Predicting 5 NHL Nightmare Contracts By 2026

We're only halfway through July, but the NHL offseason is now in its dog days.

As usual, the best players signed within hours of the free-agent market opening on July 1. Meanwhile, the trade market has quieted despite ongoing speculation in the rumor mill.

Some of the contracts that free agents signed this summer could become a salary-cap headache for their new teams. Here, we'll examine five that could become nightmare deals by 2026.

Those we've selected took into account the players' age, contract terms, performance and the potential burden those deals could place on the cap payrolls of their respective clubs.

Do you agree or disagree with our listing? Are there players signed this year that you believe should be on this list? Let us know in the app comments below.

A lack of skilled depth on the right side of the blue line was a longstanding issue for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They signed Chris Tanev on July 1 to a six-year contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million to address this problem.

At first glance, this move makes sense for Toronto. Tanev is an experienced, well-respected shutdown defenseman. It's expected he'll skate with the puck-moving, left-shot Morgan Rielly on the Leafs' first blue-line pairing.

The problem, however, is Tanev's age. He's now 34 and approaching the period of his career where a player's skills begin to deteriorate. Given his physical style of play and how much punishment he absorbs, the decline could come quickly. Inking him to a six-year deal could result in a $4.5 million annual burden that will be difficult to get rid of quickly.

Should Tanev's performance decline sooner than expected, the Leafs could ship him off to "Robidas Island," otherwise known as long-term injury reserve if he becomes too banged up to play. However, that means they won't be able to accrue cap space. It'll be even worse if he's not injured but incapable of playing to expectations.

The Boston Bruins won the Presidents' Trophy in 2022-23 with a record-setting season but were upset by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. They were fourth overall in the Eastern Conference last season and reached the second round, only to be eliminated by the Panthers again.

Those defeats explain why Bruins general manager Don Sweeney signed Nikita Zadorov to a six-year contract with an average annual value of $5 million. Adding the 6'6", 248-pounder brings more size and snarl to his blue line and should be invaluable against physical opponents like the Panthers. At least, that seems to be the theory.

Zadorov bounced from the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in his 11 NHL seasons before landing in Boston. He's a big, physical presence, but he also tends to be inconsistent. His solid play in the 2024 playoffs with Vancouver came at the right time, boosting his stock entering free agency.

The danger is that Zadorov will revert to his inconsistent ways over the next two years, as his $5 million cap hit takes a hefty bite out of the Bruins' cap payroll. That could end up handcuffing them if they attempt to add to their roster. It will also make it difficult to move him if he doesn't meet expectations.

Two years ago, Sean Monahan's NHL career seemed on the verge of ending due to hip surgeries in 2021 and 2022. After the Calgary Flames traded him to the Montreal Canadiens in August 2022, he suffered a season-ending lower-body injury that cast further doubt about his future as a player.

However, Monahan bounced back in 2023-24 with a 59-point performance split between the Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets. It was one of last season's best comeback stories, and it earned the 29-year-old center a five-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth an average annual value of $5.5 million.

A rejuvenated Monahan reunited with former Flames teammate Johnny Gaudreau could provide a welcome boost to the struggling Blue Jackets' offense. Nevertheless, this signing is a risky move given his injury history. He'll also turn 30 on Oct. 12, making this contract even more of a gamble.

Monahan defied the odds before and could do so again. If this doesn't pan out, however, it will be considered the first big mistake by new general manager Don Waddell. It could hamper his efforts to re-sign promising Adam Fantilli, David Jiříček, and Gavin Brindley when they're coming off their entry-level deals in 2026.

Chandler Stephenson, a late-blooming second-line center with the Vegas Golden Knights, enjoyed three 50-plus point-performances over the last three seasons. They include 64 points in 2021-22 and a career-high 65 points the following season, when he helped the Golden Knights win their first-ever Stanley Cup.

Stephenson's versatility as a top-six forward who plays center or wing was enticing to the Seattle Kraken when the 30-year-old hit the open market on July 1. He was coming off a four-year contract with the Golden Knights worth an average annual value of $2.8 million, but the Kraken signed him to a seven-year deal with an AAV of $6.3 million.

That made Stephenson the Kraken's highest-paid forward. However, his new club in Seattle isn't as talented as the one he played with in Las Vegas over the past three years. Stephenson's production also dropped in his contract year to 51 points in 75 games, and he was held to only one point in seven playoff games.

When Stephenson signed, we noted that he could help the Kraken address their need for scoring and depth at center. Nevertheless, that decline in his scoring last season could be ominous. If that continues, his contract will age worse than expected, becoming an expensive burden for Seattle's cap payroll by 2026.

The Seattle Kraken made one of the biggest splashes in this summer's UFA market, signing Brandon Montour to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $7.14 million. We predicted the 30-year-old defenseman's contract might not age well at the latter half of the deal, but he should provide the Kraken with good short-term value.

It was understandable why the Kraken pursued Montour. He was among the best defensemen in this summer's UFA class with 30-plus point performances in the last three seasons, including a career-high 73 points in 2022-23. He played a key role in the Florida Panthers reaching the 2023 Stanley Cup Final and their subsequent Cup run this year.

Montour is now the Kraken's second-highest-paid player. He will be expected to provide offense from the blue line as the low-scoring club attempts to bolster its production. However, his offensive output dropped last season as he struggled to regain his form following shoulder surgery last summer.

If Montour returns to form with the Kraken this season, the concerns about last season's decline will be forgotten. But if he doesn't, his contract could be a big salary-cap headache by 2026 that could prove difficult to shake, especially if it complicates efforts to re-sign key players or add to their roster via trades or free agency.

Salary info via PuckPedia.