cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
They are both great contracts moving fwd.
Mackinnon's runs out 22-23
Eichel's runs out 25-26
Mackinnon's is better right now, and he was signed earlier, however the window for Eichel's is longer. And I suspect his contract in a few years will look Mackinnon-esque now if the cap rises and the sabres continue to improve the talent around him.
That's more reasonable than I was expecting, but those 3 years don't make as big a difference as the 4M per for me.
I don't think elite player contracts will inflate all that much further unless Matthews blows past the McDavid-contract to raise the bar drastically again. If Matthews ends up costing "only" 12-13M per, then I think we'll see cap inflation affecting the mid-tier guys who've gotten squeezed by post-McDavid-signing inflation of elite player contracts...rather than even further inflating elite player contracts. Those typically only ratchet up when a super-duper-star sets a new ceiling.
...which MacK's contract that will kick in in 2023, might very well end up being...especially if we win a cup or two while he's on this sweetheart deal.