Michael McCarron contract another example of sticker shock in rising cap era

The Minnesota Wild reportedly signed center Michael McCarron to a six-year extension with a $3.3 million cap hit on Tuesday. While the extension itself wasn’t a surprise, as McCarron was just what the Wild needed in a bottom-six role, the price tag was certainly a shocker. Depth players rarely work out when they get high salaries or long term.

But is McCarron’s extension just a bad move from Wild general manager Bill Guerin, or is this the reality of the rising salary cap? Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton broke down McCarron’s extension on Daily Faceoff Live.

Tyler Yaremchuk: We’ve been saying for a while it is going to be the summer of sticker shock. The entire hockey world has been bracing itself. How about a guy who scored eight goals last year getting a six-year extension with a $3.3 million AAV? And you ready for the kicker? A full no-movement clause.

Carter Hutton: Good for him. At 31 years old, to cash that ticket. You get traded from Nashville to Minnesota at the deadline. You come in, you play a bit of a role. Then to lock in a six-year deal at 31. This is life-changing money in his situation at his age. And good for him. A big player that can play. He had a good playoff too. That’s an important factor.

And then this just goes to show you the way that he fit in this system for the Minnesota Wild, because Bill Guerin would have got off him quickly if he didn’t think he was going to be a part of the future, because it’s obviously huge right now in Minnesota with the Quinn Hughes factor.

Tyler Yaremchuk: He scored two goals in 11 playoff games with the Wild. Was very good, changed my view of him as a player a bit with how effective he was in the postseason.

But a guy whose career earnings to the life-changing money part: career earnings at age 31 so far, $6.3 million, slated to earn $19.8 million during this extension with the Wild.

You can watch the full episode here…