At the same $12 million AAV, I would take prime Dave Keon over every hockey player shown.
Best next player is Aleksander Barkov
is the closest current comparison. He provides elite two-way play, defensive responsibility, hockey leadership, and championship credibility. In HOCKEY terms, Keon’s four Stanley Cups and the 1967 Conn Smythe Trophy.
However, at an equal salary, his ability to control every part of the game gives him the advantage. Barkov currently carries a $10 million cap hit. Prime Hockey Patrice Bergeron creates the strongest argument.
Moreover, in HOCKEY, Bergeron may be the closest modern equivalent to Keon. Bergeron is intelligent, disciplined, defensively dominant, and trusted in every critical situation. However, prime versus prime would be extremely close.
Bergeron retired in 2023, so he cannot appear beneath the wording ‘current NHL player’.
Auston Matthews is the choice only when elite Hockey goal scoring is the overriding need. He is the more dangerous pure scorer, but he is not the closest stylistic replacement for Keon. Matthews currently carries a $13.25 million cap hit—already above your proposed Keon valuation.
Prime Anze Kopitar belongs in the conversation, but the present-day comparison no longer works as well. Kopitar is now 38 and became an unrestricted free agent after his $7 million contract expired following 2025–26.
My hockey ranking at equal salary:
- Dave Keon
- Prime Patrice Bergeron
- Aleksander Barkov
- Prime Anze Kopitar
- Auston Matthews
That does not mean Matthews is the fifth-best hockey player. It means he is the fifth-best answer to “Who is today’s Dave Keon?”
Keon was named one of the NHL’s 100 greatest players and was selected as the greatest Maple Leaf in the franchise’s first 100 years. A modern valuation of $12 million is defensible—and probably slightly conservative for a prime, championship-level Keon.
Career BRAIN™ Verdict: At the same salary, take Dave Keon. Barkov is the closest current alternative; prime Bergeron is the closest historical comparison.