3 NHL players who should be very happy about Evander Kane’s contract

Which three soon-to-be NHL free agents benefit the most from Evander Kane’s recent market-setting extension? 

The San Jose Sharks recently signed wing Evander Kane to a seven-year deal with a $7 million annual cap hit.

In the NHL, agents often use comparable players and their contracts to negotiate deals for their clients. Kane’s deal is a market-altering one. It’s been long overdue for wings to get big money, and now agents have a deal to point to.

So which three skaters (and soon-to-be free agents) benefit the most from Kane’s extension? Here’s who will be making more money thanks to the Sharks.

3. Jason Zucker

Minnesota Wild wing Jason Zucker has quietly put up some impressive numbers over the past two years. He has been on a better team, but still, he has favorable stats to Kane. Zucker has 55 goals compared to Kane’s 57. Zucker has 117 points compared to his 97 (though the Sharks wing has played in 13 fewer games).

The Wild wing is a restricted free agent and should get a significant pay raise. It’s hard to compare restricted free agents to unrestricted free agents, but because Zucker’s been around for a bit, the comparison is more relevant. He’s a few months older than Kane, but they’re both 26 years old.

Here’s what makes Zucker interesting — the Wild might not have the salary cap space to keep both Matt Dumba and Zucker around. Both players are restricted free agents and Minnesota’s going to have a hard time convincing either party they should take a discount. Of the two, Zucker is older, so he’ll likely be the guy who gets the long-term deal.

Zucker won’t beat Kane’s $49 million deal. But his price just leapt into the $5 million to $6 million range. Kane’s contract could price Zucker out of Minnesota. The Wild have a very dire long-term salary cap situation but expect them to try to find a way to keep him. It might not be possible, though.