Aliaksei Protas is a humble guy, and his contract talks with the Washington Capitals last year illustrate that point.
Protas signed a five-year, $16.875 million contract extension at midseason worth an average of $3.375 million annually. The deal, negotiated by agent Dan Milstein, seemed appropriate for a young player the Capitals saw potential in, but if you ask Big Pro, it’s much, much more money than he believed he was worth at the time.
Sport-Express’s Igor Rabiner recently reported that Milstein was asked by a worried Protas after the fact, “Isn’t that too much for me?” In a world filled with big-ego athletes who believe they deserve more, Protas thought he was worth less.
“It’s just that I’ve never had any crazy statistics and I’ve never seen such sums in my life,” Protas explained to Sport-Express and translated by Google Translate. “Dan and I talked about the amount I saw in my head: I roughly voiced it. And then he called and said that he had agreed on a contract that, to put it mildly, shocked me. It all happened very unexpectedly.”
Rabiner asked if the dollar amount Protas hoped to get from the Capitals was lower than what he actually signed for.
“Much,” he said laughing. “I won’t say how much, but much less.”
At the time he inked his extension on January 19, 2024, the 23-year-old Protas was a bottom-six player in his first full season in the NHL. Skating primarily with Connor McMichael and Anthony Mantha on the Capitals’ third line, the Belarusian winger notched only 18 points (3g, 15a) in his first 42 games played.
“Since then I’ve felt a huge responsibility,” Protas said. “I try to work off this money to the fullest and show that it’s not for nothing that they trust me so much.”
A year later, Protas’s contract may be the best value among all forwards in the NHL (his former Development Camp roommate Logan Thompson, who makes under league minimum this year, likely takes the best value title overall).
Protas has 61 points (29g, 32a) in 68 games so far this season, breaking the single-season NHL record for most points by a Belarus-born player. He leads the NHL in plus-minus with a plus-42. He has the sixth-most five-on-five points (46) in the league and the seventh-most even strength points (56). Not only that, Protas has spent all season long in the top six, frequently skating with Alex Ovechkin as he continues his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record.
Per The Athletic, Protas’s market value is $8.7 million, meaning he’s giving the Capitals a performance that’s $5.325 million more than the $3.375 million he’s being paid.
“At first, the contract actually caused increased responsibility and excitement,” Protas said. “I wanted to prove that it was not in vain that they believed in me. And confidence gradually appeared due to the trust of the coaching staff and playing time. Even after mistakes, they continue to believe in me, talk to me, help me. That’s why confidence increases.”
