New York Islanders: Comparable Contracts To Jordan Eberle Deal

The New York Islanders were able to nab Jordan Eberle on a five-year $27.5 million deal. Here are some contracts that are similar to Eb’s.

When you think of Jordan Eberle, recency bias might point to a bad 2018-2019 season. He only had 37 points which is 22 less than he had with the New York Islanders in his first season with the club.

The fact of the matter is, Jordan Eberle is a skilled top-six forward in the prime of his career and the Isles got him at a discounted price. Lou Lamoriello was able to lock up the right-winger on a five-year $27.5 million deal.

With a $5.5 million cap number, comparatively, you are getting more bang for your buck. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Our good friends over at CapFriendly have a tool that compares contracts. The top-three contracts that are most similar are James Neal, Patric Hornqvist, and Bryan Little.

Neal’s contract is a 93.3 percent match to Eberle’s. It was a five-year deal with an AAV of $5.75 million which James Neal signed at 30 years old. Neal got his deal coming off a 44 point season with Vegas, and in year one of his deal with Calgary he really dropped off.

In 63 games, he had just 19 points (7 goals, 12 assists). Over the course of his career, James Neal is a .67 point per game player (keep that in mind as we go).

Patric Hornqvist is signed to a five-year $5.3 million AAV contract. He inked that deal with the Penguins at age 31 in the midst of a 49 point season. This year, in his first year of the deal he had 37 points (the same as Eberle).

Over the course of his career, Hornqvist is a .62 point per game player, slightly less than James Neal. He’s also never had more than 53 points in a season, Eberle has done that four times. His contract is a 90.5 percent match.

Lastly, there’s Bryan Little. He signed a six-year deal at age 30 with the Winnipeg Jets coming in at $5.29 million AAV. Little has eclipsed the 60 point mark once in his career, Jordan Eberle, has done it three times, and he’s a .62 point per game player just like Hornqvist.

Little’s deal was 87.8 percent similar to the one the Islanders inked Jordan Eberle to. Technically, only James Neal has a higher cap hit, but the Islanders got the best value here and it’s not even close.

Eberle signed his deal at age 29 which is younger than any of these guys and also Eberle is also far more productive than any of these guys. Over the course of his career, he’s a .72 point per game player.

Over an 82 game season, that’s a pace of 59 points. Some players who were in that point ranger this year and their cap hit; Anze Kopitar with 60 points ($10 million), Jonathan Marchessault with 59 points ($5 million), Evander Kane with 56 points ($7 million).

Yeah, I think it’s safe to say the Islanders got a pretty good deal here.