blank'/> THE PUCK REPORT: 2019

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

NHL Minimum Wage & Maximum Wage By Year

In July of 2005, the NHL and NHLPA finalized the 2005 CBA ending a 310 day lockout that resulted in the loss of a season. The core feature of the accord was the introduction a salary cap, setting team spending limits based on league revenue and tying player salaries to such limits.

The maximum player salary was capped at 20% of the team salary cap. Meanwhile, the minimum player salary jumped 257% from $180,000 to $450,000 with fixed bumps in future years.  The chart below shows NHL minimum and maximum player salaries by year since 2005.

Year              Salary Cap     NHL Minimum     NHL Maximum      
2005-2006
$39.0m     
$450,000      
$7.8m     
2006-2007
$44.0m     
$450,000      
$8.8m     
2007-2008
$50.3m     
$475,000      
$10.06m     
2008-2009
$56.7m     
$475,000      
$11.34m     
2009-2010
$56.8m     
$500,000      
$11.36m     
2010-2011
$59.4m     
$500,000      
$11.88m     
2011-2012
$64.3m     
$525,000      
$12.86m     
2012-2013
$70.2m     
$525,000      
$14.04m     
2013-2014
$64.3m     
$550,000      
$12.86m     
2014-2015
$69.0m     
$550,000      
$13.8m     
2015-2016
$71.4m     
$575,000      
$14.3m     
2016-2017
$73.0m     
$575,000      
$14.6m     
2017-2018
$75.0m     
$650,000      
$15.0m     
2018-2019
$79.5m     
$650,000      
$15.9m     
2019-2020
$81.5m     
$700,000      
$16.3m     

The team salary cap has increased 104% since 2005 (an average of 7% per year), providing for maximum player salary to rise by the same margin. Minimum wage, on the other hand, has increased only 83% during that span (an average of 5.5% per year), 21% shy of their top earner counterparts. Thus, while maximum salary has been tied to the spectacular increase in team salary cap, minimum salary has not. 

The chart below shows what minimum salary would be as a percentage of team salary cap, as opposed to the negotiated rate schedule.

Year                NHL Minimum    % of Cap     1.15% of Cap      
2005-2006
$450,000     
1.15%      
$450,000     
2006-2007
$450,000     
1.02%      
$506,000     
2007-2008
$475,000     
.944%      
$578,000     
2008-2009
$475,000     
.837%      
$652,000     
2009-2010
$500,000     
.880%      
$653,000     
2010-2011
$500,000     
.841%      
$683,000     
2011-2012
$525,000     
.816%      
$739,000     
2012-2013
$525,000     
.747%      
$807,000     
2013-2014
$550,000     
.816%      
$739,000     
2014-2015
$550,000     
.797%      
$793,000     
2015-2016
$575,000     
.805%      
$821,100     
2016-2017
$575,000     
.787%      
$829,500     
2017-2018
$650,000     
.867%      
$862,500     
2018-2019
$650,000     
.818%      
$914,250     
2019-2020
$700,000     
.859%      
$937,250     

If minimum wage had been tied to 1.15% of the team salary cap instead of anchoring it to a fixed dollar rate schedule, NHL minimum earners would have received an extra $100,000 in 2007-2008, $200,000 more in 2011-2012, and almost $300,000 more in 2012-2013. In fact, in the fourteen years since the 2005 wage hike, tying it to such a percentage would have yielded an extra $2.6m for such skaters during that span, equaling an additional $187,000 each year on average.

The NHL's minimum wage is scheduled to increase in the coming years reaching $650,000 in 2017-2018, $700,000 in 2019-2020, and $750,000 in 2021-2022. The maximum player salary shall remain at 20% of team salary cap during this span.  

When the current CBA expires after the 2021-2022 season, perhaps the NHLPA should vie to tie minimum wage to a percentage of the team salary cap (with a floor of a 5% bump on prior year pay) so players at both ends of the hockey spectrum can share in increased NHL revenues. Equity for all skaters, regardless of role and talent.

* See also NHL Highest Paid Players By Year.
* See also NHL Highest Player Salary & Cap Hit By Position.
* See also Rethinking NHL Player Salary Structure.

Friday, October 4, 2019

NHL Highest Player Salary & Cap Hit By Position

Since the NHL salary cap was introduced in 2005, clubs have kept a close eye on two key player payroll markers - cap hit and salary. Cap hit corresponds to the dollar amount applied towards team salary cap whereas salary connotes a player's actual take home pay.

The chart below presents 2019-2020 NHL player cap hit and salary figures for the top ten players in each position per Cap Friendly.

