While the last few years have been anything but glorious for the Nashville Predators, thatās not to say that there havenāt been silver linings galore for the Volunteer Stateās lone NHL franchise.
One such bit of good news is the play of 27-year-old center Thomas Novak, who finished with 45 points in 71 games for the franchise this season, earning a point for every $17,777 that he earned during the league year.
Novak, who was drafted by Nashville in the third round of the 2015 NHL Draft, had a point share total of 4.3 in 2023-24, upping his 149-game career total to 9.2, while ranking second in the league in points per dollar earned.
For this study, BetTennessee.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. This study could assist those participating in TN sports betting.
Top 10 Most Valuable NHL Scorers of 2023-2024
Rank | Player Name | Cap Hit (2023-24) | Points (2023-24) * | $ Per Point* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Avalanche W Jonathan Drouin | $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
Where Predatorsā Novak Ranks NHL Wide
Across the 32-team league, Novakās dollar-per-point total of $17,777 finished up as the second most efficient overall, behind Colorado Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin, who had a $14,732 dollar per point total this season.
Novak ranked ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel ($20,000 per point), Carolina Hurricanes winger Stefan Noesen ($20,608 per point), Boston Bruins winger Danton Heinen ($21,527 per point) and Lightning blue liner Darren Raddysh ($23,106 per point).
Rounding out the NHL list for the year was James van Riemsdyk of the Bruins, who earned $26,315 per point, while Erik Gustafsson of the New York Rangers earned $26,612 per point and Arizona Coyotes winger Michael Carcone made $26,724 per point this year.
Looking back, there werenāt many players in the league that did more while earning less than Novak did for Nashville, which should parlay its way to a bigger payday sooner rather than later for the Minnesota native.
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USA Today photo by Christopher Hanewinckel.
