List of team payrolls in the NHL

Here are several tables of National Hockey League team payrolls for each team in the NHL. For simplicity, players traded mid-season are considered to be on the payroll of the team acquiring that player.

League[edit]

After the 2004–05 season was cancelled, a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was agreed upon between the NHL and the NHL Players' Association. This CBA included a salary cap for team salaries (formally defined in the CBA as the "Upper Limit"), which would potentially increase from one season to the next depending on league revenues,^[1] and a cap for player salaries, set at 20 percent of the team salary cap.^[2] The teams also have a minimum payroll requirement (formally defined as the "Lower Limit"), which was $21.5 million in 2005–06,^[3] but fixed from 2006–07 onward at $16 million below the salary cap.

From the 2003–04 season to the 2005–06 season, the implementation of the salary cap caused a marked normalization of team payrolls, and a decrease in the payroll disparity from team to team. Ten teams (of thirty) decreased their payrolls by more than $15 million, with four decreasing their payrolls by more than $30 million; only seven teams increased their payrolls, with four increasing their payrolls by more than $5 million. The standard deviation of the payrolls decreased from $15,898,399 to $6,371,263 after the salary cap was introduced.

Year	Average team payroll	% change	Standard deviation	Team cap	Player cap	Number of teams
1998–99	$29,730,833	–	$7,375,757	No cap		27
1999–2000	$31,564,167	6.17%	$9,963,577			28
2000–01	$33,375,943	5.74%	$11,657,873			30
2001–02	$38,011,852	13.89%	$14,162,670
2002–03	$41,939,715	10.33%	$16,876,630
2003–04	$44,400,490	5.87%	$15,898,399
2004–05	Season canceled due to lockout
2005–06	$34,309,972	-22.73%	$6,371,263	$39,000,000	$7,800,000
2006–07	$40,292,446	17.44%	$4,720,484	$44,000,000	$8,800,000
2007–08	$44,369,521	10.12%	$7,573,225	$50,300,000	$10,060,000
2008–09	$51,387,176	15.82%	$7,968,239	$56,700,000	$11,340,000
2009–10	$52,772,060	2.69%	$5,541,890	$56,800,000	$11,360,000
2010–11	$54,229,043	2.76%	$6,758,459	$59,400,000	$11,880,000
2011–12	$58,862,833	8.54%	$5,563,110	$64,300,000	$12,860,000
Template:Nhly¹	$35,004,146^[4]	-40.53%		$60,000,000	$12,000,000
Template:Nhly	$56,975,964^[5]	62.77%		$64,300,000	$12,860,000
Template:Nhly	$60,863,476^[6]	6.82%		$69,000,000	$13,800,000
Template:Nhly	$59,173,968^[7]	-2.78%		$71,400,000	$14,280,000
Template:Nhly	$64,132,129^[8]	8.38%		$73,000,000	$14,600,000
Template:Nhly	$63,315,723^[9]	-1.27%		$75,000,000	$15,000,000	31
Template:Nhly	$66,636,112^[10]	5.24%		$79,500,000	$15,900,000
Template:Nhly				$81,500,000	$16,300,000
Template:Nhly
Template:Nhly						32
Template:Nhly				$82,500,000	$16,500,000
Template:Nhly				$83,500,000	$16,700,000
Template:Nhly				~$87,700,000	~$17,540,000

¹Season shortened by the 2012–13 NHL lockout; teams could spend up to $70.2 million, pro-rated for the season's length.

Between the 1998–99 and 2007–08 seasons, the total players' payroll was $9,990,698,194, which is an average of $37,700,748 per team per season. The division with the highest total payroll over this nine-year period is the Atlantic Division, paying out $1,912,252,452 ($42,494,499 per team per season). The division with the lowest total payroll over this period was the Southeast Division; it was considered the weakest hockey market in the league, as one of its teams (the Atlanta Thrashers) relocated prior to the 2011–12 season.^[11]

Teams in the Southeast Division have had a home attendance above the league average for a given year only six times:

Carolina Hurricanes: 17,386 in 2006–07 (league average of 16,957); won the Stanley Cup that year
Tampa Bay Lightning: 17,820 in 2003–04 (league avg. 16,533) – won the Stanley Cup that year
20,509 in 2005–06 (league avg. 16,954)

19,876 in 2006–07 (league avg. 16,957)

18,692 in 2007–08 (league avg. 17,308)
Washington Capitals: 17,341 in 2001–02 (league avg. 16,759)

Prior to the dissolution of the Southeast Division after the 2012–13 season, teams in that division frequently had average attendance numbers in the bottom ten in the league for a given year:

Atlanta Thrashers (have been in the bottom ten every year between 2000–01 and 2007–08; relocated to Winnipeg in 2011–12)
Carolina Hurricanes (2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, and 2005–06)
Florida Panthers (2000–01, 2006–07, and 2007–08)
Tampa Bay Lightning (2000–01)
Washington Capitals (2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, and 2007–08)—with total payrolls of $1,180,291,667 ($32,377,083 per team per season).

