How many years until NHL teams stop overpaying the top players?

Question

Forget the pre lockout contracts, but teams are overpaying players like Brierre, Drury, Gomez, Penner and so on. Even Crosby is overpay at 8.7M per year. I think the top players should be paid 7M/yr, max (like Joe Thorton).

There seem to be a big gap in salaries, we get a lot of players in the 7M range then the next tier drop to 5M and the rest are at 2M or lower(some of the lower group are underpay in my opinion to compensate the big contracts). In some ways this makes the NHL as a whole more competitive because the top teams simply can't keep all their players. Result is - there will be no more dynasty and a different winner each year.

We now get teams like the TB Lightning that play with only one line for the past two seasons. The Senators lost Chara and Havlat, traded away Scheafer and will probably lose Redden next summer if not at the trading deadline, and will eventually be down to a one line team like the Lightning.

When will the NHL teams stop overpaying the top players?

I know athletes from other sports are overpay too, Rashard Lewis of the Orlando Magic top the list this summer, other NBA players are the entire NY Knicks team, Jalen Rose, AK47 (Kirilenko), Theo Ratliff but the thing is other sports are more popular and make more money than the NHL.

Also in NBA the roster is for 12 active plus 3 practice players and NHL is 20 active plus a few more, so NHL teams' salary need to spread out more.

In the MLB it is stupid too, we get Yankees and Red Sox completely separated from the rest of the league.

NFL is the only league that pay their players what they deserve, only a few quarter backs and a handful of receivers get huge contracts, this is due to lack of power of their players union.

DC Fury asked: How long until players start to value building a good team and winning the Cup more than making an outrageous sum of money?

My answer: at the end of their career, i.e. when they are past their prime and have yet to win the cup.

Answer 1

Ottawa won't lose Redden. They are actively shopping him, but twice he has used the 'no trade' clause in his contract. It is hard to 'lose' something you are trying to rid yourself of.

You bring up a good point. The current system allows teams to pay one player up to 20% of the Cap. The free agency system allows players to go to the highest bidder. As long as GMs meet the demands of agents, salaries will continue to escalate. Right or Wrong, that is the system. One has to wonder how many times the NHL's system of capitalism has to fail before they smarten up.

Answer 2

I agree that several players are overpaid, including Crosby. The problem is that the league is not at fault, but rather the agents and players. Unfortunately, Crosby's agent dictates the price of his client, not the NHL.

With the Salary Cap, the NHL has determined a maximum and a minimum a player can be paid, but does not determine how a team should pay their players (i.e. Tampa letting Richards, St. Louis, and Lecavalier holding the team ransom).

Until the agents and the players realize what is good for the game, the teams will be able to breathe earlier.

Answer 3

Why are hockey players considered overpaid only when their team can't afford them?
Kinda sucks for teams like Ottawa, that spend years at the bottom of the food chain, banking up all kinds of talent, and then they bring in a salary cap, making it impossible to keep them all.
A-rod got a 10 year, $250,000,000 contract from the Texas Rangers. You don't think Sidney Crosby is worth 1/3 of that while playing a game with 1/2 the lifespan?

Answer 4

The math is kind of wonky isn't it. You can use 20% of your cap to sign 5% of your roster.
It may take some time for teams to get this straight. Cheap, young talent is better than expensive, old talent.
Who knows maybe after a time there will be very few guys over 35 still in the league. Once teams stop paying for what a guy did 2 and 3 years ago and pay him what he delivers this year this should improve. Lower base salaries that are heavy on performance based incentives may be the way to go.

Answer 5

Hockey players as a whole are not paid close to what the other players in the NBA, MLB, and NFL are paid. Go GFY!! What the top players get in the NHL is half what some garbage NBA player gets. Hockey doesn't need a salary cap. We can thank the fantastic commish for that.

Answer 6

i think the better question is how long until players start to value building a good team and winning the Cup more than making an outrageous sum of money. players go where the money is so GM's have to provide the money to get the talent. it's the players who are doing this not the NHL. and please don't give me sh!t about Crosby leaving money on the table. The guy left about a million dollars cap for the team to resign malkin, staal, and flury not to mention the fact that he is the highest paid player after serving only two seasons.

Answer 7

boy, you are whining about how much hockey players get a year?? Have you ever seen the pay the MLB or NBA players get??

I give MLB alot of attention, and some guys that ive never even heard of are making 15 - 20 million dollars a year!!

NBA is just sickening. Crosby may not be as big of a star as Lebron James, but hes close, and his talent level is similar to Lebron's. Yeah, i know, two different sports, but you know what i mean. Crosby just doesnt get as much attention as Lebron. Lebron's next contract is probably going to blow A-rods contract out of the water.

If you want to talk about overpaid athletes, look at other sports besides hockey my friend. I think hockey players are reasonably paid, although some dont make as much as they should, IMO. These guys work hard for their money. NFL players, atleast alot of them, earn their money with all the beatings they take in that sport.

Answer 8

Crosby is not being overpaid; he actually offered on his own to take a paycut from what they offered to free up more money on Pittsburgh to sign a few more players and have a better chance at the Stanley Cup. I'd sign 8.7kk for Crosby or 7kk for Thornton regardless of what team I was. The increase in ticket sales alone explains why Crosby deserves that kind of pay...

There are many players being overpaid, but those two are not among them...

Answer 9

I think that in terms of sports the NHL is maknig way more money of the players, and that they should all be paid more. Its supply and entertainment and with millions of fans the money poors in. As far as teh major players getting paid so much more it's because they produce so much more. Many players play but onyl the ones that cost a lot are the ones that attract money and skill. Its simple economics and politics. As far as the NHL as long as the consumer exists and players dotn voluntarily give up money then they will continue to receive larger amounts due to their economic equilibrium.

Answer 10

As long as fans pay the price they are asking for those outrageous tickets, then it will never stop. !
It's always about the money my friend...........