Each week, we will introduce a ranking of NHL players or teams based on something different on every occasion.
When a general manager signs a player to a big-money contract, he knows the risk is large. No matter how proven the player, there is always a chance the GM could end up with an albatross on his hands, which could cost the GM opportunities to sign other players or -- if a deal really goes wrong -- it could mean losing his job.
As often as we criticize decision-makers, a quick look through the NHL's biggest deals reveals that they tend to work out more often than not. The league's highest-paid player is Alex Ovechkin, with Evgeni Malkin, P.K. Subban, Sidney Crosby and Corey Perry right behind.
So when a cash-cow contract goes wrong, we take notice. This season there have been a handful of players who have performed well below their pay scale -- in other words, the opposite of the ranking of the NHL's 10 best bargains.
Here are the most notable so far this season:
All on-ice stats listed here are courtesy of HockeyAnalysis.com, while cap hits are courtesy of Cap Geek.
Ryan Miller, G, Vancouver Canucks
Cap hit: $6.0 million
Key stats: 16-5-0, 2.60 goals-against average, .904 save percentage, .910 even-strength save percentage
It feels weird to say that a goaltender who has won 16 of 21 games has not been living up to his contract, but Miller has actually made things more difficult on the resurgent Canucks than even an average goaltender would. His .904 save percentage is .010 below league average, and is bested by both of his replacements with the Buffalo Sabres -- Jhonas Enroth (.913) and Michal Neuvirth (.920) -- along with every goalie in the NHL with more than 20 starts except for Arizona Coyotes backstop Mike Smith (more on him in a minute). Miller has been shaky on a very good team. If the Canucks hit bumps in the road, the focus will turn to his play -- and his big contract.