Kaiden Guhle on the verge of signing $50M contract?

According to Benoit Brunet, although technically there is another season left on his entry-level contract, he believes a long-term extension for the 22-year-old defenseman would be between $5 to $6 million annually.

It should be noted that the target period would be between six to eight years in order to maximize the return on investment when Guhle would be at his peak in terms of on-ice performance, around 25 or 26 years old.

In truth, Kent Hughes will have two options to consider:

1. He extends long-term with a larger upfront investment, to then benefit from a lower annual salary in the long term as he becomes more performant.

2. He offers a bridge contract of three or four years to Guhle, at a lower cost in the short term, but will have to re-sign him before he becomes a free agent, possibly at a high price when he is most performant in his career.

Given that the injury history remains an issue to consider in the case of the organization's first-round pick in 2020, I would take advantage of the next season to better analyze his performances and see what would be the best option for him, at the risk that the long-term contract leans more towards $6M annually rather than $5M.

Although he is already a cornerstone of the defense at his young age, his offensive performance is an important aspect to consider for his next deal. For the moment, this element remains rather unknown in his play.

In 70 games this season, Guhle scored six goals and obtained 22 points. He has a total of 10 goals and 40 points in 114 career games in the NHL.