NHL contract rules are changing in September.
Negotiated as part of the soon-to-kick-in collective bargaining agreement, the maximum term for which a player can sign will be seven years with his existing team and six years when departing — as opposed to the eight and seven, respectively, that are currently available.
Utah Mammoth defenseman John Marino has signed his contract extension early, getting the eighth year while he still can.
The deal is worth $6.75 million annually for those eight years, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. That takes him to age 38, at which point his estimated career earnings will be $82.25 million.
Not bad for a sixth-round pick.
“We view John as a foundational piece of our future,” Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong said in a press release. “His ability to control the game from the back end, his play in transition and our trust in him to make the right decisions in critical situations allows him to be a difference maker on most nights. Beyond his skill, John brings a level of calmness under pressure that our group feeds off of and that’s exactly what you need from your veteran players.”
Marino’s first season in black and blue was, well, black and blue — he missed more than half the year after undergoing back surgery. In 80 games last season, he showed Mammoth fans what he’s capable of, making up one half of perhaps the most efficient defense pairing in the NHL.
Despite playing more than 18 minutes a game at even strength (and more than 20 total), Marino allowed just 52 goals against with a level playing field.
Excluding those who played for the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche, he placed second in plus/minus with a +42 rating. Who finished ahead of him? The 2026 NHL MVP, Nikita Kucherov (+43).
Marino also obliterated his previous career high offensively with 36 points last year. His previous best was 26 in 2019-20, though that season was shortened due to the pandemic.
He’s a quiet guy, and his decisions are calculated. For that reason, his egregious mistakes are few and far between. You wouldn’t expect anything different from a Harvard alum.
A new trend?
Marino is the first player to sign a max-term deal after free agency day this season — and he likely won’t be the last.
With the ability to sign an eight-year contract disappearing in September, it’s likely that players who are in positions to get that kind of term will rush to get their deals done. For many, that’s the best way to ensure themselves the highest earning potential, even if it means agreeing to lower average annual values than what they could have gotten on the open market.
Any player with one or zero seasons remaining on his current deal is eligible to sign an extension, aside from those who are currently on one-year deals.
