Theoretical Salary Method for NHL Hockey Players (Play Well and Gain Accordingly)
If you can't understand why NHL hockey team owners sign multi-year, multi-million dollar, contracts with their players without the slightest chance of knowing how they will perform on the ice in the future, fear not 'cause you're not alone!
This being said, let's imagine a method that could allow the league's owners to pay their players on a Play Well and Gain Accordingly paradigm… Let's call it the PWGA Method.
First, a few salary rules to follow:
- Lowest annual income possible for players: $15 000 per game played
($150 000 as an annual minimum); Defensemen / Offensive Players Per goal: $100 000 (+ 25 percent for defensemen) Per short handed goal: $150 000 (+ 25 percent for defensemen) Per game winning goal: $200 000 (+ 25 percent for defensemen) Per overtime goal: $250 000 (+ 25 percent for defensemen) Per assist: $75 000 (+ 25 percent for defensemen) Per + 1: $50 000 Per – 1: ($50 000) Per minute of penalty: ($5000) Per shot: $2000 Goaltenders Per win: $75 000 Per shutout: $125 000 Per save: $2500 Per goal: $100 000 Per assist: $75 000 Per minute of penalty: ($5000)
The following table can be slided horizontally…
| 2016-2017 Season.............................. | ➜.............................. | .............................. | .............................. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 top defensemen (points) | Goals | SHG | GWG | OTG | Assists | +1 | -1 | PIM | Shots | Real NHL Salary (2017-2018) | PWGA Salary | Difference |
| Brent Burns (SJS) | 29 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 47 | 19 | 0 | 40 | 320 | $10 000 000 | $11 858 750 | $1 858 750 |
| Victor Hedman (TBL) | 16 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 56 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 166 | $8 000 000 | $9 372 000 | $1 372 000 |
| Erik Karlsson (OTT) | 17 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 54 | 10 | 0 | 28 | 218 | $7 000 000 | $9 546 000 | $2 546 000 |
| Kevin Shattenkirk (STL, WAS) | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 7 | 47 | 161 | $8 000 000 | $5 893 250 | ($2 106 750) |
| Duncan Keith (CHI) | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 47 | 22 | 0 | 16 | 183 | $5 000 000 | $7 354 750 | $2 354 750 |
| 5 bottom defensemen (points) | Goals | SHG | GWG | OTG | Assists | +1 | -1 | PIM | Shots | Real NHL Salary (2017-2018) | PWGA Salary | Difference |
| Robbie Russo (DET) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 | $650 000 | $285 000 | ($365 000) |
| Brian Lashoff (DET) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | $650 000 | $150 000 | ($500 000) |
| Petteri Lindbohm (STL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | $650 000 | $150 000 | ($500 000) |
| Brady Austin (BUF) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | N/A | $150 000 | N/A |
| Petter Granberg (NSH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | $613 000 | $150 000 | ($463 000) |
| 5 top offensive players (points) | Goals | SHG | GWG | OTG | Assists | +1 | -1 | PIM | Shots | Real NHL Salary (2017-2018) | PWGA Salary | Difference |
| Connor McDavid (EDM) | 30 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 70 | 27 | 0 | 26 | 251 | $3 775 000 | $11 572 000 | $7 797 000 |
| Sidney Crosby (PIT) | 44 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 17 | 0 | 24 | 255 | $8 700 000 | $10 265 000 | $1 565 000 |
| Patrick Kane (CHI) | 34 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 55 | 11 | 0 | 32 | 292 | $10 500 000 | $9 749 000 | ($751 000) |
| Nicklas Backstrom (WSH) | 23 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 63 | 17 | 0 | 38 | 162 | $6 700 000 | $9 509 000 | $2 809 000 |
| Nikita Kucherov (TBL) | 40 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 45 | 13 | 0 | 38 | 246 | $4 767 000 | $9 977 000 | $5 210 000 |
| 5 botton offensive players (points) | Goals | SHG | GWG | OTG | Assists | +1 | -1 | PIM | Shots | Real NHL Salary (2017-2018) | PWGA Salary | Difference |
| Connor Jones (NYI) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | $650 000 | $150 000 | ($500 000) |
| Jean-Sebasien Dea (PIT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | $650 000 | $150 000 | ($500 000) |
| Alexandre Grenier (VAN) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | $725 000 | $150 000 | ($575 000) |
| Nicolas Kerdiles (ANA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $650 000 | $150 000 | ($500 000) |
| Blake Speers (NJD) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | $925 000 | $150 000 | ($775 000) |
| 5 top goaltenders (points) | Win | SO | Saves | Goals | Assists | PIM | Real NHL Salary (2017-2018) | PWGA Salary | Difference | |||
| Braden Holtby (WSH) | 42 | 9 | 1563 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $6 100 000 | $8 182 500 | $2 082 500 | |||
| Cam Talbot (EDM) | 42 | 7 | 1946 | 0 | 0 | 4 | $4 167 000 | $8 870 000 | $4 703 000 | |||
| Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ) | 41 | 7 | 1727 | 0 | 0 | 8 | $7 425 000 | $8 227 500 | $802 500 | |||
| Devan Dubnyk (MIN) | 40 | 5 | 1701 | 0 | 0 | 10 | $4 333 333 | $7 827 500 | $3 494 167 | |||
| Tuukka Rask (BOS) | 37 | 8 | 1473 | 0 | 2 | 0 | $7 000 000 | $7 607 500 | $607 500 | |||