The team that spent the most on players' salaries over these nine seasons are the New York Rangers, who spent a total of $517,076,928 for players, averaging $57,452,992 per season.^[12]^[13] The Detroit Red Wings have the second highest total payroll over this period, with $483,801,165, for an average of $53,755,685 per season.^[13]^[14]

The Nashville Predators had the lowest payroll per season over the same period, totalling $218,136,880 ($24,237,431 per season),^[13]^[15] followed by the Atlanta Thrashers with a total of $212,616,075 ($26,577,009 per season).^[13]^[16] The absolute lowest payroll belongs to the Minnesota Wild, who joined the league in 2000–01. In the seven seasons since the Wild joined the league, they have the lowest total payroll, at $187,278,126 ($26,754,018 per season).^[17] Nashville's payroll over this period was slightly higher, at $187,936,880 ($26,848,126 per season).^[15]

The Calgary Flames held the unique distinction of being the only team to have increased their payroll every year between the 1998–99 season and the 2007–08 season.

Sergei Fedorov, Paul Kariya and Jaromir Jagr have each had the highest salary on three different teams between 2000–01 and 2007–08:

Sergei Fedorov: Anaheim Ducks (2003–04), Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06, 2006–07), Washington Capitals (2007–08)
Paul Kariya: Anaheim Ducks (2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03), Nashville Predators (2005–06), St. Louis Blues (2007–08)
Jaromir Jagr: Pittsburgh Penguins (2000–01), Washington Capitals (2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04), New York Rangers (2005–06, 2006–07)

Eastern Conference[edit]

Metropolitan Division[edit]

The Metropolitan Division currently has the highest total player payrolls of any division in the league as of the end of the 2018–19 season. Its predecessor division (which was known as the Atlantic Division between 1993 and 2013) had the highest total player payrolls of any division between 1998–99 and 2007–08, paying out $1,912,252,452 to its players ($42,494,499 per team per season). The New York Rangers were the highest paying team in the Atlantic Division (and in the entire league) over this period, with a player payroll of $517,076,928 ($57,452,992 per season),^[12]^[13] while the Pittsburgh Penguins are the lowest paying team in the division over these nine seasons, with total payrolls of $260,515,726 ($28,946,192 per season).^[13]^[18]

Carolina Hurricanes[edit]

These are the salaries for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$28,600,000
1999–2000	$27,100,000	-5.24%
2000–01	$32,473,250	19.83%	$612,500	Ron Francis	$5,000,000
2001–02	$31,994,900	-1.47%	$859,750	Ron Francis	$5,000,000
2002–03	$33,131,287	3.55%	$700,000	Ron Francis	$5,936,287
2003–04	$35,908,738	8.38%	$750,000	Rod Brind'Amour	$5,000,000
2005–06	$35,308,700	-1.67%	$1,000,000	Doug Weight	$5,700,000
2006–07	$38,970,800	10.37%	$1,250,000	Rod Brind'Amour Erik Cole Eric Staal	$4,000,000
2007–08	$49,948,600	28.17%	$2,200,000	Eric Staal	$4,500,000

Columbus Blue Jackets[edit]

These are the salaries for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team played its first season in 2000–01 and was in the Western Conference between the 2000–01 season and the 2012–13 season.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
2000–01	$18,287,400		$650,000	Lyle Odelein	$2,300,000
2001–02	$20,013,500	9.44%	$710,500	Ron Tugnutt	$2,400,000
2002–03	$26,740,040	33.61%	$650,000	Luke Richardson	$2,750,000
2003–04	$34,000,000	27.15%	$1,050,000	Darryl Sydor	$3,500,000
2005–06	$30,093,235	-11.49%	$604,000	Sergei Fedorov	$6,080,000
2006–07	$36,910,000	22.65%	$775,000	Sergei Fedorov	$6,080,000
2007–08	$28,010,000^[19]	-24.11%	$1,000,000	Rick Nash	$5,500,000

New Jersey Devils[edit]

These are the salaries for the New Jersey Devils.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$27,700,000
1999–2000	$31,300,000	13.00%
2000–01	$39,151,118	25.08%	$800,000	Alexander Mogilny	$5,200,000
2001–02	$43,118,026	10.13%	$1,050,000	Joe Nieuwendyk	$5,500,000
2002–03	$56,072,626	30.04%	$1,350,000	Martin Brodeur Scott Stevens	$6,891,103
2003–04	$48,931,658	-12.74%	$1,425,000	Scott Stevens	$6,916,747
2005–06	$44,895,949^[20]	-8.25%	$1,000,000	Martin Brodeur	$5,237,238
2006–07	$49,608,766^[20]	10.50%	$984,200	Patrik Elias	$7,500,000
2007–08	$47,622,511	-4.00%	$1,400,000	Patrik Elias	$7,500,000

New York Islanders[edit]

These are the salaries for the New York Islanders.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$21,300,000
1999–2000	$18,100,000	-15.02%
2000–01	$23,354,760	29.03%	$875,000	Roman Hamrlik	$2,800,000
2001–02	$33,658,204	44.12%	$962,500	Alexei Yashin	$6,549,944
2002–03	$37,010,935	9.96%	$1,037,500	Alexei Yashin	$7,400,000
2003–04	$40,865,500	10.41%	$900,000	Alexei Yashin	$8,400,000
2005–06	$31,447,520	-23.05%	$830,860	Alexei Yashin	$7,600,000
2006–07	$37,759,720	20.07%	$865,000	Alexei Yashin	$7,600,000
2007–08	$39,007,720	3.31%	$816,360	Rick DiPietro Bill Guerin Miroslav Satan	$4,500,000

