Power Rankings: Most difficult-to-trade players

It’s not the cap hit (a showtime $7.857 million) or the player (one of the best at his position, easy) that would make moving Shea Weber difficult. It’s that his salary is stratospheric the next few seasons: $14 million this year, then $14 million, then $12 million, then $12 million. A team would have to be stinkin’ rich, crazy or Philadelphia to make that work.

By no means a slacker — more a beneficiary of weak free agent class in 2014 — centre Paul Stastny is the richest player on the Blues ($7 million cap hit) but the team’s seventh-highest scorer.

Much credit to Marc Bergevin here. The most difficult Hab to deal would be P.A. Parenteau. The winger was brought in to score but ranks 11th among his teammates in both goals (six) and points (15). He’s a $4 million cap hit.

My, how things change. A four-time 20-goal guy for Florida, Stephen Weiss was a hot free-agent commodity in 2013 for teams in search of help at the pivot position. But injuries have limited the veteran to just 55 games total over two seasons in Detroit, which is on the hook for a $4.9-million hit over five years.

Not including injured Sheldon Souray, who’s still on the payroll but hasn’t played since 2013, the Ducks’ most immovable man is Rene Bourque. Surprisingly waived, then traded by Montreal’s Marc Bergevin earlier this season, Bourque ($2.563 million cap hit) has two goals in 27 games with Anaheim. He’s signed till 2016.

Matt Carle, 30, is a decent second-pair defenceman, but he makes $900,000 more than any other Lightning blueliner. He’ll take home $5.5 million in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 while his play will, best case, stay level.

Mikhail Grabovski, the second-highest-paid player on the Islanders, is just New York’s 13th-most productive offensive player. He’s already been bought out once (by Toronto). In 2016-17 he’ll be making $6 million, and already he’s the oldest forward on the regular roster.

Hate to knock Henrik Lundqvist — the gorgeous face of the Rangers and one of a few truly elite goaltenders — but will his $8.5-million cap hit prevent the Blueshirts from making other deals in the future? Consider: Backup Cam Talbot ($562,000 cap hit) has a save percentage just .007 points worse this season. Last season, Talbot’s was .021 better than the King’s. Smaller sample size and weaker resume, granted, but their salary gap is massive.

Kris Letang is healthy, and in some circles he’s even considered a Norris Trophy candidate. But the offensive-minded D-man inked a monster eight-year, $58-million extension in the summer of 2013 (wouldn’t you?) that could look ugly at the end — especially if Letang’s injuries catch up to him. What will make his contract difficult to move — eventually — is a 12-team no-trade list.

Due in part to the significant long-term commitments made to stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane last summer, the Blackhawks are feeling a cap crunch that won’t let up anytime soon. Winger Bryan Bickell ($4 million cap hit) is by no means a bad player, but he’s overpaid for a guy who ranks 18th amongst his teammates in ice time (12:15).

Truculent defenceman Deryk Engelland signed in the summer at a hefty $2.91-million cap hit. Expensive for a No. 6 defenceman with zero goals and a team-worst minus-14 rating.

Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec’s salary will raise to $4.25 million in 2015-16 and again to $4.75 million in 2016-17, even as backup Michael Hutchinson ($575,000 cap hit) posts more wins, more shutouts and a better save percentage.

Defenceman Brooks Orpik does what big shutdown blueliners do: play big minutes (22:00) and get a big contract on free agency day (five years, $5.5 million per). No matter how important Orpik is to Washington’s success this season, he’ll be 35 when the puck drops next fall and his brand of hockey takes its toll.

Ryan Suter and Zach Parise both carry sky-high cap hits ($7.538 million) but are elite players still consistently performing at a high-level. We think it would be harder to move captain Mikko Koivu, who is 31 and having his least productive season since 2005-06, his rookie year. A $6.75-million cap hit, Koivu will make more than $9 million in salary in 2017-18.

