With Adrian Kempe now locked into a new deal in Los Angeles, he's the latest highly productive player in his 20's to sign an eight-figure average annual value contract. His new AAV of $10.625 million is a number Philadelphia Flyers fans will want to memorize because that makes for a decent landing spot for star forward Trevor Zegras.
It's more than just Kempe. A few star players have signed on for eight-figure AAVs like Logan Cooley of the Utah Mammoth (AAV of $10 million) and Thomas Harley (AAV of $10.587 million) of the Dallas Stars.
For some fans, those numbers could spark apprehension because of Zegras' lack of productivity in 2023-24 and 2024-25, when he put up just 47 points and 18 goals in 88 games. But they're also forgetting what Zegras accomplished in 2021-22 and 2022-23, when he had 126 points and 46 goals in 156 games. This season, Zegras is more than on form, with 19 points and six goals in 18 contests.
Plus, when you look at players like Kempe, Cooley, and Harley, none of them have been putting up dominant numbers year after year. Let's start by taking a deep dive into Kempe.
Adrian Kempe was never a point-per-game player
Adrian Kempe may have been putting up solid numbers since his 54-point outing in 2021-22, but he never made you think he would take over games. The closest Kempe had gotten to the point-per-game mark came in 2023-24 when he finished the year with 75 points in 77 games. That number dropped to 73 in 81 contests last season, before he started embarking on a point-per-game trajectory in 2025-26.
Zegras hasn't reached the point-per-game threshold either, even if he's on track to get there this season. Still, he saw success much earlier in his career than Kempe, despite playing for the lowly Anaheim Ducks until his trade to Philadelphia.
Utah never hesitated to give Logan Cooley an eight-figure AAV
Logan Cooley played two full seasons with the Utah Mammoth and Arizona Coyotes, recording 44 points in 82 games in 2023-24 before his 2024-25 outing saw him end up with 65. Zegras also logged 65 points in his second full season when he was 21. During his age-20 season, he ended the year with 61 points, just four fewer than Cooley.
While Cooley didn't have two down seasons like Zegras, he has enjoyed much more franchise stablity in Arizona/Utah. Zegras didn't have that even during his productive years in Anaheim, and there's also a good reason to think the Ducks misused him. So, even Cooley didn't have the dynamic track record, Utah knew they had a brewing star and didn't hesitate to lock him in at a $10 million AAV.
Thomas Harley got his massive deal after two solid seasons
Thomas Harley is in just his third full season with the Dallas Stars. While he has been one of their more dynamic defensemen, Harley posted a respectable 47 points in 2023-24 before coming back with a solid 50 points last season. Good numbers for a young defenseman, but Harley was no Quinn Hughes or Lane Hutson.
That didn't stop the Stars from inking him to a deal worth a $10.587 million AAV, and Harley has just a modest 10 points in 18 games to kick off 2025-26. The Stars realized he doesn't need to put up All-Star numbers to do some damage, and that should be the case with Trevor Zegras in Philadelphia.
Trevor Zegras deserves a $10 million AAV at the absolute least
The Flyers need a star player to build around and one who can play a consistent game when used properly. Trevor Zegras has been bringing that kind of game since he first hit the ice in Philadelphia, and with the Flyers struggling to get anything going so early in the season with just 47 goals scored, it shows how valuable Zegras already is.
That, and the Flyers must send a clear signal to the league that they believe in Zegras as their star player and he's worth building around. It will also send the same signals to the fanbase that they have a player in town capable of leading this team back to the playoffs and is capable of making a deep postseason run.
That's what the Kings just did with Adrian Kempe, and what the Mammoth have in a player with Logan Cooley's potential, and you can say the same about Thomas Harley in Dallas. None of the above have been posting elite numbers, but they have all been solid with the potential to grow into something more, and that's what Zegras is for the Flyers.