New York Rangers[edit]

These are the salaries for the New York Rangers.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$39,800,000
1999–2000	$59,400,000^[20]	49.25%
2000–01	$56,887,037^[20]	-4.23%	$1,325,000	Brian Leetch	$7,680,000
2001–02	$64,793,530	13.90%	$1,800,000	Pavel Bure	$10,000,000
2002–03	$76,477,085^[20]	18.03%	$2,650,000	Pavel Bure	$10,000,000
2003–04	$76,488,716	0.02%	$2,800,000	Pavel Bure	$10,000,000
2005–06	$41,474,800	-45.78%	$760,000	Jaromir Jagr	$8,360,000
2006–07	$45,050,760	8.62%	$950,000	Jaromir Jagr	$8,360,000
2007–08	$56,705,000	25.87%	$1,312,500	Scott Gomez	$10,000,000

Philadelphia Flyers[edit]

These are the salaries for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$39,400,000
1999–2000	$50,300,000	27.66%
2000–01	$40,932,500	-18.62%	$1,037,500	John LeClair	$7,000,000
2001–02	$56,435,000	37.87%	$1,600,000	John LeClair	$9,000,000
2002–03	$65,222,633	15.57%	$2,200,000	John LeClair	$9,000,000
2003–04	$68,175,247	4.53%	$2,425,000	John LeClair	$9,000,000
2005–06	$42,566,760	-37.56%	$1,254,000	Peter Forsberg	$5,750,000
2006–07	$43,749,445	2.78%	$1,200,000	Simon Gagne	$5,250,000
2007–08	$56,973,200	30.23%	$1,225,000	Daniel Briere	$10,000,000

Pittsburgh Penguins[edit]

These are the salaries for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$23,800,000
1999–2000	$30,300,000	27.31%
2000–01	$33,677,333	11.15%	$785,000	Jaromir Jagr	$9,842,708
2001–02	$34,130,770	1.35%	$719,250	Mario Lemieux	$5,250,000
2002–03	$24,407,500	-28.49%	$650,000	Mario Lemieux	$5,250,000
2003–04	$23,400,000	-4.13%	$625,000	Mario Lemieux	$5,250,000
2005–06	$23,122,650	-1.19%	$608,000	Sergei Gonchar Zigmund Palffy	$3,500,000
2006–07	$26,293,273^[19]	13.71%	$850,000	Sergei Gonchar	$4,500,000
2007–08	$41,384,200	57.39%	$1,029,600	Marian Hossa	$7,000,000

Washington Capitals[edit]

These are the salaries for the Washington Capitals.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$31,000,000
1999–2000	$28,300,000	-8.71%
2000–01	$41,275,000	45.85%	$1,400,000	Peter Bondra	$4,525,000
2001–02	$47,392,250	14.82%	$1,400,000	Jaromir Jagr	$11,000,000
2002–03	$51,398,058	8.45%	$1,400,000	Jaromir Jagr	$11,483,333
2003–04	$50,895,750	-0.98%	$917,500	Jaromir Jagr	$11,000,000
2005–06	$18,932,830^[19]	-62.80%	$605,000	Olaf Kolzig	$4,940,000
2006–07	$29,728,412	57.02%	$825,000	Olaf Kolzig	$5,450,000
2007–08	$44,309,200	49.05%	$942,100	Sergei Fedorov	$6,080,000

Atlantic Division[edit]

The current incarnation of the Atlantic Division was created prior to the 2013–14 season as a merger between the Southeast Division and the Northeast Division. Between 1998–99 and 2007–08, the Northeast Division had total player payrolls of $1,694,667,213 ($37,659,271 per team per season). The Toronto Maple Leafs paid their players the most in the Northeast Division over these nine seasons, with total payrolls of $414,581,865 ($46,064,652 per season),^[13]^[21] while the Buffalo Sabres paid the least in the division over the same time, with total payrolls of $300,251,418 ($33,361,269 per season).^[13]^[22]

The other predecessor to the Atlantic Division, the Southeast Division, had the lowest player payroll of any division between 1998–99 and 2007–08, totalling $1,424,591,667 during this time ($32,377,083 per team per season). This market was considered one of the weakest in the league.^[11] The Washington Capitals were the highest paying team in the Southeast Division, with total payrolls of $343,231,500 ($38,136,833 per season);^[13]^[23] the Atlanta Thrashers, who joined the league in 1999–2000 and relocated to Winnipeg in 2011, were the lowest paying team in the division (and in the Eastern Conference), with total payrolls of $212,616,075 ($26,577,009 per season).^[13]^[16]

Boston Bruins[edit]

