Garret and I were discussing everyone's favourite whipping boy Mark Stuart one night when I suggested that by the end of his contract it won't look that bad. Why? Because the percentage of the salary cap that his contract takes up will be minuscule. This is just another way to look at a contract's value.
The salary cap is estimated to be around $70 million next year so that is the number I am going to use. I will add some other players for context about the percentage of the salary cap each player takes up. Note that entry level contracts are not being used in this exercise.
Forwards
| Player | Cap Hit | Salary Cap Percentage |
| Blake Wheeler | $5 600 000 | 8% |
| Evander Kane | $5 250 000 | 7.5% |
| Dustin Byfuglien | $5 200 000 | 7.42% |
| Bryan Little | $4 700 000 | 6.71% |
| Andrew Ladd | $4 400 000 | 6.21% |
| Jim Slater | $1 600 000 | 2.29% |
| Eric Tangradi | $675 000 | 0.96% |
| Anthony Peluso | $562 500 | 0.80% |
Comparables
| Player | Cap Hit | Salary Cap Percentage |
| David Krejci | $5 250 000 | 7.5% |
| Jakub Voracek | $4 250 000 | 6.10% |
| Marcus Krueger | $1 325 000 | 1.89% |
The comparables I used are players that are most likely playing in that position on a good team. In fairness to Krejci, he plays behind Patrice Bergeron so I counted him as a first line player.
The Jets are a funny team. The first line players all make second line money unless Wheeler moves back to the Little line. I cannot complain though because Cheveldayoff may have overpaid Wheeler and Kane for their positions on the depth chart, both players are skilled and Chevy has Ladd and Little signed to very good deals.
Defencemen
| Player | Cap Hit | Salary Cap Percentage |
| Tobias Enstrom | $5 750 000 | 8.21% |
| Zach Bogosian | $5 142 857 | 7.35% |
| Mark Stuart | $2 625 000 | 3.75% |
| Grant Clitsome | $2 066 667 | 2.95% |
| Paul Postma | $712 500 | 1.02% |
Comparables
| Player | Cap Hit | Salary Cap Percentage |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | $5 500 000 | 7.86% |
| Johnny Oduya | $3 375 000 | 4.82% |
| Brendan Smith | $1 262 500 | 1.80% |
As you can see the Jets are again really weird with their defenders salaries. Bogosian's contract is the standout here. I am going to be looking at the advantages of a bridge deal and how they can work out for both club and player in the long run if executed correctly. For now though, focus on how the Jets have two overpaid bottom pairing guys. I used former Jet Johnny Oduya as a comparable because he can play tough minutes along side Niklas Hjalmarsson. Also Enstrom>Ekman-Larsson.
Goalie
| Player | Cap Hit | Salary Cap Percentage |
| Ondrej Pavelec | $3 900 000 | 5.57% |
Comparable
| Player | Cap Hit | Salary Cap Percentage |
| Steve Mason | $4 100 000 | 5.86% |
It could be worse. That is all I will say here.
