- Couture and Vlasic both took heavy discounts immediately after their ELCs. Couture at ~4.5% of the cap over two years and Vlasic at ~5.5% of the cap over 4 years.
- Karlsson took less than the average Norris Trophy winner has taken in the post-lockout era on their first contract after winning. When you adjust for cost relative to production, Karlsson’s contract is significantly cheaper than every other Norris Trophy winner.
- Burns technically did not have his Norris when he signed his contract, but he was coming off a 75 point season, 24 point/24 game playoff run, and was in the middle of his Norris campaign. If you include Burns in the list of Norris Trophy winners, his contract blows every other winner (including Karlsson) out of the water in terms of cost relative to production.
- The other players who have taken discounts are well documented. The most absurd of all was Jonathan Cheechoo taking $15M/5Y in the middle of a Rocket Richard campaign. (Era-adjusted, that’s around $6.25M today.)
Brent Burns is making less than Oliver-Ekman Larsson. You are being completely ridiculous if you think he did not do the team any favors.