      2019-2020 NHL Player Cap Hit By Position

Forward  $m      Defense     $m      Goalie       $m
McDavid  12.5         Karlsson 11.5  Price 10.5
Panarin  11.6         Doughty 11  Bobrovsky 10
Matthews  11.6         Subban Lundqvist       8.5
Tavares  11        Ekman-Larsson 8.2  Fleury         7
Marner  10.8        Burns Rask         7
Toews  10.5         Carlson 8 Gibson         6.4
Kane  10.5         Trouba Hellebuyck  6.1
Kopitar  10         Hedman 7.8  Holtby      6.1
Eichel  10         Weber 7.8 Crawford         6
Seguin  9.8         Byfuglien 7.6  Schneider        6
        

       

      2019-2020 NHL Player Salary By Position

Forward  $m      Defense     $m        Goalie  $m
Marner  16        Karlsson 14.5  Price 15
Tavares  15.9        Doughty 12  Bobrovsky 11.5
Matthews  15.9         Carlson 12 Fleury     8.5
McDavid  15         Trouba 12  Quick      7
Panarin  14         Burns 10  Lundqvist      7
Seguin  13.5       Subban 10 Jones       6.7
Benn  13         Suter Rask  6.5
Aho  12         Ekblad Gibson    6.4
Kucherov  12        Schmidt 8.8 Rinne      6
Rantanen 12        McDonagh 8.4 Varlamov 6
Stone 12     

Hellebuyck 6

       

Schneider      6


The 2005 CBA permitted a player's cap hit and salary figure to diverge dramatically in the same season and over the course of a multi-year contract. Thus, despite Marner ($16m) being paid the most this season, it's actually McDavid ($12.5m), who costs the most consuming more of his team's $81.5m cap limit than any other player.  The 2013 CBA limits this cap-circumvention loophole providing that no multi-year contract can fluctuate more than 35% year-to-year on salary amounts and 50% from the lowest salary year to the highest salary year.  

Another interesting facet of modern player contracts are signing bonus payments (as opposed to performance bonus payments). The genius of structuring player compensation as a bonus is that the earnings are not subject to escrow withholdings and are payable during lockouts.  

When a player retires their cap hit does not typically count against the team's cap limit.  Two notable exceptions to this rule include: (1) all remaining years of any contract signed by players 35 years of age or older continue to count against a team's cap after retirement; and (2) if a player retires and the salary on any remaining years is less than the cap hit of those remaining years, the difference is recouped and charged to the team's cap for those remaining years. A list of all current 35+ contracts may be found here.

As for injuries, teams must still pay a player's salary while injured but the cap hit does not count against the club (LTIR & SOIR).  

A listing of the highest paid players in the NHL since 1989-1990, along with the teams responsible for cutting their checks, can be found here.


* See also NHL Highest Paid Players By Year.
* See also Rethinking NHL Player Salary Structure.
* See also NHL Minimum Wage & Maximum Wage By Year.

Monday, September 16, 2019

NHL Highest Paid Players By Year

NHL player salaries have seen fantastic fluctuations over the past two decades owing to aggressive player negotiations, reckless owner spending, and the introduction of the NHL salary cap in 2005.

The chart below shows the highest paid players in the NHL in terms of annual salary since 1989-1990 and the team responsible for payment.

Year       Salary Player
1989-1990   $2,000,000 Lemieux (PIT)
1990-1991 $3,000,000 Gretzky (LAK
1991-1992 $3,000,000 Gretzky (LAK)
1992-1993 $3,500,000 Lindros (PHI)
1993-1994 $3,350,000 Lindros (PHI)
1994-1995 $3,660,000 Gretzky (LAK)
1995-1996 $6,540,000 Gretzky (LAK, STL)
1996-1997 $11,350,000 Lemieux (PIT)
1997-1998 $16,450,000 Sakic (COL)
1998-1999 $14,500,000 Fedorov (DET)
1999-2000 $17,400,000 Jagr (PIT)
2000-2001 $10,000,000 Forsberg (COL), Kariya (ANA)
2001-2002     $11,000,000     Jagr (WAS)
2002-2003 $11,480,000 Jagr (WAS)
2003-2004 $11,000,000 Forsberg (COL), Jagr (WAS)
2005-2006 $8,360,000 Jagr (NYR)
2006-2007 $8,360,000 Jagr (NYR)
2007-2008 $10,000,000 Briere (PHI), Gomez (NYR), Vanek (BUF)
2008-2009 $10,000,000 Heatley (OTT)
2009-2010 $10,000,000 Lecavalier (TBL)
2010-2011 $10,000,000 Lecavalier (TBL), Luongo (VAN)
2011-2012 $12,000,000 B. Richards (NYR)
2012-2013 $14,000,000 Weber (NAS)
2013-2014 $14,000,000 Weber (NAS)
2014-2015 $14,000,000 Weber (NAS)
2015-2016 $14,000,000 Weber (NAS)
2016-2017 $14,000,000 Kopitar (LAK)
2017-2018 $13,800,000 Kane (CHI), Toews (CHI)
2018-2019 $15,900,000 Tavares (TOR)
2019-2020 $16,000,000 Marner (TOR)



Jagr lays claim to the largest salary in a single season banking $17.4m in 2000, with Sakic a close second at $16.45m in 1998. The lowest paid top earner over the past 30 seasons was Lemieux, taking $2m in 1990. 

