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The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up forward Rickard Rakell to a six-year, $30 million contract ahead of free agency during the 2022 NHL offseason.
Rakell is 29 years old and was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline. In exchange, the Penguins dealt Zach Aston-Reese, Dominik Simon, and a future second-round pick to the Ducks. This past season, the winger scored 20 goals and registered 41 points in 70 games, a pace of 23 goals and 48 points per 82 games. His contract will carry a $5 million cap hit.
Below, we take a look at how the contract breaks down for the Penguins.
The Player
Rickard Rakell had spent his entire career with the Ducks prior to being traded to Pittsburgh. In 550 games with Anaheim, he scored 154 goals and 339 points.
The winger's numbers have dropped slightly in recent years, producing at a pace of around 45 points per 82. That said, he was playing on a weak team that struggled to score and there weren't many top forwards around him.
Rakell probably isn't going to score at a pace of over 35 goals and 70 points like he did back in the 2017-18 season (which was aided by a high shooting percentage), but he should still be able to manage around 20 goals and 50 points per 82. He's also a winger whose game could really be elevated offensively when playing with top talents such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
He's a strong skater who has good control with the puck and a good blend of playmaking and scoring ability. Rakell's game is pretty well-rounded overall, with a good work ethic and above average defensive reliability. He also produced quite well upon joining the Penguins, with four goals and 13 points in 19 regular season games with the team.
Rakell is a relatively consistent player and should be a solid forward for the team over the next few years.
The Term
Six years may be about a year longer than expected for Rakell's deal but it's not a shocking length. General manager Ron Hextall clearly had a plan with his contract extensions this offseason. Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and even Evgeni Malkin all got extensions that were longer than may be ideal. However, the benefit is that in turn, their cap hits come in lower than they ever would've been on a shorter deal.
Rakell is nearing 30 years old now so we're likely to see a decline in the back half of the contract. His age, along with his slight decline in production recently do cause some concern about a long-term deal.
However, the Penguins are looking to compete now and in giving a long-term extension, they reduce the AAV. As a result, they probably aren't as concerned about a possible decline later in the contract.
The Cap Hit
Speaking of the salary, locking up Rakell for $5 million per year makes for a decent signing. As mentioned, he can produce at relatively strong levels, especially playing at the top of the lineup.
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The Penguins have actually managed to keep a lot of key players around this offseason at very reasonable prices and Rakell is another example. In managing to keep players' cap hits down, the Penguins have kept their core group mostly intact.
I think the hope here is that for the first three or four years of the deal, Rakell is providing more than $5 million of value. As a result, the Penguins would get a few more playoff runs with the forward at a good price. After that, the team is likely willing to accept the consequences that the forward (and others) may have a few years left at prices they're no longer worth.
The Partial No-Trade Clause
A key part of any deal is whether or not there's trade protection.
For Rakell's extension, the deal carries an eight-team no-trade list through the duration of the six years. As far as trade protection goes though, those are pretty manageable conditions.
The Penguins are looking to contend and are counting on Rakell being a key part of the team. Plus, if Rakell does hit a decline in a few years, Pittsburgh may not be competitive by that point anyways. Again though, with the limited protection, the Penguins do have a way out with the partial no-trade clause.
Rakell should be an important member of Pittsburgh's top-six group for several years. Given the opportunity to play with the high-end forwards, it wouldn't be shocking to see a jump in production for the forward next season. Rakell was a solid deadline addition and managing to extend him is a win. His cap hit is certainly manageable and while it's a pretty long deal, Pittsburgh should get good value for most of the contract.
Rakell's extension is another example of the team giving a long-term contract while keeping the cap hit low. As a result, despite what seemed almost certain to be an offseason featuring a lot of change, the Penguins have brought back their key players and are poised to remain a contender.
Grade: B
