In this week’s edition of Bargain Bin, we break down three eight-year contract extensions all signed with Central Division teams, Toronto’s rocky start to the season and ask if they should be worried, the Los Angeles Kings and Adrian Kempe remain far apart on a new contract, and is Steven Stamkos a potential trade target for teams.

We dive back into the dumpster fire, examining overpaid players and underperforming teams. We load back up the waiver wire options in the fantasy hockey world. Conrad also covers his must-watch game of this upcoming week from Saturday, Nov 1, to Friday, Nov 7.

Martin Necas Signs Eight-Year Extension in Colorado

Martin Necas has signed an eight-year contract extension in Colorado after it was reported that he may not sign. The deal is worth a total of $92 million and carries a cap hit of $11.5 million annually. Elliotte Friedman reports that $60 million of the $92 million is signing bonus money, and Necas will have a full no-movement clause from 2026-27 through 2032-33.

This takes one of the biggest names left off the 2026 unrestricted free agent (UFA) board. Necas became a top player for Colorado behind Nathan MacKinnon after his acquisition, and an extension became increasingly necessary. If Colorado were unable to make progress on an extension with Necas heading into the 2026 leg of the season, this could’ve been a nightmare-like repeat of the Rantanen ordeal.

Necas’ extension also adds financial flexibility to the Avalanche’s cap structure, especially with Cale Makar being a UFA in 2027. While it’s unlikely Makar reaches July 1st without a new contract, keeping his cap hit to reflect how the team’s overall cap structure could be a season-long storyline.

Even if Makar’s contract is a hefty sum, say in the $14-15 million mark, that leaves the Avalanche with less than $2 million to work with. Having a total of $16.125 million to work with, as the salary cap is projected to hit $104 million in 2026-27 is the best-case scenario, and Necas’ extension structures everything picture-perfect.

Toronto’s Rocky Start: Should They Be Worried?

As of today’s edition of Bargain Bin, the Toronto Maple Leafs are dead last in the Atlantic Division, tied with 11 points between the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers. The Leafs sit 26th in the overall NHL standings, which is far from their projected start, and something needs to change fast.

Toronto has been unable to secure wins on teams like Seattle, Columbus, and Buffalo, while barely squeaking out wins over Calgary, Buffalo and the Rangers. Buffalo beat them by two goals and then lost to Toronto by one goal on game two of a back-to-back.

Goaltender Anthony Stolarz has called out the team for their play before, too, stating “enough’s enough,” when sounding off after being run over by Mason Marchment in the Leafs’ loss to the Seattle Kraken. That postgame comment came on October 19th, and since that happened, the Leafs are 2-3-0 and haven’t shown much bite.

Many could say that the Leafs are being impacted by the loss of Mitch Marner, but it’s a systems issue that runs deeper than the eye sees. Toronto doesn’t drive the net, and they haven’t done so for years. They don’t grind out plays, they don’t have intensity, and they certainly haven’t shown pushback to start the season.

The Leafs could be running one of the league’s best power plays, but instead, they are 29th in the league with a power play running at 13.8%. Their penalty kill sits 12th in the league at 83.3%, but this is a team that must take advantage of a power play.

After Stolarz’s comments, most would think it’s a locker room issue, but ultimately, Stolarz has been run over several times, and the Leafs have not stood up for Stolarz or their goaltenders. Teams are taking notice of this trend, and unless Toronto shows more bite, this will continue to happen, and this disconnect could see the Leafs finish in a wild-card spot if they don’t start winning games.

Toronto’s next four games are against tough opponents and teams that are red-hot to start the season. They play Philadelphia tomorrow night in Philadelphia before coming back home for three games against Pittsburgh on Monday, Utah on Wednesday, and Boston next Saturday. Three of these four games should be in the win column for Toronto, but their early-season struggles dictate otherwise.

Thomas Harley Signs Eight-Year Extension in Dallas

The Dallas Stars have locked up another core piece of their roster as Thomas Harley agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth $10.587 million annually. The $84.7 million total contract includes a no-movement clause from 2029-30 through 2033-34, the last five years of the contract.

Harley has been a bear to play against for other teams and is more than deserving of this price tag. It was highly unlikely the Stars were going to be able to keep Harley’s price tag under $10 million, let alone under Miro Heiskanen’s $8.5 million.