Six times during this span Jagr led all players in pay (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) with Gretzky (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996) and Weber tied for second place with four such salary titles (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). Only five times since 1990 has a goaltender (Luongo 2011) or a defenseman (Weber 2013-2016) led the league in pay.

In terms of accomplishments, three times during this span the NHL salary king has captured the Art Ross finishing with the most regular season points (Gretzky 1991, Lemieux 1997, Jagr 2000) yet only once has one hoisted the Stanley Cup (Forsberg 2001) in his highest paid year.

As for MVP honors, hockey writers and GMs have never recognized a top earner for regular season (Hart, NorrisVezina) or playoff (Conn Smythe) performance during this period, though the players twice picked Jagr (2000, 2006) as such (Lindsay) during his six season pay day heyday.

Of course, since the salary cap was introduced in 2005, the key figure in terms of a player's cost to a team is his cap hit figure as opposed to his annual salary. A list of the top player salary and cap hit figures by position for the 2019-20 NHL season can be found here.


* See also NHL Highest Player Salary & Cap Hit By Position.
* See also NHL Minimum Wage & Maximum Wage By Year.
* See also Rethinking NHL Player Salary Structure.

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

2019 NHL Individual Awards Winners

When it comes to the NHL Awards, a handful are earned on statistical achievement while the rest are won through votes cast by various organizations depending on the award. The chart below shows the award winners for the 2019 NHL season.

NHL Award              Winner 
Conn Smythe Trophy                              Ryan O'Reilly
Art Ross Trophy Nikita Kucherov
Maurice Richard Trophy Alex Ovechkin
Hart Trophy Nikita Kucherov
Ted Lindsay Award Nikita Kucherov
Selke Trophy Ryan O'Reilly
Norris Trophy Mark Giordano
Vezina Trophy Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jennings Trophy Robin Lehner/Thomas Greiss
Calder Trophy Elias Pettersson
Jack Adams Award Barry Trotz
GM of the Year Don Sweeney
Bill Masterton Trophy                        Robin Lehner
Lady Byng Trophy Aleksander Barkov
King Clancy Trophy Jason Zucker
Messier Award Wayne Simmonds

2019 NHL First All-Star Team honors went to Vasilevskiy (G), Burns (D), Giordano (D), McDavid (C), Kucherov (RW) and Ovechkin (LW). The 2019 NHL Second All-Star Team roster was Bishop (G), Carlson (D), Hedman (D), Crosby (C), Kane (RW) and Marchand (LW).  

The 2019 NHL All-Rookie Team was comprised of newcomers Jordan Binnington (G), Rasmus Dahlin (D), Miro Heiskanen (D), Anthony Cirelli (F), Elias Pettersson (F) and Brady Tkachuk (F).

* See also 2018 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2017 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2016 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2015 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2014 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2013 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2012 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2011 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2010 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2009 NHL Individual Awards Winners.

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines

The time-honored tradition of NHL playoff combatants shaking hands upon the conclusion of a series is among the greatest displays of sportsmanship in professional team sports today. Seconds after the horn sounds at the end of a series, players and coaches from both teams convene at center ice to celebrate each other's efforts.

The videos below capture the final moments of play in each series-ending game to date in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs along with the ensuing traditional team handshake line, sorted by round and series end date.

FIRST ROUND

The Blue Jackets eliminated the Lightning in Game 4 on April 16, 2019.

The Islanders eliminated the Penguins in Game 4 on April 16, 2019.

The Avalanche eliminated the Flames in Game 5 on April 19, 2019.

The Blues eliminated the Jets in Game 6 on April 20, 2019. 

The Stars eliminated the Predators in Game 6 on April 22, 2019.

The Bruins eliminated the Leafs in Game 7 on April 23, 2019.

The Sharks eliminated the Golden Knights in Game 7 on April 23, 2019.

The Hurricanes eliminated the Capitals in Game 7 on April 24, 2019.

SECOND ROUND

The Hurricanes eliminated the Islanders in Game 4 on May 3, 2019.

The Bruins eliminated the Blue Jackets in Game 6 on May 6, 2019.

The Blues eliminated the Stars in Game 7 on May 7, 2019.