These are the salaries for the Boston Bruins.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$22,800,000
1999–2000	$24,500,000	7.46%
2000–01	$31,875,576	30.10%	$912,500	Jason Allison	$3,500,000
2001–02	$41,862,500	31.33%	$1,627,500	Martin Lapointe	$5,250,000
2002–03	$44,050,000	5.23%	$1,350,000	Martin Lapointe	$5,250,000
2003–04	$46,569,000	5.72%	$1,300,000	Martin Lapointe Joe Thornton	$5,500,000
2005–06	$36,662,100	-21.27%	$858,800	Glen Murray	$4,150,000
2006–07	$43,735,700	19.29%	$925,000	Zdeno Chara	$7,500,000
2007–08	$49,501,600	13.18%	$992,100	Zdeno Chara	$7,500,000

Buffalo Sabres[edit]

These are the salaries for the Buffalo Sabres.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$26,100,000
1999–2000	$30,900,000	18.39%
2000–01	$38,690,416	25.21%	$1,045,000	Dominik Hasek	$7,500,000
2001–02	$28,891,666	-25.33%	$1,012,500	Miroslav Satan Alexei Zhitnik	$3,250,000
2002–03	$28,254,166	-2.21%	$1,087,500	Miroslav Satan Alexei Zhitnik	$3,550,000
2003–04	$32,954,250	16.64%	$1,000,000	Miroslav Satan	$4,750,000
2005–06	$28,515,120	-13.47%	$989,720	Chris Drury	$2,926,000
2006–07	$39,991,400	40.25%	$1,875,000	Daniel Briere	$5,000,000
2007–08	$45,954,400	14.91%	$1,617,100	Thomas Vanek	$10,000,000

Detroit Red Wings[edit]

These are the salaries for the Detroit Red Wings.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$48,300,000^[20]
1999–2000	$43,400,000	-10.14%
2000–01	$55,107,500	26.98%	$1,600,000	Steve Yzerman	$8,000,000
2001–02	$66,643,750^[20]	20.93%	$1,300,000	Nicklas Lidstrom	$8,500,000
2002–03	$68,410,506	2.65%	$1,400,000	Nicklas Lidstrom	$10,500,000
2003–04	$77,856,109^[20]	13.81%	$1,500,000	Nicklas Lidstrom	$10,000,000
2005–06	$39,578,300	-49.16%	$900,000	Nicklas Lidstrom	$7,600,000
2006–07	$39,872,000	0.74%	$1,170,000	Nicklas Lidstrom	$7,600,000
2007–08	$44,633,000	11.94%	$975,000	Nicklas Lidstrom	$7,600,000

Florida Panthers[edit]

These are the salaries for the Florida Panthers.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$31,800,000
1999–2000	$33,300,000	4.72%
2000–01	$32,450,000	-2.55%	$912,500	Pavel Bure	$9,000,000
2001–02	$29,919,400	-7.80%	$925,000	Sandis Ozolinsh	$5,000,000
2002–03	$21,473,000	-28.23%	$925,000	Viktor Kozlov	$2,100,000
2003–04	$26,127,500	21.68%	$902,500	Valeri Bure	$3,100,000
2005–06	$26,500,510	1.43%	$830,000	Roberto Luongo	$3,200,000
2006–07	$37,606,280	41.91%	$1,042,100	Todd Bertuzzi	$5,269,080
2007–08	$39,749,200	5.70%	$984,200	Tomas Vokoun	$5,300,000

Montreal Canadiens[edit]

These are the salaries for the Montreal Canadiens.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$33,500,000
1999–2000	$33,800,000	0.90%
2000–01	$26,529,200	-21.51%	$725,000	Jeff Hackett Saku Koivu	$3,300,000
2001–02	$41,277,373	55.59%	$1,012,435	Jeff Hackett	$3,400,000
2002–03	$41,972,360	1.68%	$1,600,000	Jose Theodore	$5,000,000
2003–04	$38,857,000	-7.42%	$1,350,000	Jose Theodore	$5,500,000
2005–06	$32,994,940	-15.09%	$988,000	Alexei Kovalev	$4,500,000
2006–07	$43,559,307	32.02%	$1,887,500	Saku Koivu	$4,750,000
2007–08	$42,313,500	-2.86%	$1,225,000	Andrei Markov	$5,750,000

Ottawa Senators[edit]

These are the salaries for the Ottawa Senators.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$21,000,000
1999–2000	$21,700,000	3.33%
2000–01	$29,086,250	34.04%	$862,500	Alexei Yashin	$3,600,000
2001–02	$27,220,750	-6.41%	$800,000	Daniel Alfredsson	$3,000,000
2002–03	$34,340,000	26.15%	$1,000,000	Daniel Alfredsson	$4,550,000
2003–04	$39,590,000	15.29%	$1,075,000	Daniel Alfredsson	$5,050,000
2005–06	$36,909,094	-6.77%	$1,100,000	Daniel Alfredsson	$4,662,894
2006–07	$43,630,310	18.21%	$1,500,000	Wade Redden	$6,500,000
2007–08	$49,997,370	14.59%	$1,300,000	Wade Redden	$6,500,000

Tampa Bay Lightning[edit]

