I don’t understand that contract. You can go get cheaper versions of him for peanuts and you aren’t giving actually talentedwingers proper ice time.

So everyone is in an agreement that the Wilson contract is next level terrible!?

I checked this kids stats and I can't even believe they went over 3 mill for a player like that.

Does anyone like or defend this signing, I am actually curious.

Right? How many times do GM's in this league need to make this mistake before they learn?

Don't worry, the Caps fans are going to be out in full force telling me how stupid I am because he's definitely a top line winger because he scored all of his points at 5v5.

It’s like when Matt Beleskey has one 20 goal season and gets signed for $3.5 million by Boston. Where is he now? How many people said it was a dumb contract

But but but he won a Stanley cup!!!

It just doesn't seem to end.

Oh ya you’re going to hear it from caps fans forsure. They’ll tell you all about how great he is because he hits people. That’s literally their only thing to say. “Oh he’s a momentum changer” “He gets in peoples head”... well yeah when a guy is known for cheap shots and suspensions, you’re going to be thinking about the guy

I'm undecided on this one. At first I thought - like most people - this contact was signed due to Washington's front office still being high off their first cup win.

Part of me thinks that if Wilson is surrounded by top end players, then he can produce at a rate that is reasonable for a 5 million dollar contract in the 2018 salary cap world. Because he's so big, keeping in mind physicality was a more popular game style when he first entered the league, he may have chosen a physical style to keep his spot in the NHL and not be a career minor-leaguer. A full-year on a top line, I think he can get 40-50 points.

Is this contract really that much worse than Lindholm's on Calgary? I don't know I'm just asking...

Lindholm has a higher ceiling than Wilson, much higher I'd wager. That's the difference here. Wilson is a bottom 6 physical winger who is a decent skater. That's worth no more then 2.5 million. Put him in the bottom 6 and he can't score more than 20 points in a season. Put him on the top line with your stars and he scores like a bottom 6 winger who is surrounded by much better players who score points off his body. He'll go through 1 slump, move off the top line and everyone will be like wait what? He's actually a bottom 6 winger who can't score in the NHL?

Literally everyone outside of Washington sees this coming.

44 5v5 points in the last 82 games of the season, all at 5v5. That would have been tied for 27th among all forwards last season, tied with Malkin. Sit down, everyone. You guys are just upset Wilson is turning into a top 6 forward.

*Though I do agree they should have been able to get him cheaper around $4M-$4.5M. But he can certainly be a $5M player.

I think Washington signs Steve mason as a back up that’s just my opinion Copley is average at best. In case holtby goes down it’s a cheap back up with starter experience

Hilarious signing. Remember when Clarkson scored 30 goals and then was signed to a terrible deal? This is the same thing and you will be eating your words.

5v5 points blah blah blah.... The guy can only score when he's with two all stars. Remember when Jon Scott scored a bunch of goals at the all star game? This is the worst signing of the year and its not even close.

Caps fan here - it's most definitely an overpay for Wilson. I can't defend the AAV at all, other than we were paying a premium for buying up some of his UFA years. I do think he has more upside than what people on this thread are giving him credit for, though. He's a true power forward, but he needs to pot 20-25 goals this season for this contract to feel any better. Keep in mind that the 1RW on Ovechkin's line has been a rotating door for years, and Wilson provided some stability on that line. He might have some goonish tendencies, but I still think he can produce at a top 6 level if he gets more PP time.

Let me school you on some knowledge real quick:
1) Clarkson was 29 when he signed his new contract. Wilson is 5 years younger.
2) Clarkson never put up more than 26 5v5 points in his career.
3) Clarkson's $5.25M would be the equivalent of almost $6.5M by today's cap. Sure, if Wilson signed for that much I'd be upset, but it's $1.5M less and a year shorter.
4) Clarkson deal brought him to 35, Wilson just 30.
So no, they aren't even close to being the same player or contract.



Are you really comparing an allstar game to an actual NHL game? lmao

And I love when people say "Well he can only score with 2 all stars"... so what?! The point is he can score when playing with talent! If he puts up 45-55 points over the next 6 years, be a menace, and live in people's heads like yours while playing with talent then he's done his job.

And no, it isn't the worst signing of the year. Deals that are worse: Jack Johnson, Fluery, Beagle, Roussel, Gudbransson, and probably many more.

