The last time a million-dollar contract received this much attention in hockey might have been in 1972, when the WHA’s Winnipeg Jets made Bobby Hull the sport’s first million-dollar-a-year man.
47 years later, Kevin Labanc’s one-year, one million dollar agreement with the San Jose Sharks is eliciting similar disbelief, but for the exact opposite reason. Hull’s figure was shockingly high for 1972; Labanc’s was shockingly low for 2019.
How low?
Since the 2004-05 NHL lockout, there have been, according to Cap Friendly, 116 forwards who have scored 40-plus points in the last year of their entry-level contract.