4 Depth Players Who Deserve NHL Contracts Next Season

From Connor McDavid to Auston Matthews to Nathan Mackinnon, many NHL stars lead their teams with highlight reel moments. The most successful teams in the NHL are those with the deepest lineup and the strongest depth players. Teams that don’t have a full roster of players who can contribute one way or another, usually aren’t going to be successful in the postseason.

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The reason the Vegas Golden Knights have been so successful in recent seasons and could be again in 2023-24 is not only because their star players rise to the occasion, but because they have a full lineup of players who will do whatever it takes to win. That said, here are a few depth players on expiring deals who deserve new NHL contracts next season.

Max Comtois – Forward, 25 Years Old

Maxime (Max) Comtois, a 25-year-old left-shot forward from Longueuil, Quebec, is 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, and was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft at 50th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. This season, he has played for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL), scoring 12 goals and 29 points through 48 games. On March 4, Comtois was rewarded with a one-year, two-way contract from the Carolina Hurricanes to play out the rest of the season.

Comtois has 210 NHL games under his belt, all with the Ducks, with 38 goals and 86 points, which comes out to a 0.41 points-per-game average. He was considered a top prospect coming out of junior after his time in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he played 205 games over parts of four seasons, scoring 123 goals and 244 points, which comes out to a 1.19 points-per-game average.

He needed a fresh start after a tough end to his time with the Ducks who let him walk to free agency. The Golden Knights offered him a professional tryout contract, but he didn’t earn a new deal until just days before the trade deadline. His two-way game is solid, and he could become a solid bottom-six forward for any team that decides to give him an opportunity next season.

Phil Kessel – Forward, 36 Years Old

Phil Kessel, a 36-year-old right-shot forward from Madison, Wisconsin is 6 feet, 203 pounds, and was drafted in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft at 5th overall by the Boston Bruins. He is a three-time Stanley Cup champion who has spent time with the Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona…