the Jets are going to get their money's worth from Dylan Samberg, who signed a three-year deal last week. 👨🏻‍⚖️ Justice McIndoe presides over the Cap Court, where he examines whether five players' contracts — including one that runs until 2032 — are bad or not. 🥇 It's (seriously) already time to talk about World Junior roster projections, and the prospects guys have you covered. 🎙️ Over on 'The Athletic Hockey Show,' McIndoe and I were joined by beat writers for the Sabres, Penguins, Red Wings and Flyers to discuss how to get each of these teams out of their rebuilds and into the playoffs. Gabriel Landeskog was named Avs captain when he was 11 days younger than Crosby; Connor McDavid was named Oilers captain when he was 31 days younger. 📫 Love Red Light? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters. (Top photo of Brandon Hagel: Mike Carlson / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle

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