Three Francophones among the NHL’s five hardest-to-trade contracts

When it comes to bad NHL contracts, the first name that comes to mind is Jonathan Huberdeau. The Quebecer took advantage of a 115-point season and a fresh start with the Flames to sign an impressive pact.

The only problem is, as soon as he signed his eight-year contract, Huberdeau changed on the ice. After a 115-point season, he scored just 55 the following season.

Even worse! He finished his most recent season with 52 points, as he completed the first year of his contract, which is worth $10.5 million on the Flames’ payroll.

That’s why the Quebecer takes first place in The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau’s ranking of the most difficult contracts to trade.

Here are the five most untradeable contracts in the league today, according to Adam Proteau: https://t.co/hsfTuiAsug

– The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) August 5, 2024

That’s not just Proteau’s opinion. Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic also compiled a list of the NHL’s worst contracts in July, and Huberdeau was right at the top of it.

The Quebecer can always try to perform better in the future, but the damage has already been done. It would be almost impossible to see him flirting with 100 points in each of the last years of his contract, if we take into account that it will end when he’s 38.

The “good news” for Huberdeau is that he’s not the only Quebecer on this gloomy list. Marc-Édouard Vlasic is a close second.

With a contract that weighs $7 million on the Sharks’ payroll at the age of 37, Marc-Édouard Vlasic is a real liability in San Jose. His level of play isn’t terrible, but he’s far from being worth $7 million.

But that’s not too much of a problem for the Sharks, who don’t need to offer big contracts to new players just yet. They benefit at the bottom of the NHL standings.

In any case, there are only two seasons left on this deal. It would be surprising to see the Sharks competitive by then.

A third Francophone completes Adam Proteau’s top 5. Sean Couturier doesn’t have it easy in Philadelphia, especially with head coach John Tortorella, who doesn’t seem to like him at all.

He was left out of the lineup on several occasions last season, even though he is the team captain. Couturier, 31, will begin the third season of his $7.75 million contract in 2024-25, which runs until he turns 37.

With an output of just 38 points in 2023-24, he hasn’t impressed, and he’ll have to show that he’s capable of returning to his good old ways.