Chandler Stephenson in line for new contract with Golden Knights

Chandler Stephenson and Penguins forward Brandon Tanev don’t appear to have anything in common. They never have been teammates in the past decade and only crossed paths on the ice a handful of times.

No, it’s the head-turning contract Tanev signed with Pittsburgh last summer as an unrestricted free agent that’s relevant for the Golden Knights forward.

Stephenson, who turns 26 on Wednesday, was in the midst of a career season when the NHL paused March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic. He will become a restricted free agent when the NHL offseason takes place and is due a raise after he almost doubled his career scoring output.

That puts Stephenson in an intriguing negotiating position, similar to the one teammate William Karlsson was in last summer, albeit for less money.

Stephenson posted 11 goals and 26 points in 65 games with the Knights and Washington Capitals. After being acquired for a fifth-round pick Dec. 2, he tallied eight goals and 14 assists in 41 games with the Knights.

His play at center, with a 57.4 percent shot attempts share during five-on-five play, helped make Cody Eakin expendable at the trade deadline and provided a glimpse of Stephenson’s potential.

But more than half his points (12) with the Knights came while centering leading scorers Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, making it difficult to project Stephenson’s future production.

Stephenson went the final 13 games without a goal playing almost exclusively on the third line before he sustained an upper-body injury and missed the final game March 9 at Edmonton. He was listed as a game-time decision for the March 12 game at Minnesota before it was postponed.

Cost certainty

If the Knights believe there’s more in the tank offensively than Stephenson showed in Washington, they can try to lock him up before he hits unrestricted free agency in 2021 to gain cost certainty.

That’s what Nashville did last summer with Colton Scissons (seven years, $2.86 million average annual value) and in 2016 with Calle Jarnkrok (six years, $2 million AAV).

St. Louis made a similar move with Oskar Sundqvist, who was selected four picks after Stephenson in the 2012 draft. He received a four-year contract with a $2.75 million AAV last summer on the heels of a career-high 14 goals and 31 points.

And with next season’s salary cap number in flux because of the coronavirus pause, that type of long-term security might appeal to Stephenson if offered.

The Knights are projected to be $8.875 million under the salary cap with 15 players signed if the cap remains at $81.5 million.

For an idea of Stephenson’s value, Dallas center Mattias Janmark signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract as a restricted free agent at age 26 last season after a six-goal, 25-point season.

Janmark’s career numbers (40 goals, 88 points in 235 games) were slightly better than Stephenson’s (22 goals, 55 points in 209 games) at the time he signed.

Carolina’s Brock McGinn signed a two-year deal with a $2.1 million AAV coming off a 26-point season, and Scott Laughton stayed in Philadelphia (two years, $2.3 million AAV) after a career-high 32 points.

Maybe the closest recent comparison to Stephenson is the New York Rangers’ Jesper Fast, who signed a three-year, $5.55 million contract in 2017 after a 21-point season. Fast had 65 career points in 216 games when he signed.

The 2.47 percent salary cap hit on Fast’s contract comes out to just over $2 million per season based on the current $81.5 million salary cap.

Betting on himself

The alternative for Stephenson, who is eligible for salary arbitration, is to hope he can continue to produce at a 44-point pace for a full season and then try to cash in as an unrestricted free agent next summer.

And that’s where Tanev comes in.

The Penguins handed the unrestricted free agent a six-year contract with a $3.5 million AAV after he produced 14 goals and 29 points in 80 games for Winnipeg.

Tanev’s career scoring totals (24 goals, 51 points in 195 games) when he signed his contract don’t stack up to what Stephenson is projected to have next summer.

While other general managers might have learned their lesson from the Penguins, it also shows what could be available to Stephenson on the market next summer.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.