In the last 4 years, over more than 250 games, RNH has averaged 66 points/ 82 games playing primarily as a shutdown center for Edmonton. If Pageau can get a 6 years x 5M contract then I have no doubt RNH would easily get 7 x 6M.
A guy that can play 2nd line minutes and be good at both ends of the ice is extremely valuable. Especially when you see the guy puts up very solid numbers. We're in a time where guys like Kevin Hayes get paid 6M+ a year so RNH should get that no problem with the limited availability of centers on the market and teams always looking to add guys down the middle. RNH is in that Norris mold and I would not hesitate to give Norris that type of contract if he keeps up his play.
I don't necessarily want him here partly because of that and how such a contract could potentially backfire but he's probably one of the best options out there right now. Kuzy is nice but with the questions surrounding his behavior and effort I don't see the team going for him.
Like others have said I think the best option is to wait for an opportunity to make a good hockey trade. We don't absolutely need to add a center for next season, we still have Norris, Pinto, White, Tierney. Some more attractive players will inevitably become available as the next season unfolds but for RNH he will get a nice contract IMO.
Pre-covid world I would have agreed 100% with this, I would have probably wrote it myself and for also more money. Please note the date of where the contracts you have named as examples were signed (Pageau : February 24, 2020, lol just before the pandemic. Hayes : June 18, 2019)
The thing is covid happened and totally changed the NHL market (and world). A lot of teams didn't see it coming (like everybody) and their budgeted salary cap was structured based on the expectation that it would keep rising. Maybe I'm wrong but I have been hearing that it's going to be a hard cap for another 4-5 years. The NHL and most teams now have to recover from the lost revenues for more than a season. Unless Bettman is totally lying, they lost billions this year by deciding to have a season.
That being said, I would be totally open to sign RNH if the deal was 4-5 years, but 7 years is risky as we see many examples of players declining in their early 30's, even more than before. The league is younger than ever, RNH is already 28. If you commit 7 years, it takes him to 35 y/o
A team with big balls like Vegas would do it but I doubt they'd be able to find the cap space going forward. Same with Toronto and Rangers for example. If they'd have the space and need, they would certainly do it as worst case scenario, they have the finances to buyout a contract or two without really hurting.
A team might still want to commit 7 years to him (particulary those who are poor at drafting and need talent), but you have to eliminate all the teams that are fine at the center position for years to come (or think they are) and all those who won't have the cap space in the short and medium term, not just next season.
Our team could become costly very fast (Chabot, Sanderson, Stutzle, Norris, Batherson, Pinto, etc), we have to be extremely careful on how we spend. Already made some mistakes with Murray, Dadonov, White, Zaitsev...
All that being, I agree with the end of your post, that trade might be the best way to go as you could get a guy with less term but that is a cap casualty on a deep team. A guy for example that has 3-4 years left, might be a bit "overpaid" but could still be a good veteran gap for 2-3 years (not a Stepan gap)
WE should go after Jason Spezza. We should've gone after him summer of 2019 before he signed with the Leafs.
I thought he looked great all season and especially in the playoffs. Man, for me it's a no brainer.
He's obviously still hungry and keeping himself in top shape.
He doesn't want to play here anymore, like it has been the case since 2013. In fact, he ONLY wants to play in Toronto or he will just retire. He is 38 years old (in 12 days) and made plenty of money already.
There's no "should" here.
