$32 million for Ville Koivunen: Zachary Bolduc must be (pretty) happy

Félix Forget
$32 million for Ville Koivunen: Zachary Bolduc must be (pretty) happy
Credit: Zachary Bolduc ne mérite pas les fleurs qui lui sont données présentement.

This morning, the Penguins reached an agreement with Ville Koivunen. The Finnish player, who has played only 47 career games in the NHL and shuttled between the NHL and the AHL last year, needed a contract for the upcoming season.

But in reality, it's the structure of the deal that's drawing attention. Koivunen signed an eight-year contract—a huge gamble for a player who hasn't yet established himself as a full-time NHLer.

He'll earn $4 million per year over the course of that contract—a total deal worth $32 million.

With this contract, the team is obviously banking on the young player's potential and his ability to establish himself as a solid player in the NHL. But for the rest of the league, this deal will help reset the market for second-line forwards.

And in Montreal, one can imagine that Zachary Bolduc (who still doesn't have a contract for next season) must have been pretty happy to see that.

Unlike Koivunen, Bolduc is firmly established in the NHL. The Quebec native has scored 12 goals and 30 points in 76 games—which is significantly better than Koivunen's two goals and seven points in 39 games.

It stands to reason, then, that he'll view that contract as a floor for his negotiations with the Habs.

However, there is important context to consider. Bolduc is not expected to sign an eight-year deal, which means his contract will likely cover fewer years of full free agency. And typically, it's those years that significantly increase a contract's value.

But even if Bolduc doesn't sign a very long-term deal, the fact that he's much more established than Koivunen means he can aspire to that kind of annual salary even on a shorter contract. It's becoming hard to imagine him signing for less than $4 million a year following that contract.

And since we don't necessarily expect him to exceed $5 million per year, we're starting to see a logical path toward a deal that will land somewhere between $4 million and $5 million per year. All that remains to be seen is the duration of that agreement.


In a nutshell

– Too bad.

– Good news for the Yankees.

– Interesting.

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