Overnight Monday, the Montreal Canadiens signed left winger Max Pacioretty to a six-year, $27 million contract extension. The re-upping of Pacioretty didn't come as a huge surprise to Habs' nation, but the value of the deal, says the SB Nation blog Eyes on the Prize, is making some heads spin.
The deal isn't stunning because signing Pacioretty to an extension is an odd move, it's that Pacioretty is poised to be a 30+ goal scorer for the next several seasons, and those players usually start at 6 million dollars a year. Pacioretty making 4.5 million dollars a year is just flat out, undeniably an excellent deal.
According to Eyes on the Prize, Pacioretty is just as good as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, who signed a five-year, $27 million extension in 2009.
Max Pacioretty and Marc Bergevin have just ensured that the best forward this team has drafted since Tomas Plekanec will be a Montreal Canadien for a long time.
For more on Canadiens hockey, check out the SB Nation blog Eyes on the Prize.