These are the salaries for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$28,500,000
1999–2000	$19,000,000	-33.33%
2000–01	$17,989,000	-5.32%	$775,000	Petr Svoboda	$2,000,000
2001–02	$27,345,896	52.01%	$950,000	Nikolai Khabibulin	$3,316,298
2002–03	$29,483,439	7.82%	$975,000	Nikolai Khabibulin	$3,873,439
2003–04	$34,065,379	15.54%	$1,115,000	Nikolai Khabibulin	$4,434,579
2005–06	$39,157,379	14.95%	$981,400	Martin St. Louis	$6,500,000
2006–07	$41,886,667	6.97%	$625,000	Brad Richards	$7,800,000
2007–08	$38,954,167	-7.00%	$950,000	Vincent Lecavalier	$7,166,667

Toronto Maple Leafs[edit]

These are the salaries for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$34,000,000
1999–2000	$34,000,000	0.00%
2000–01	$41,003,187	20.60%	$1,000,000	Mats Sundin	$7,500,000
2001–02	$51,565,958	25.76%	$1,400,000	Mats Sundin	$7,500,000
2002–03	$65,054,900	26.16%	$2,112,500	Mats Sundin	$9,000,000
2003–04	$62,458,140	-3.99%	$1,500,000	Mats Sundin	$9,000,000
2005–06	$36,796,580	-41.09%	$1,007,000	Mats Sundin	$6,840,000
2006–07	$43,257,920	17.56%	$901,740	Mats Sundin	$7,600,000
2007–08	$46,445,180	7.37%	$1,375,000	Bryan McCabe	$7,150,000

Western Conference[edit]

Central Division[edit]

The Central Division had player payrolls of $1,604,944,295 between 1998–99 and 2007–08 ($37,324,286 per team per season). The highest paying team in the Central Division (and in the Western Conference) during that period was the Detroit Red Wings (who transferred to the Atlantic Division in 2013), with total payrolls of $483,801,165 ($53,755,685 per season),^[13]^[14] while the lowest paying team in the division (and the entire league) was the Nashville Predators, with total payrolls of $218,136,880 ($24,237,431 per season).^[13]^[15]

Chicago Blackhawks[edit]

These are the salaries for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$35,800,000
1999–2000	$32,400,000	-9.50%
2000–01	$29,700,000	-8.33%	$1,050,000	Boris Mironov	$3,200,000
2001–02	$41,462,500	39.60%	$1,525,000	Alexei Zhamnov	$4,000,000
2002–03	$35,290,000	-14.89%	$1,025,000	Theo Fleury Alexei Zhamnov	$4,000,000
2003–04	$30,867,502	-12.53%	$701,251	Alexei Zhamnov	$4,500,000
2005–06	$30,141,200	-2.35%	$817,000	Nikolai Khabibulin	$6,750,000
2006–07	$38,499,600	27.73%	$963,300	Nikolai Khabibulin	$6,750,000
2007–08	$34,800,540	-9.61%	$921,200	Nikolai Khabibulin	$6,750,000

Colorado Avalanche[edit]

These are the salaries for the Colorado Avalanche.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$30,800,000
1999–2000	$41,500,000	34.74%
2000–01	$51,692,500	24.56%	$900,000	Peter Forsberg	$10,000,000
2001–02	$59,523,921	15.15%	$975,000	Peter Forsberg	$11,000,000
2002–03	$62,860,926	5.61%	$950,000	Joe Sakic	$9,856,018
2003–04	$63,382,458	0.83%	$750,000	Peter Forsberg	$11,000,000
2005–06	$41,044,829	-35.24%	$759,100	Joe Sakic	$6,664,797
2006–07	$37,999,700	-7.42%	$984,200	Joe Sakic	$5,750,000
2007–08	$61,290,750^[20]	61.29%	$1,200,000	Ryan Smyth	$7,500,000

Dallas Stars[edit]

These are the salaries for the Dallas Stars.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$39,800,000
1999–2000	$42,300,000	6.28%
2000–01	$50,050,000	18.32%	$955,000	Brett Hull Mike Modano	$7,000,000
2001–02	$48,710,352	-2.68%	$1,600,000	Mike Modano	$8,000,000
2002–03	$69,570,169	42.82%	$2,525,000	Bill Guerin	$8,732,891
2003–04	$68,578,885	-1.42%	$2,600,000	Mike Modano	$9,000,000
2005–06	$40,651,480	-40.72%	$700,000	Bill Guerin	$6,738,498
2006–07	$43,877,000	7.93%	$1,045,000	Marty Turco	$6,000,000
2007–08	$49,420,000	12.63%	$950,000	Brad Richards	$7,800,000

Minnesota Wild[edit]

These are the salaries for the Minnesota Wild. The team's first season was 2000–01.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
2000–01	$11,737,500^[19]		$500,000	Marian Gaborik	$1,075,000
2001–02	$16,783,576	42.99%	$650,000	Manny Fernandez	$1,450,000
2002–03	$20,743,750^[19]	23.60%	$775,000	Cliff Ronning	$1,850,000
2003–04	$27,200,500	31.13%	$850,000	Marian Gaborik	$2,900,000
2005–06	$25,158,800	-7.51%	$798,000	Marian Gaborik	$2,679,000
2006–07	$39,471,000	56.89%	$1,187,500	Marian Gaborik	$5,000,000
2007–08	$46,183,000	17.00%	$1,200,000	Marian Gaborik	$6,500,000

