Three of the league's highest-paid players have been removed from Cup contention since the Toronto Maple Leafs officially exited the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night. Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner all earn around $11 million a year and will spend the remainder of the offseason counting their money from the comfort of their living rooms.
They won't be the only high-priced superstars watching the playoffs from home, as it turns out. A total of 14 of the NHL's 15 highest-paid players have been ruled out of playoff contention. Are you the only one left? Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, of course.
A few things stand out, the most notable of which being the age gap between these guys. Drew Doughty, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Anze Kopitar, and Alex Ovechkin have all earned every penny they have received. These guys have played key roles in Stanley Cup championships and have provided tremendous value to their clubs during their careers. Nobody in L.A., Chicago, or D.C. seems to be complaining about their Stanley Cups.
Guys like Tavares, Price, Erik Karlsson, Artemi Panarin, and Tyler Seguin make up the second tier. Are these folks world-famous? Sure, you could make a case for it. They haven't yet produced a title, but there's reason to hope that they can, and there's no doubting that they're high level players, even if they haven't yet fully lived up to their contracts (although Rangers fans may disagree).