Hmmm… if Boston did decide to move Brad Marchand or Milan Lucic, I think there would be a market. Struggle as they may with cap issues, Boston would have takers. Of the two, Lucic may be the most difficult to move. He’ll make $6.5 million next season. Scrappy guy whose brand of hockey takes a toll. He’s only 26, but are his 20-goal years a thing of the past?

Henrik and Daniel Sedin could have likely got more money had they held out until free agency in 2014, but the twins will make $7 million each for the next four seasons. Incredible talents and beloved leaders, no doubt. But Daniel’s last 30-goal campaign came in 2011-12 and Hank is five years removed from his Hart Trophy.

Vincent Lecavalier was recently bought out from an unmovable contract — now he’s in another one. A team known to throw money around, Philly gave Vinny a five-year, $22.5-million deal when he was 33 and on the decline. The centre was healthy-scratched for seven straight games this season by a team unlikely to make the playoffs.

Best guess: The San Jose Sharks will end up letting Antti Niemi walk for nothing at the end of the season. He’s a good, not spectacular goalie (.913 save percentage) who was nominated for the Vezina in the lockout season, but no one wants to take on $3.8 million cap hit nor his $4 million actual salary this season. Expect him to take a pay cut when he signs elsewhere as a free agent this summer.

Centre Mike Richards is now being paid $5.75 million to play for a minor league hockey club. He is on the books until 2020.

Kari Lehtonen is 31. He’s having his worst year in almost a decade. He was with the Atlanta Thrashers then, and the Atlanta Thrashers were a thing that existed. Dallas has committed No. 1 goalie dollars ($5.9 million cap hit) to him through 2017-18.

Dale Tallon committed to Dave Bolland when Dave Nonis would not. Now Florida will pay the depth centre $5.5-million for four seasons after this one. His first goal as a Panther didn’t arrive until Jan. 13 and it came in an 8-2 loss to the Jets.

The days of consecutive 20-goal seasons appear distant for 29-year-old Travis Zajac. At a $5.75-million cap hit through 2021 (worse: Zajac’s take-home pay goes up to $6.5 million next season), the centre makes $1.75 million more per year than the younger, more productive Adam Henrique.

Ryan O’Reilly is a great all-around hockey player who stays out of the penalty box. But a $6-million cap hit is a lot for a forward whose production has dropped off from last season. Still, O’Reilly will get a raise next year: $6.2 million in salary.

Capable of stretches of greatness, sniper Alex Semin has played himself out of a rather ordinary lineup in Carolina. The Russian isn’t even two seasons deep into a five-year pact that pays him $7 million per. Two goals in 30 games this year — half as many as Patrick Dwyer.

Milan Michalek cashed in last summer when the Senators opted to retain him in free agency: three years at $4 million per. in response, the winger has eight goals in 47 games and has been a healthy scratch. We’re three years removed from his remarkable 35-goal tear in 2011-12.

Through no fault of his own, Nathan Horton’s contract is a tough one to swallow. The forward has six years left on a deal that pays him $5.3 million per. Horton has a degenerative back condition that has left him out indefinitely and there hasn’t been too much in the way of any additional news in terms of his prognosis. Although Jackets president John Davidson said last month that Horton is “getting a little bit better,” the 29-year-old has just 35 games and four goals as a Blue Jacket. His career is in doubt.

Long-term (and bad) contracts are tough to spot here, as the Coyotes are well-positioned financially for their rebuild. The immovable object, however, is in the crease. Mike Smith ($5.667 million cap hit) is signed ’til 2019. His save percentage this season: .897.

David Clarkson, a healthy scratch in the Maple Leafs’ last two games, won big on July 1, 2013. But with a 5.25-million cap hit through 2020, the depth forward is now stuck in his own hometown.

Though he’s not impossible to trade (that’s how the Oilers acquired him), Teddy Purcell ($4.5 million cap hit through 2015-16) is generously paid for a second-line winger whose only 20-goal season — until proven otherwise — appears to be the result of the Stamkos Effect.

Seems like yesterday (it was 2013) forward Cody Hodgson was announcing his own six-year, $25.5-million extension with the Sabres on social media. He’s only 24 and has time to turn things around from a season that has seen him score just twice and get benched.