Nashville Predators[edit]

These are the salaries for the Nashville Predators.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$13,600,000^[19]
1999–2000	$16,600,000^[19]	22.06%
2000–01	$18,437,500	11.07%	$725,000	Cliff Ronning	$1,750,000
2001–02	$18,700,000	1.42%	$800,000	Mike Dunham	$2,600,000
2002–03	$23,932,500	27.98%	$837,500	Jason York	$2,000,000
2003–04	$21,932,500^[19]	-8.36%	$700,000	Kimmo Timonen Jason York	$2,000,000
2005–06	$31,649,440	44.30%	$922,070	Paul Kariya	$4,500,000
2006–07	$43,011,600	35.90%	$1,525,000	Peter Forsberg	$5,750,000
2007–08	$30,273,340	-29.62%	$800,000	Jason Arnott	$4,500,000

St. Louis Blues[edit]

These are the salaries for the St. Louis Blues.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$31,300,000
1999–2000	$32,600,000	4.15%
2000–01	$47,092,500	44.46%	$1,025,000	Keith Tkachuk	$8,300,000
2001–02	$57,405,000	21.90%	$1,037,500	Chris Pronger	$9,500,000
2002–03	$68,710,000	19.69%	$1,077,500	Keith Tkachuk	$11,000,000
2003–04	$61,675,000	-10.24%	$837,500	Keith Tkachuk	$10,000,000
2005–06	$28,480,800	-53.82%	$596,600	Keith Tkachuk	$7,600,000
2006–07	$33,679,600	18.25%	$1,000,000	Jay McKee	$4,000,000
2007–08	$39,047,833	15.94%	$1,200,000	Paul Kariya	$6,000,000

Winnipeg Jets[edit]

These are the salaries for the Winnipeg Jets. The team played its first season as the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999–2000, and moved to Winnipeg in 2011; they remained in the Southeast Division until the end of the 2012–13 season, when they were moved into the Central Division.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1999–2000	$16,700,000
2000–01	$17,818,175	6.70%	$525,000	Damian Rhodes	$2,250,000
2001–02	$15,220,000^[19]	-14.58%	$600,000	Damian Rhodes	$2,550,000
2002–03	$22,972,500	50.94%	$725,000	Shawn McEachern	$3,350,000
2003–04	$28,547,500	24.27%	$787,500	Byron Dafoe Vyacheslav Kozlov	$3,500,000
2005–06	$37,170,200	30.20%	$900,600	Ilya Kovalchuk	$6,500,000
2006–07	$37,607,700	1.18%	$875,300	Marian Hossa	$6,000,000
2007–08	$36,580,000	-2.73%	$1,100,000	Ilya Kovalchuk	$5,500,000

Pacific Division[edit]

The current iteration of the Pacific Division was created for the 2013–14 season; this division featured four teams from the old Pacific Division (three teams from California and one from Arizona) and the three Canadian teams that were present in the Northwest Division.

The Northwest Division paid out $1,544,681,647 to its players between 1998–99 and 2007–08 ($35,922,829 per team per season). The Colorado Avalanche had the highest player payrolls in the Northwest Division in this time, totalling $450,095,084 ($50,010,565 per season);^[13]^[24] the Minnesota Wild were the lowest paying team in the division (and in the league, for the seven years since they have been a part of it), with total payrolls of $187,278,126 ($26,754,018 per season).^[17]

The Pacific Division had payrolls of $1,809,560,920 ($40,212,465 per team per season) in the seasons between 1998–99 and 2007–08. The Dallas Stars paid the most in the Pacific Division over these nine seasons, with players receiving $452,957,886 ($50,328,654 per season),^[13]^[25] and the Phoenix Coyotes paid the least in the division over that time, with total payrolls of $303,728,146 ($33,747,572 per season); that team would file for bankruptcy in 2009 and was owned by the NHL until just before the 2013–14 season.^[13]^[26]

Anaheim Ducks[edit]

These are the salaries for the Anaheim Ducks.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$30,400,000
1999–2000	$35,100,000	15.46%
2000–01	$28,430,000	-19.00%	$600,000	Paul Kariya	$10,000,000
2001–02	$35,009,000	23.14%	$962,500	Paul Kariya	$10,000,000
2002–03	$45,519,500	30.02%	$1,073,750	Paul Kariya	$10,000,000
2003–04	$53,296,750	17.09%	$1,267,500	Sergei Fedorov	$10,000,000
2005–06	$32,060,233	-39.85%	$684,000	Scott Niedermayer	$6,750,000
2006–07	$40,461,433	26.20%	$684,000	Scott Niedermayer	$6,750,000
2007–08	$50,769,200	25.48%	$1,223,500	Scott Niedermayer	$6,750,000

Arizona Coyotes[edit]

