Almost every reaction to yesterday’s Patric Hornqvist for Mike Matheson trade doesn’t go too far without addressing Matheson’s grotesque contract with six years left on it at with a $4.875 million cap hit on it. There’s no way around it, that’s brutal. Matheson, somewhat hilariously, is in possession of the second highest annual value contract among Penguins’ defensemen, while probably being their fifth best blueliner.
But let’s put that aside. It’s very difficult to do, trust me I know. In a salary cap league how teams balance and stack contracts can make a big difference in how good a team can be.