While the final season of professional hockey in the Valley (for now, at least) didn’t go the way that fans of the Coyotes hoped across Arizona sports betting, there were a few slivers of silver linings if you dug deep enough. One such storyline was the play of winger Michael Carcone, who had 29 points on a $775,000 contract, meaning he earned a point for every $26,724 earned during the 2023-24 league year.
While Arizona finished the season with 77 points and a seventh place finish in the NHL’s Central Division, the play of Carcone was definitely a silver lining, with the third year winger averaging the 10th least dollars per point in the league.
For this study, BetArizona.com utilized CapFriendly to find the Top 10 NHL players in cap hit per point scored during the NHL regular season. For the rankings, any players on their entry-level contract were excluded.
Top 10 Most Valuable NHL Scorers of 2023-2024
Rank/Player | Cap Hit (2023-24) | Points (2023-24) * | $ Per Point* |
| $825,000 | 56 | $14,732 |
2. Predators C Thomas Novak | $800,000 | 45 | $17,777 |
3. Lightning W Brandon Hagel | $1,500,000 | 75 | $20,000 |
4. Hurricanes W Stefan Noesen | $762,500 | 37 | $20,608 |
5. Bruins W Danton Heinen | $775,000 | 36 | $21,527 |
6. Lightning D Darren Raddysh | $762,500 | 33 | $23,106 |
7. Canucks W Dakota Joshua | $825,000 | 32 | $25,781 |
8. Bruins W James van Riemsdyk | $1,000,000 | 38 | $26,315 |
9. Rangers D Erik Gustafsson | $825,000 | 31 | $26,612 |
10. Coyotes W Michael Carcone | $775,000 | 29 | $26,724 |
*$ Per Point was rounded up for visual purposes
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Where Carcone Ranks NHL Wide
Across the NHL, Carcone’s $26,724 per point total ranked 10th best, behind Erik Gustafsson of the New York Rangers, who had 31 points on a $825,000 contract, meaning he earned a point for every $26,612.
The most efficient players wound up being Colorado Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin, who had 56 points on a contract worth $825,000, working out to $14,732 per point, while Nashville Predators center Thomas Novak was next up, with 45 points on a $800,000 salary cap hit ($17,777 per point).
Throw in Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel (37 points on $1.5 million, or $20,000 per point), Stefan Noesen of the Carolina Hurricanes (37 points on a $762,500 salary cap hit, or $20,608 per point) and Boston Bruins winger Danton Heinen (36 points on a salary cap hit of $775,000, or $21,527 per point) and you have the upper echelon of the most cost efficient players in the NHL this season.
For Arizona, while the franchise itself shifts some 600 miles up I-15 to Salt Lake City, at least the franchise can look back with happiness about the play that Carcone put in for the franchise in 2023-24.
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USA Today photo by Brett Holmes.