These are the salaries for the Arizona Coyotes.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$28,000,000
1999–2000	$31,000,000	10.71%
2000–01	$34,626,833	11.70%	$687,500	Jeremy Roenick	$5,000,000
2001–02	$31,854,433	-8.01%	$1,046,250	Teppo Numminen	$4,750,000
2002–03	$35,917,435	12.75%	$1,000,000	Teppo Numminen	$4,750,000
2003–04	$39,249,750	9.28%	$1,075,000	Sean Burke	$4,500,000
2005–06	$30,354,345	-22.66%	$900,600	Shane Doan	$3,002,000
2006–07	$37,030,600	21.99%	$982,300	Ed Jovanovski	$7,000,000
2007–08	$35,694,750	-3.61%	$850,000	Ed Jovanovski	$7,000,000

Calgary Flames[edit]

These are the salaries for the Calgary Flames. The Calgary Flames held the unique distinction of being the only team to have increased their payroll every year between the 1998–99 season and the 2007–08 season.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$20,700,000
1999–2000	$21,600,000	4.35%
2000–01	$26,542,500	22.88%	$1,025,000	Mike Vernon	$3,250,000
2001–02	$26,915,000	1.40%	$800,000	Roman Turek	$2,800,000
2002–03	$32,217,000	19.70%	$820,000	Jarome Iginla	$5,500,000
2003–04	$36,402,575	12.99%	$950,000	Jarome Iginla	$7,500,000
2005–06	$36,589,140	0.51%	$1,140,000	Jarome Iginla	$7,000,000
2006–07	$45,831,400	25.26%	$1,475,000	Jarome Iginla	$7,000,000
2007–08	$50,934,900	11.14%	$1,500,000	Jarome Iginla	$7,000,000

Edmonton Oilers[edit]

These are the salaries for the Edmonton Oilers.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$21,900,000
1999–2000	$24,000,000	9.59%
2000–01	$25,050,000	4.38%	$925,000	Doug Weight	$4,300,000
2001–02	$24,317,250	-2.93%	$903,750	Tommy Salo	$3,000,000
2002–03	$27,932,500	14.87%	$1,000,000	Tommy Salo	$3,500,000
2003–04	$33,375,000	19.48%	$1,075,000	Tommy Salo	$3,900,000
2005–06	$38,469,340	15.26%	$1,083,000	Chris Pronger	$6,250,000
2006–07	$42,280,000	9.91%	$1,026,000	Dwayne Roloson	$4,500,000
2007–08	$46,915,659	10.96%	$1,350,000	Sheldon Souray	$6,250,000

Los Angeles Kings[edit]

These are the salaries for the Los Angeles Kings.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$30,600,000
1999–2000	$34,600,000	13.07%
2000–01	$34,557,500	-0.12%	$1,412,500	Zigmund Palffy	$5,000,000
2001–02	$39,656,488	14.76%	$1,525,000	Zigmund Palffy	$6,000,000
2002–03	$37,412,434	-5.66%	$750,000	Zigmund Palffy	$7,250,000
2003–04	$53,833,800	43.89%	$950,000	Jason Allison	$8,000,000
2005–06	$37,856,150	-29.68%	$874,000	Jeremy Roenick	$4,940,000
2006–07	$40,680,000	7.46%	$1,195,500	Rob Blake	$6,000,000
2007–08	$40,502,000	-0.44%	$1,400,000	Rob Blake	$6,000,000

San Jose Sharks[edit]

These are the salaries for the San Jose Sharks.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$35,600,000
1999–2000	$37,600,000	5.62%
2000–01	$42,070,000	11.89%	$1,050,000	Teemu Selanne	$8,000,000
2001–02	$48,550,000	15.40%	$1,300,000	Teemu Selanne	$9,500,000
2002–03	$37,539,200	-22.68%	$1,300,000	Teemu Selanne	$6,500,000
2003–04	$34,455,000	-8.22%	$1,200,000	Vincent Damphousse	$4,000,000
2005–06	$31,005,400	-10.01%	$684,000	Joe Thornton	$6,600,000
2006–07	$43,856,000	41.45%	$787,500	Joe Thornton	$6,670,000
2007–08	$41,454,800	-5.48%	$800,000	Joe Thornton	$6,670,000

Vancouver Canucks[edit]

These are the salaries for the Vancouver Canucks.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
1998–99	$28,200,000
1999–2000	$34,000,000	20.57%
2000–01	$24,703,750	-27.34%	$887,500	Andrew Cassels	$3,050,000
2001–02	$29,984,579	21.38%	$900,000	Trevor Linden Markus Naslund	$4,000,000
2002–03	$34,075,000	13.64%	$1,025,000	Trevor Linden	$4,800,000
2003–04	$42,074,500	23.48%	$1,113,750	Todd Bertuzzi	$6,800,000
2005–06	$43,711,344	3.89%	$941,411	Markus Naslund	$6,000,000
2006–07	$42,877,000	-1.91%	$900,000	Roberto Luongo Markus Naslund	$6,000,000
2007–08	$45,710,000	6.61%	$1,100,000	Roberto Luongo	$6,500,000

Vegas Golden Knights[edit]

These are the salaries for the Vegas Golden Knights, which began operations in the 2017–18 season.

