Before even playing a game on his new deal, former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov has been deemed to have one of the very worst contracts in the NHL.
Provorov, 28, signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $8.5 million annually on June 30, making him one of nine defensemen age 28 or older with a cap hit north of $8 million next season.
The other eight? Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, teammate Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, Darnell Nurse, Roman Josi, Dougie Hamilton, and the injured Alex Pietrangelo.
All of these players, when healthy, are go-to options for their respective teams, save for Nurse. Provorov hasn't been that since he played for the Flyers, and one of the guys in this category making more money than him at the same position is on his team.
Taking all that into account, Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic has not been and is still not a fan of Provorov's new contract with the Blue Jackets, naming it the second-worst contract in the whole NHL.
"Provorov is a fine defenseman, but his new deal is just way too much and way too long for what he currently brings to the table and how he likely ages," Luszczyszyn opined.
"Even in a rising cap world, $8.5 million will still likely be top-pair money for the entirety of Provorov’s deal. Though Provorov plays big minutes, the actual quality of those minutes is closer to second-pair caliber, with Provorov’s inability to drive play. And while Provorov should age better than most at his age, his play will still likely decline further over the back half of the deal."
As the 17th-highest paid defenseman overall, Provorov's deal carries a great deal of responsibility going forward.
Even without accounting for players of similar age, he's now in the conversation with names like Noah Dobson, Moritz Seider, Owen Power, Jake Sanderson, Shea Theodore, Devon Toews, and even Vladislav Gavrikov and K'Andre Miller.
As Luszczyszyn noted further, the Blue Jackets had plenty of room to afford to overpay and did so, but what comes later is more concerning than what comes now.
The Flyers clearly weren't long-term believers in their former No. 7 overall pick, but, interestingly, their Metropolitan Division rivals are.
But, in Provorov's defense, the Flyers still haven't replaced him fully since his departure in the 2023 offseason.
Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Nick Seeler, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Egor Zamula all still remain from Provorov's last season in Philadelphia, but they've all stalled out and/or dealt with injuries in the last two seasons.
And from a prospect perspective, the Flyers have only Emil Andrae, Hunter McDonald, and Ty Murchison to count on amongst the left-shot defenders.
In a rather dry market, Provorov's deal does make some sense, but that doesn't make it a good one, either.
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