"Momentum changer" i.e... his best skill is taking opponent's head off without even getting a penalty, let alone suspension.

3 million is actually the exact number I was thinking when I opened this thread too. That's what winning a cup does. It over values your players. Just ask the Blackhawks lol

187 penalty minutes last year. Thats a lot of power plays he's giving momentum to.

None of that matters. If you are paying over 5 million dollars to a player, he better be able to pull his own weight. Not throw it at everything that moves in an unsafe manner and have the rest of your game completely carried by Ovie And Kuznetsov. This will haunt you for the whole length of the contract.

The comparison to Clarkson is this, he was a bottom 6 forward his entire career and had 1 good season, got a huge contract and could never live up to it. Wilson is the same thing, he got put on a line with two elite forwards and didn't do terrible. He was good enough without anything better showing itself as an option. Without playing on the top line, which will happen the moment he has any sort of slump, he doesn't have the ability to score 10 goals or over 20 points in this league. That 5 million you are spending on a 4th liner is going to haunt you for the entire length of the contract.

Challenge accepted!

First off, I by no means think he is worth that much. That is a contract you give a pending UFA of his calibre with slightly better stats. Nor am I Caps fan. I was Habs fan rooting for Vegas the whole way in the final.

......But I will say this though:

He is absolutely a game changer in a different way than a Ovechkin or Kuznetsov.

Yeah yeah yeah he's a POS and hurts people etc etc etc. I agree 100%. but if you don't think players were playing differently because Wilson was on the ice then you weren't really watching.

He got players off their games. He injured people. He hit and he intimidated. Oh yeah...and he scored 15 points en route a Stanley cup. Oh yeah and he's only 24 years old.

He was very effective and that is what got him his pay. Is it too much? Maybe. Even If he scores 45 pts every year of that contract but plays the way he did in the playoffs last year, every year. Then no he's worth every penny.

If you are comparing Wilson to the likes of Lindholm etc, your doing it wrong. There are only a few players that really can compare and they are more like names of Lucic, B. Schenn and possibly even E. Kane. Take some of the contracts they signed at their 24 year seasons and add for inflation for Wilson and there you have it.

Once again, this is coming from a non Caps fan who despises Wilson and the way he can be a complete ********* sometimes on the ice.

Exactly. He’s no Hornqvist or Schwartz. (Players with a similar contract), Wilson produces like a 3rd liner ?‍♂️

Just the fact people are saying he is worth 3 mil makes me laugh. If you never played high level hockey before and do not know what the value of having some one who will run you over, beat your head in, or score a goal all in one shift. Take kids 20-26 years old I don't see them dancing around the ice the same when Wilson is on as they do others.

You were making somewhat a compelling arguement until you mention comparables of Lucic, Kane and B Schenn. Lucic isn't that far off of a comparison now although Lucic has a tonne more skill than Wilson. But Kane and Schenn? Come one dude, both of those guys were elite scorers in junior hockey before becoming above average scorers in the NHL. Wilson has never been a scorer at any level.

If you make over 5 million you better be able to accomplish more on your own than Wilson can. The only thing he can do on his own is hit people like crazy.

imo i don't think its next level terrible......but also he def got over paid. I think his number should have been closer to 4 million. he's very impactful when playing top line minutes and he's young. last season people were talking about how bad the Suzy/orlov contract were and those no look like major discounts considering Ryan Johansson got more.

best person I can compare Wilson to in terms of potential / me being 100% optimistic is zucker

zucker is 2 years older than Wilson and stats looked like this

15-16 13 goals 10 assists
16-17. 22goals. 25 assists
17-18. 33 goals 31 assists

I mean this could be a very similar path for Wilson to follow given that they both are now given bigger roles and more ice time and that reflects more points
the only thing is Wilson is a more physical/ "old school" player but his junior stats show he has an ability to score just saying this deal at the moment looks like an overpayment but its better judged after this season


I agree with what your saying...most of his stats are him playing with jay beagle not kuzy/ovi. he's a player that creates space and retrieves pucks do you his aggressive forechecking

wilsons contract > jack johnson. easily have the weakest 3rd pairing in the nhl. hahaha but keep talking **** bc caps "overpaid" a 24 year old and not a 31 year old