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Was The Brett Howden Extension Smart By Vegas?
Was The Brett Howden Extension Smart By Vegas?
Brett Howden just signed a five year extension to stay in Las Vegas, but was this actually a smart move by the Golden Knights? Let’s have a quick chat and talk about it because this deal is fascinating for a number of different reasons.
The underlying metrics for Howden aren’t anything crazy. There is obviously a reason why Howden bounced around the league before becoming a successful waiver claim by Vegas.
I just don’t think the metrics really tell the story if you watch the games. Howden has become a really important piece to this team and it’s hard to argue against the logic of this extension.
A: Howden was already on a $1.9 million AAV contract that was set to expire. He gets a slight raise to $2.5 million but stretched out over five years. The cap is expected to climb in a significant way over the next few years. Up to the point where the cap should exceed $100 million within two years. This number will be viewed as a nothing burger if it doesn’t work out. A contract Vegas can get out of if they need to. It won’t be hard to flip that deal if they need to.
B: The lightbulb moment appears to have clicked for Howden. Based on the year he’s currently having, he would have blown past this number on the open market. To start out the season, Howden has eight goals in 20 games. His career high is nine. This is the best version of Howden we’ve seen yet. Which makes sense given he’s now 26 and entering the prime of his career. If the Howden we’ve seen this year is the Howden we’re getting, this contract is a total bargain.
C: I don’t care what the metrics say. Howden brings a skillset to the table. He’s a huge part of the penalty kill. Bruce Cassidy trusts him in that role. On a team filled with elite two way players, the fact that Howden even cracks that rotation says a lot. He also has plus speed and with past experience playing center. Howden has played with a bunch of different centers but he’s been a nice speed checker on the wing. If the offense continues to climb, this was an excellent deal.
D: It’s another puzzle piece taken care of. You can mark Howden down for that second, third, or fourth line left wing role. Keegan Kolesar, Victor Olofsson, and the two goalies are the only notable UFA’s heading into next year. Alexander Holtz and Nic Hague are RFA’s. With another player signed on a hometown deal, the excess money Vegas has set aside to make a splash like Mitch Marner becomes more and more realistic.
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