5 NHL Veterans Who Will Get Overpaid in Free Agency

The NHL offseason brings with it the free agent frenzy, where plenty of stars will sign lengthy deals with new franchises, shifting the landscape of the league. However, not all of the players expected to sign mega deals this summer are in their prime, and these five veterans are likely to be overpaid this offseason.

5. Corey Perry

Calgary Flames v Anaheim Ducks / Sean M. Haffey/GettyImages

Perry was just bought out of an $8.625 million contract by the Anaheim Ducks, making the veteran a UFA. At 34-years-old, Perry likely values himself higher than most teams would, but after amassing just 10 points in 31 games last season, any contract with an AAV of $4 million plus is too much.

4. Anders Lee

Pittsburgh Penguins v New York Islanders - Game Two / Bruce Bennett/GettyImages

The Islanders can ill-afford to lose a captain for a second consecutive season, making Lee a priority. But after a 12-goal decline from the 2018 season, and 11 fewer points than his career high of 62 during the 2017-2018 season, is Lee really worth a $7 million dollar contract?

3. Matt Duchene

Boston Bruins v Columbus Blue Jackets - Game Four / Kirk Irwin/GettyImages

The reason Duchene is on this list is because of the $7 million deal Kevin Hayes just signed. Duchene was originally believed to command $8 million or more on the open market, but now his negotiating price will increase tremendously after the contracts that have occurred over the past couple of days. When you consider that a seven-year deal takes Duchene to his age 35 season, the forward will surely be overpaid.

2. Joe Pavelski

St Louis Blues v San Jose Sharks - Game Five / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

The Sharks captain is a free agent and with the Sharks struggling to wiggle out of their cap issues he might be on the move. What will the soon-to-be 35-year-old's contract look like? Well if it is close to the $6 million he is making right now then he will be overpaid. With a point total that has declined each of the last four years, Pavelski will likely get paid more than his statistics and current age deserve.

1. Tyler Myers

Winnipeg Jets v Chicago Blackhawks / Jonathan Daniel/GettyImages

With Erik Karlsson signing, and Jacob Trouba and P.K. Subban being traded, Myers is one of the best available defensive options on the market. With his price on the rise, it is likely that Myers could see a significant bump from last season's cap hit of $5.5 million. If that bump is too significant, Myers could become one of the league's most overpaid players.