The Sharks eliminated the Avalanche in Game 7 on May 8, 2019.

THIRD ROUND

The Bruins eliminated the Hurricanes in Game 4 on May 16, 2019.

The Blues eliminated the Sharks in Game 6 on May 21, 2019.

STANLEY CUP FINAL

The Blues eliminated the Bruins in Game 7 on June 12, 2019.

In an age of results reigning over respect, it's encouraging to see such sportsmanship in professional sport, albeit with notable exceptions (Milan Lucic 2014), abstention (Martin Brodeur 2008Derek Boogaard 2007, Chris Chelios 2007Darren McCarty 1997, Ed Belfour 1995Billy Smith, Gerry Cheevers) and disdain (Dino Ciccarelli 1996) in recent years.

* See also 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.
* See also 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Handshake Lines.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

2019 NHL Draft Lottery Results

Tonight Bill Daly presented the NHL Draft lottery results live on Sportsnet, with the top overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, to be held on June 21-22, 2019 in Vancouver, being awarded to the New Jersey Devils. The actual lottery was conducted 30 minutes earlier in Sportnet's Hockey Central Studio in Toronto. This video below describes the process.
Designed to guard against teams purposely losing regular season games to improve their draft position, the weighted lottery system implemented prior to the 1995 NHL Entry Draft provides weaker teams with a greater chance of a higher pick without any guarantees for poor performance.

Until 2013, only the league's five worst regular season teams were eligible for the top overall pick, allowing teams to advance up to four spots and fall only one spot in the lottery. That changed in 2013 with all non-playoff teams eligible for the top overall pick albeit with their statistical likelihood directly tied to their final regular season standing. Though, a team could still only fall one spot in lottery position.

In 2014, additional changes were implemented for the lottery to reflect the competitive balance of the league, with more balanced odds being introduced in 2015 and separate draws starting in 2016 for the top three positions (as opposed to just for the top overall pick), allowing the league's worst regular season performer to slip as low as fourth overall (as opposed to just second overall under the prior regime).

This year lottery defied the odds, delivering top picks to underdogs New Jersey (1st, 11.5%), New York Rangers (2nd, 7.5%) and Chicago (3rd, 2.5%), moving up two, four and nine spots, respectively. Ottawa (who traded their pick to Colorado) and Los Angeles were the biggest losers of this lottery, each dropping a historic three spots to select 4th and 5th, respectively. The previous largest drop in NHL draft lottery history was two spots, displacing Edmonton from 2nd to 4th and Vancouver from 3rd to 5th in 2016

The chart below shows final draft position by team with accompanying odds of selecting first, second or third overall, along with their most likely seeding in the lottery.

Draft Position 1st Pick    2nd Pick    3rd Pick    Likely Pick
1. New Jersey  
11.5%
11.3%
11.1%
   5th (37.5%)
2. New York Rangers
7.5%
7.8%
8.0%
   7th (38.9%)
3. Chicago
2.5%
2.7%
3.0%
   12th (78.0%)
4. Ottawa (Colorado)
18.5%
16.5%
14.4%
   4th (50.6%)
5. Los Angeles
13.5%
13.0%
12.3%
   4th (33.3%)
6. Detroit
9.5%
9.6%
9.7%
   6th (34.0%)
7. Buffalo
8.5%
8.7%
8.9%
   6th (34.5%)
8. Edmonton
6.5%
6.8%
7.1%
   8th (39.5%)
9. Anaheim
6.0%
6.3%
6.7%
   8th (36.8%)
10. Vancouver
5.0%
5.3%
5.7%
  9th (48.8%)
11. Philadelphia       
3.5%
3.8%
4.1%
   10th (60.5%)
12. Minnesota
3.0%
3.3%
3.6%
   11th (69.6%)
13. Florida
2.0%
2.2%
2.4%
   13th (85.5%)
14. Arizona
1.5%
1.7%
1.8%
   14th (91.8%)
15. Montreal
1.0%
1.1%
1.2%
   15th (96.7%)

Per HockeyViz math wiz Micah Blake McCurdy, the lowest seven finishers (i.e., 24th to 30th overall) are more likely to fall one spot in the draft than to move up under the current draft lottery mechanism.

Remaining NHL Entry Draft positions are set after the playoffs with the Stanley Cup champion and runner-up picking 30th and 29th, respectively. Conference finalists (28th, 27th) as well as division winners and wildcard teams (26th through 15th) are then ordered among their respective subgroup based on regular season standings, positioning teams with better regular season records to pick later than their peers.

* See also 2018 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2017 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2016 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2015 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2014 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2013 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2012 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2011 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2010 NHL Draft Lottery Results.
* See also 2009 NHL Draft Lottery Results.