Weekly Question: P.K Subban and the Best Contracts for Elite Defensemen

After an exciting Friday in which it seemed Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin was poised to make an epic blunder with star defenseman P.K. Subban, Saturday saw the 2013 Norris Trophy winner re-sign a long term deal with the Canadiens.

From Marc Dumont at Eyes on the Prize:

With the arbitration decision looming, Marc Bergevin has announced that he's finally come to terms with P.K. Subban. Subban signed an eight year contract extension, which will last until the 2021-22 season.

The 25 year-old Toronto native had requested $8.5M for his upcoming arbitration, whereas the Habs countered with $5.25M. Negotiations came down to the wire, however both sides seemed confident that a deal would be done prior to the scheduled third party judgment. Unfortunately the day and passed, however the Canadiens and Subban have come to an agreement.

Which leads us to this week's question: which elite defenseman in the NHL has the best contract?

Candidates

P.K. Subban

Contract: 8 years, $72M, Average Annual Value $9M

After signing a two-year, $5.75M bridge deal after the lockout in 2013, Subban's new deal is long term and he'll make $11M in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 and $10M the following two seasons. He'll be in his early 33 when the deal runs and an UFA.

Erik Karlsson

Contract: 7 years, $45.5M, Average Annual Value $6.5M

Coming off his ELC in 2012, Karlsson picked up a Norris Trophy and a new long term deal. His deal runs out in 2019 when he'll be just 29 years old and a UFA.

Shea Weber

Contract: 14 years, $110M, Average Annual Value $7,857,143

Weber agreed to a one-year deal worth $7.5M in 2011 which left him an RFA in 2012. He signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Predators matched, locking up the Nashville captain until 2026 when the defenseman will be a spry 41 years old. Weber makes $14M per season for the first four years of the deal, before dropping to $12M for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons. He will also make $68M in bonuses during the first six years of the deal.

Zdeno Chara

Contract: 7 years, $45.5M, Average Annual Value $6,916,667

Chara signed his current deal in 2011 when the five-year deal he signed after leaving Ottawa expired. Chara will make $7M each of the next two before dropping to $5M and $4M respectively in the final two years of the deal. He will be 41 when the deal expires.

Drew Doughty

Contract: 8 years, $56M, Average Annual Value $7M

Like Karlsson, Doughy signed his current deal after his ELC expired in 2011. His current deal will run out when he's 29 in 2019 and features incremental raises (in 2011-2012 he made $6M, by 2018-2019 he'll make $7.65M).

Which star has the best contract?