Auston Matthews' lucrative new deal with the Maple Leafs set a precedent, but also meant that when it kicks in next season, the two contracts with the highest cap hits in the league belong to players under the age of 23 (the other being Connor McDavid, of course).
Welcome to the modern NHL, where youth rules the day. For this week's power rankings, we identified the most impactful 23-and-under player on each team.
How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits polls ranking teams 1-31, and those results are tabulated to the list featured here.