from ESPN,

What's the NHL's worst contract quagmire?

Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter: There's always a caveat when it comes to the state of the Chicago Blackhawks. Yes, you must admit as a disclaimer that they won three Stanley Cups in six years with this core. But, as Chicago has come crashing down to pedestrian status this season, its lack of long-term viability has been exposed.

The biggest quagmire for Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman? The contract of Brent Seabrook. The defenseman carries a hefty cap hit of $6.875 million and is locked in for seven more seasons. ...

Greg Wyshynski, senior writer: The hallmark of any bloated, regrettable contract is how hard a team is going to work to make it disappear. So, with that established: Bobby Ryan has a quagmire of a deal with the Ottawa Senators.

Ryan signed his seven-year, $50.75 million contract extension in October 2014. It was a time when the franchise was defined by high-profile player departures and the stingy ownership of Eugene Melynk, who the Ottawa Sun wrote "has taken countless hits from fans worried about the club's ability to compete with a limited budget." Good to see not much has changed in three-and-a-half years....

Chris Peters: The two contracts listed above by Greg and Emily are definitely tougher to deal with than this one, but the unrestricted free agent deal Milan Lucic signed before last season with the Edmonton Oilers is going to only get more burdensome once Connor McDavid's new contract kicks in next season. Lucic will be tied for the third-largest cap hit on the team next year, assuming the Oilers don't make other deals to help improve a forward group that lacks depth. There are also five more years remaining on Lucic's deal.

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