Year	Team payroll	% change	Median salary	Top paid player(s)	Highest salary
2017–18	$46,231,034
2018–19	$61,747,543
2019–20	$92,201,835

Notes and references[edit]

↑ Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association, p. 217:
"the Lower Limit and the Upper Limit of the Range shall be calculated [...] using Preliminary HRR and Preliminary Benefits, which shall be based upon the Initial HRR Report for the immediately preceding League Year."
↑ Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association, p.236:
"No SPC may provide for a total aggregate Player Salary and Bonuses that is in excess of twenty (20) percent of the Upper Limit for any League Year"
↑ Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association, p. 217:
"the Lower Limit of the Range shall be $21.5 million"
↑ "2012–13 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
↑ "2013–14 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
↑ "2014–15 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
↑ "2015–16 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
↑ "2016–17 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
↑ "2017–18 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
↑ "2018–19 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 According to ESPN's attendance figures for the NHL, attendance for the Southeast Division home games has averaged only 15,743 (82.8 percent) between 2000–01 and 2007–08, with a league average of 16,807 (91.3 percent).
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 New York Rangers salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ ^13.00 ^13.01 ^13.02 ^13.03 ^13.04 ^13.05 ^13.06 ^13.07 ^13.08 ^13.09 ^13.10 ^13.11 ^13.12 ^13.13 ^13.14 HockeyZonePlus: NHL Team Payrolls Archived 2008-06-17 at the Wayback Machine — used only for 1998–99 and 1999–2000 payroll figures
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 Detroit Red Wings salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 Nashville Predators salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 Atlanta Thrashers salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ ^17.0 ^17.1 Minnesota Wild salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ Pittsburgh Penguins salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ ^19.0 ^19.1 ^19.2 ^19.3 ^19.4 ^19.5 ^19.6 ^19.7 ^19.8 This was the lowest payroll in the league in the given year.
↑ ^20.0 ^20.1 ^20.2 ^20.3 ^20.4 ^20.5 ^20.6 ^20.7 ^20.8 This was the highest payroll in the league in the given year.
↑ Toronto Maple Leafs salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ Buffalo Sabres salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ Washington Capitals salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ Colorado Avalanche salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ Dallas Stars salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database
↑ Phoenix Coyotes salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

References[edit]

USA Today Salary Database — Source for 2000–01 through 2007–08
HockeyZonePlus Salary Database — Source for 1998–99 and 1999–2000

This article "List of team payrolls in the NHL" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:List of team payrolls in the NHL. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

[CBA_cap_increases-1] Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association, p. 217:
"the Lower Limit and the Upper Limit of the Range shall be calculated [...] using Preliminary HRR and Preliminary Benefits, which shall be based upon the Initial HRR Report for the immediately preceding League Year."

[CBA_player_cap-2] Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association, p.236:
"No SPC may provide for a total aggregate Player Salary and Bonuses that is in excess of twenty (20) percent of the Upper Limit for any League Year"

[CBA_lower_limit-3] Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association, p. 217:
"the Lower Limit of the Range shall be $21.5 million"

[4] "2012–13 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.

[5] "2013–14 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.

[6] "2014–15 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.

[7] "2015–16 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.

[8] "2016–17 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.

[9] "2017–18 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.

[10] "2018–19 NHL Team Payrolls". Capology. Retrieved December 29, 2019.

[Southeast-11] 11.0 ^11.1 According to ESPN's attendance figures for the NHL, attendance for the Southeast Division home games has averaged only 15,743 (82.8 percent) between 2000–01 and 2007–08, with a league average of 16,807 (91.3 percent).

[NYR-12] 12.0 ^12.1 New York Rangers salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[HockeyZonePlus-13] 13.00 ^13.01 ^13.02 ^13.03 ^13.04 ^13.05 ^13.06 ^13.07 ^13.08 ^13.09 ^13.10 ^13.11 ^13.12 ^13.13 ^13.14 HockeyZonePlus: NHL Team Payrolls Archived 2008-06-17 at the Wayback Machine — used only for 1998–99 and 1999–2000 payroll figures

[DET-14] 14.0 ^14.1 Detroit Red Wings salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[NAS-15] 15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 Nashville Predators salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[ATL-16] 16.0 ^16.1 Atlanta Thrashers salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[MIN-17] 17.0 ^17.1 Minnesota Wild salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[PIT-18] Pittsburgh Penguins salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[lo-19] 19.0 ^19.1 ^19.2 ^19.3 ^19.4 ^19.5 ^19.6 ^19.7 ^19.8 This was the lowest payroll in the league in the given year.

[hi-20] 20.0 ^20.1 ^20.2 ^20.3 ^20.4 ^20.5 ^20.6 ^20.7 ^20.8 This was the highest payroll in the league in the given year.

[TOR-21] Toronto Maple Leafs salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[BUF-22] Buffalo Sabres salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[WAS-23] Washington Capitals salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[COL-24] Colorado Avalanche salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[DAL-25] Dallas Stars salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

[PHO-26] Phoenix Coyotes salaries from 2000–01 to 2007—08 at USA Today Salary Database

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