How Much Do Pro Hockey Players Make?
Contents
- How much do professional hockey players make?
- The average salary of a Pro Hockey player
- How NHL player salaries compare to other professional athletes
- How much do NHL Rookies make?
- How much do veteran NHL players make?
- How bonuses and other forms of compensation affect NHL player salaries
- How taxes affect NHL Player salaries
- How NHL player salaries are determined
- How NHL player salaries have changed over time
- How NHL player salaries compare to other professional sports leagues
How much do professional Hockey Players make? It is a common question with a variety of answers. The answer is based on many factors and can vary greatly.
How much do professional hockey players make?
Although there is no standard salary for professional Hockey players the average player in the National Hockey League (NHL) earns around $2.4 million per year. However, there is a wide range of salaries among NHL players with some players earning much more than the average and some earning much less. For example, the highest-paid player in the NHL currently is Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane who has an annual salary of $10.5 million. On the other end of the spectrum, there are many NHL players who make the league minimum salary which is currently $700,000 per year.
The average salary of a Pro Hockey player
According to a report by The Athletic, the average salary of a pro hockey player in the 18-19 season was $2.9 million. The highest-paid player was Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who made $12.5 million.
How NHL player salaries compare to other professional athletes
In recent years the average salary for an NHL player has increased significantly. In 2017-18, the average salary was $2.9 million, up from $2.4 million in 2010-11. This trend is in line with the overall increase in salaries for professional athletes across all major sports leagues.
Comparing the average salaries of NHL Players to other professional athletes reveals that hockey players rank near the middle of the pack. In 2017-18, MLB players had the highest average salary at $4.5 million, followed by NBA players at $7.4 million. NFL players had an average salary of $2.7 million, which was slightly lower than the NHL average.
When looking at the Highest-Paid Players in each sport, however, NHL players do not fare as well. In 2017-18, baseball pitcher Zack Greinke was the highest-paid player in MLB, with an annual salary of $34.4 million. In the NBA, small forward Lebron James was the highest paid player, earning $33.3 million per year. And in the NFL, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the highest paid player, with an annual salary of $33.5 million. By comparison, the Highest-Paid NHL Player in 2017-18 was goaltender Carey Price, who earned $15 million annually.
While NHL player salaries have increased in recent years they still lag behind those of other professional athletes in terms of both average and top earners.
How much do NHL Rookies make?
An NHL Rookie is defined as a player who has played fewer than 25 NHL games The minimum salary for an NHL rookie is $700,000 per year. However, most rookies will make significantly more than the minimum salary Many first-year players will sign contracts worth $1 million or more per year.
How much do veteran NHL players make?
The average veteran NHL player made $2.4 million per year in 2017-18, according to Spotrac. This figure includes players who were injured and did not play during the season, as well as those who were traded mid-season.
The median salary for a veteran NHL player is $1.8 million. This means that half of all veteran NHL players make less than $1.8 million per year, and half make more.
There is a wide range of salaries among veteran NHL players For example, the highest-paid player in the 2017-18 Season was Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who made $13 million. The lowest-paid player was Montreal Canadiens goaltender Al Montoya, who made just $650,000.
How bonuses and other forms of compensation affect NHL player salaries
Bonuses and other forms of compensation can have a significant impact on an NHL player’s salary. Incentive-based bonuses are rare in the NHL, but some players do receive them. For example, Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov will earn an additional $500,000 if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, according to his contract. Other bonuses are based on team performance, such as making the playoffs or winning the Stanley Cup These bonuses are typically divided among the players on the team. For example, each member of the 2016-17 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins received a $200,000 bonus. Players can also earn money through endorsement deals and other forms of marketing.
How taxes affect NHL Player salaries
Sure, everyone knows that the annual salaries of professional hockey players are nothing to sneeze at. But what many people don’t realize is that, due to taxes, a good portion of these salaries never actually make it into the players’ pockets.
In Canada, for example, the top marginal tax rate is nearly 53%, meaning that a player who earns $10 million per year would take home just $4.7 million after taxes. And in the United States the top marginal tax rate is 37%, so a player who earns $5 million per year would take home just $3.1 million after taxes.
So, how do these tax rates affect the way NHL Teams do business? Well, for one thing, they make it much harder for teams to retain their players from year to year. After all, if a player can go to another team and earn the same salary but take home more money after taxes, why wouldn’t they jump ship?
Additionally, high tax rates also make it difficult for teams to attract free agents from other countries. After all, why would a player from Canada or the United States want to sign with a team in a country with higher taxes when they could sign with a team in a country with lower taxes and keep more of their hard-earned money?
How NHL player salaries are determined
NHL player salaries are determined by the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) and the NHL. The current CBA was agreed upon in 2013 and is set to expire in 2022. It outlines how much players will be paid and how those salaries will be distributed.
The NHL salary cap is set at $81.5 million for the 2019-20 season Each team must stay under this cap, with a few exceptions. The salary floor is set at $60.2 million. This means that each team must spend at least this much on player salaries
NHL Player Salaries are calculated using a formula that includes factors such as league revenues, the previous year’s salary cap and benefits costs players are entitled to receive. The minimum salary for an NHL player is $700,000 per year and the maximum salary is $15,915,745 per year.
How NHL player salaries have changed over time
NHL Player salaries have increased dramatically over time. In the early days of the NHL, players were paid a very small salary and had to supplement their income with other jobs during the offseason. Today, the average NHL player is paid over $2 million per year, and some players are even making over $10 million per year.
NHL salaries have increased for a variety of reasons. First, as the league has become more popular, revenues have increased, which has allowed team owners to pay their players more money. Second, the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association has resulted in higher salaries for players. Finally, individual players have become more popular and marketable, which has led to higher salaries as well.
How NHL player salaries compare to other professional sports leagues
As the National Hockey League (NHL) season gets underway, fans are wondering how much their favorite players will be making this year. With the NHL salary cap set at $81.5 million for the 2019-20 season, up from $75 million last year, there’s sure to be some big paydays for the league’s top stars.
But how do NHL salaries compare to other professional sports leagues? Let’s take a look.
With an average salary of $2.9 million, NHL players are far from the highest-paid athletes in professional sports That honor goes to NBA players who earn an average salary of $7.4 million. Major League Baseball players are next in line, with an average salary of $4 million, followed by NFL players at $2.7 million.
So why do NHL players make less than athletes in other professional sports leagues? There are a few factors at play.
First of all, the NHL is not as popular as the other major professional sports leagues in North America so it doesn’t generate as much revenue. As a result, there’s less money to go around when it comes to player salaries
Secondly, hockey is a relatively dangerous sport compared to basketball, baseball or football, so players tend to have shorter careers than their counterparts in other sports. This also factors into how much money they ultimately make over the course of their careers.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the NHL has a hard salary cap which limits how much teams can spend on player salaries. In contrast, there is no salary cap in place in the NBA or MLB, which means teams can (and do) spend lavishly on player salaries if they choose to do so.