The 15-Year NHL Contract: Which Stars Deserve the Juan Soto Treatment?

The baseball world was recently rocked when Juan Soto inked a massive 15-year, $765 million contract. This got us thinking: in an alternate reality where contract term limits don’t exist, which NHL players would be so elite, so indispensable, that teams would want to lock them up for a staggering 15 years?

NHL Contract Realities (and Fantasies)

For those not in the know, the NHL’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) limits contract lengths for re-signing impending free agents to eight years and seven years for UFA contracts. The NHL will likely try to lower these limits in the next CBA. But let’s put those rules aside for a moment and indulge in the fantasy of teams securing a superstar’s services for the majority of their career.

We know an eight-year contract is already a huge gamble, a bet on a player’s continued development and sustained performance. But some players have shown the potential and durability to warrant an even bigger risk—a contract nearly twice as long. Let’s dive into three NHL players who we think teams would be willing to lock down for a decade and a half:

Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers: The Generational Talent

Connor McDavid is a once-in-a-generation player. The goal for the Oilers should always be to keep him in their uniform as long as humanly possible, even if that means breaking the bank and offering a contract that would see him playing well past the age most forwards retire. McDavid is currently 27, meaning a hypothetical 15-year deal would keep him playing until he’s 42. Imagine that!

McDavid has two seasons left on his current deal, but would he say no if the Oilers offered him a 15-year contract—with the money structured to ensure he’s still a top earner at the end? We highly doubt it. Financial security is a massive perk for any NHL player. If McDavid knew he wouldn’t have to worry about his employment until 2040, there’s reason to believe he’d happily sign on the dotted line.

As long as McDavid is among the highest-paid players, he’d happily focus solely on hockey. He’d be a Hart Trophy contender for a long time and a strong bet to lead his team to multiple Stanley Cups. He could even become only the second player in NHL history to hit 2,000 points before that contract is up! That’s why you invest big in Connor McDavid.

Connor Bedard, C, Chicago Blackhawks: The Next Big Thing

Connor Bedard, at just 19 years old, is the youngest player on this list. A 15-year contract would see him playing until he is 34 years old – still within his prime but a substantial commitment to the team that drafted him. While some have speculated Bedard might want to return to Vancouver one day, a 15-year contract would make him a mainstay in Chicago for the foreseeable future.

While Canucks fans might be dreaming of Bedard, there’s no doubt that the Blackhawks would want to keep him in Chicago for as long as he’s playing. He’s already showing the potential to become their top goal-scorer. While 21 points in 28 games this season is slightly below expectations, it’s still early days, and we’re seeing signs he could be one of the game’s top stars for a long time. The Blackhawks could take a leap and pay him for the player he can become, which is what teams often do when signing RFAs to seven or eight-year deals.

If Chicago invests significantly and surrounds Bedard with talent, we could easily see him stay in the Windy City for almost, if not all, of his NHL career.

Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche: The Complete Package

At 26, Cale Makar has already won a Stanley Cup, a Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, and a Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. What more is there to prove that he deserves a 15-year contract?

Makar might lose a bit of speed over that time, but many defensemen have proven they can play well into their forties. He’s a foundational talent like Bedard and McDavid, but he also has a championship pedigree the others on this list don’t. He’ll remain a dynamic, skilled defender. For that reason, we can see Makar accepting a 15-year contract without hesitation.

Of course, it would be a massive investment for the Avalanche ownership and management. But that investment could lead to more Cups, and it would secure Makar’s future with a huge payday and a team that’s squarely in the running for the Cup for the foreseeable future.

So there you have it, three players that deserve a hypothetical 15-year contract in the NHL. Which players would you want to see with a lifetime contract?