While Dallas’ divisional rival, the Colorado Avalanche, is in a strong spot for cap space in the 2026 offseason, the same bell doesn’t ring true for Dallas.

Looking at Dallas’ cap situation next offseason, it should raise some red flags. Once you factor in Harley’s new deal, the Stars enter the summer with roughly $17 million in cap space. Depth pieces like Adam Erne and Nathan Bastian are easily replaceable, but it becomes more challenging when Jason Robertson, Mavrik Bourque, and Nils Lundkvist, are due new contracts this offseason. Getting all three of Robertson, Bourque, and Lundkvist on long-term deals will be nearly impossible.

Dallas’ general manager, Jim Nill, has done some tidy work locking in the team’s core. Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Esa Lindell, Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, and now Harley are all signed through 2029-30 at the very least. This is a competitive roster throughout the remainder of the decade.

Looking at cap projections, Jason Robertson could be due around $11.5-12 million in a new deal for around eight years. This eats at the majority of Dallas’ available cap space this offseason, and maybe other options will be explored if a deal can’t get done. The restricted free agent (RFA) market has been approached differently, with others signing new deals, so Robertson could be around an eight-year mark, given new CBA changes and the salary cap landscape changes.

Simply put, one team in the Central Division has it picture perfect, while the other team is going through the motions of not having enough salary cap, but a lot of stars to pay big money. It’s going to be an interesting season, but Dallas getting Harley done early might’ve saved them even more money if he continues his strong play.

Kings & Kempe Remain Far Apart on New Contract

I told myself I was not going to talk about Adrian Kempe and his contract situation for at least a few weeks, but recent reports stating he and the Kings are far apart on a new contract made it difficult not to.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on the DFO Rundown Podcast that the ongoing discussions are not close. Kempe, who’s been in Los Angeles his entire career, is a pending UFA and will be the top target besides Artemi Panarin as of where things stand right now.

It’s been reported by Pagnotta that Kempe wants to stay in Los Angeles, as that’s where he was drafted 29th overall in 2014. The Kings were patient with his development, and now he’s been a top contributor for the Kings since he signed his four-year, $5.5 million annual contract that’s now expiring.

Kempe turned into a 70-plus point player since signing his contract, and this season, he’s already on pace for over 80 points. Kempe has multiple 30-goal and one 40-goal season under his belt in this contract, and now the price keeps going up with other big UFAs coming off the board.

If Kempe surpasses the point-per-game mark this season, it’s a massive win for the player, but a costly one for the team if these negotiations go late into the season.

Logan Cooley Signs Eight-Year Extension in Utah

Logan Cooley’s new eight-year contract, worth $10 million annually and $80 million total, is a massive win for the player and the team, but a reset to the RFA market.

Teams with big stars like Chicago and Connor Bedard, Anaheim and Leo Carlsson, and Columbus and Adam Fantilli are looking at this deal and probably seeing the starting price tag of negotiations.

In Utah’s case, this is their highest-paid player, but one of many players around the league to sign eight-year extensions. Cooley gets a 16-team trade list from 2030-31 to the expiration of the contract, and will not have any signing bonus money. This is a promising trend in the right direction for Utah as they want to be competitive this season, and are living up to that promise early on.

Add in the JJ Peterka acquisition this offseason and now having Cooley locked up long-term, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Utah gets more aggressive in their approach for a playoff spot and future Stanley Cup contention.

Cooley, since debuting in the league, the 21-year-old is now really demonstrating to the Salt Lake City crowd what a superstar can do with the compliments of other star players. Cooley’s extension, getting done now, is crucial because another massive jump in points could’ve meant a higher cap hit.

After Cooley’s new contract kicks in next offseason, Utah has $27.7 million to work with. Add the uncertainty around the future of Nick Schmaltz in Utah, and it seems right now that extra space might come early for Utah to work with should they add later in this season.

Is Stamkos a Potential Trade Target for Teams?

We’re starting to enter the part of the season where each division shows how it will likely end up, and Nashville seems destined to have a similar season to 2024-25. As things are shaping up right now, Steven Stamkos has had a slow start to the season, posting just two points (1G, 1A) in 12 games so far. This makes him a potential trade target for teams in need of another centre.

Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects posted last night, adding to Rick Dhaliwal’s report that the Vancouver Canucks are poking around on Stamkos’ availability, and this would strengthen the Canucks’ centre depth with a veteran player.

Robinson noted that he’s not sure how serious this is, so it’s to be taken with a grain of salt, and it’s hard to imagine how Stamkos’s full $8 million cap hit will fit in Vancouver. Given Stamkos’s best days are behind him and he’s having a slow start to the season, maybe a change of scenery could be best for the 35-year-old in this stage of his career.

Stamkos is under contract for the next two seasons at $8 million annually, and one has to wonder if it’s only Vancouver looking at his availability.

The Dumpster Fire: Week 2

Since last week’s dumpster fire portion of Bargain Bin went up, the Tampa Bay Lightning have won four straight games, and Ilya Sorokin still has yet to find his footing this season. There’s been a lot of candidates for this week’s dumpster fire, but it’s a collective week, no team and player, just a team.

Calling back to earlier in this article, the Toronto Maple Leafs are not off to a hot start, and I don’t need to reiterate why they’re not doing great.

They have players carrying their workload, while they have others seemingly not giving much for their roles on the team. Some players have a positive plus-minus, while others are in the minus column. Add less-than-ideal numbers coming from their goaltending and their defence not clearing the crease, it’s adding up early and could be catastrophic once the season hits December.

Maybe this will be a similar situation to Tampa Bay, and they’ll hit a hot streak over the next week, but as things stand right now, Toronto’s in a funk they need to get out of fast.

Fantasy Hockey Targets

This week’s waiver wire targets feature a strong list of who you might want to look at, their stats, and the percentage they’re owned on average in leagues.

Waiver Wire Targets

Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues is arguably my most underrated option defensively for a pickup. While he is rostered on average 77% at the time of writing, he’s a massive contributor across the board and is available to play in all situations. His 23 minutes a night in all situations make him a lucrative option to pick up, but it’s just worth noting that he won’t post elite offensive numbers.

Brock Faber had a slow start to the season as he was held pointless across nine games. After a five-point outburst in two games for Minnesota, Faber seems to have his footing throughout the early legs of the season. If Faber can get back to his 47-point rookie season in 2023-24 or even post more than that point total.

Aliaksei Protas burst onto the scene in Washington last year, and as of right now, 89% of fantasy hockey managers have Protas on their team. He’s got nine points (4G, 5A) on the season so far and has been a big contributor to Washington’s middle-six. It shouldn’t be a surprise if he’s not available in your league, but in the slight chance that Protas is, he’s worth the addition to your roster if you have the room.

Victor Olofsson is on a hot start in Colorado, and a five-point (3G, 2A) outing has put him on the radar of many. 30% of fantasy managers have him rostered, and that number is likely to grow over the coming days if he continues his strong production. Many will keep an eye on Olofsson to see if his production continues and if the numbers line up, but as of right now, he could be a good option to pick up while he’s still red hot.

Corey Perry has gotten back into game action and has looked better than originally thought. Perry has a point-per-game pace at the moment, and that’s likely not going to remain throughout the season. However, similar to Olofsson, it’s worth taking a look at Perry for a quick add and drop scenario while he’s still producing. He’s rostered by 4% of fantasy managers, so he’s likely available in your league. The only question around Perry is his health and how he’ll produce throughout the entire season, with Los Angeles focusing on one last run in Anze Kopitar’s final season.

Conrad’s Must-Watch Game of the Week

On Thursday, November 6th, the Florida Panthers travel to Los Angeles to face the Kings in what could be a potential Stanley Cup Final matchup. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 pm CST.

These two teams are on opposite ends of the standings, Florida’s looking to recover from a rough start, while Los Angeles is looking to capitalize on their hunt for first in the Pacific Division.

Los Angeles hosts New Jersey tomorrow night and then Winnipeg on Tuesday, November 4th. These are two big games for the Kings before facing the Panthers on Thursday.

Florida has two tough opponents before Thursday as well. The Panthers host Dallas tomorrow night and then travel to Anaheim to face the Ducks on Tuesday.

This clash is a heavy matchup and not on the second night of a back-to-back for either team. It’s certainly going to see both teams bringing their best, and it makes for must-watch television for those who can catch it.

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