I know, I know it's a bold statement (its really a question). Let me quantify my statement, best signing for the money. Please, make an argument if you like, but I present my evidence below:
Panarin, NYR $11.6M per year. 30 goals, 90 points. Duchene, NSH $8M per year. 12 goals, 40 points. Pavelski, DAL $7M per year. 14 goals, 30 points. Zuccarello, MIN $6M per year. 14 goals, 34 points. Nyquist, CBJ $5.5M per year. 13 goals, 40 points. Myers, VAN $6M per year. 6 goals, 21 points (defense). Lee, NYI $7M per year. 19 goals, 40 points. Dzingel, CAR $3.375M per year. 8 goals, 29 points. Tanev, PIT $3.5M per year. 11 goals, 25 points. Donskoi COL $3.9M per year. 15 goals, 32 points.
Far and away, Bread is lighting up the scoreboard the most. He has almost 14% of the Rangers goals. But NYR is paying $386,666 per goal.
Duchene is having a down year. Forty points is good but only 12 goals isn't what was expected. Works out to $666,666 per goal. Ouch.
Pavelski got $7M per year for 3 years. At age 35 he made out on that contract. Dallas is paying him half a million dollars per goal.
Zuccarello isn't doing much more for MIN either, with only 14 goals ($428,571 per).
Myers is harder to quantify as he is on defense. Watching him recently against the Jackets makes me think he was worth every dollar they are paying him.
Lee didn't change teams, but was a free agent signing. He has 19 goals and 40 points. That cost per goal is on par with Panarin at $368,421.
Dzingel was added to this list because he left Columbus and because his salary is significantly lower than the others we have looked at. His 8 goals seem a disappointment after last season, but he does have 29 points. Cost per goal sits at $421,875.
Donskoi is also on this list because of his low salary and because he was rumored to be pursued by the Jackets in free agency. His salary is $3.9M per year and he has netted 15 goals this season. That math works out to be $260,000 per goal, not bad.
Tanev. Why is this guy on here? Because PIT took so much heat for this signing. You would have thought they payed him $10M per year the way people reacted to his contract terms. Truth is that at $3.5M per year it isn't a bad signing. The length was the problem: 6 years. But, instant return yields $318,181 per goal. Again, not bad.
Now on to Gus. He signed for $5.5M and has 13 goals and 40 points. Cost per goal is $423,076. That puts him at 4th on the team in goals scored and 7% of the teams goals. Not the cheapest cost per goal.
Conclusion
Gus was a good signing for Columbus, probably the best in recent memory. But pure output, Panarin is the clear winner. Columbus knew it too. They would have matched and were rumored to have offered more.
Instant returns on Duchene and Dzingel turned out poorly this season. That doesn't mean that they will not live up to those contracts, but they haven't so far this season. Further evidence that Jarmo knows what he is doing.
Myers has made a HUGE impact in VAN. They solidified that D and now are looking to squeeze into the playoffs.
Gus is a nice player. He has veteran leadership, makes smart plays, can ice a game (see my comments on his EN goals in yesterday's post) and brings top level skill. These are all things that the guys coming up need to see. He can be a mentor and contributor on this team. His impact this season is immeasurable given all the injuries that have stung the Jackets. He will not make any top 10 lists, but for the price tag is a better signing that Duchene, Bob and Dzingel.
Scoreboard Watching Time
With the CBJ off tonight here are the games to watch:
MON @ NYI - NYI have the same number of points as CBJ, this is one of their games in hand. STL @ NYR - NYR sit only 4 points back of Columbus. OTT @ PIT - The Pens are 2 points ahead of CBJ for 3rd in the Metro.
Jackets next play on Wednesday @ CGY as they make a Western Canadian trip to include away games with EDM (3/7) and VAN (3/8).
Good Luck and Go Jackets!