The NHL is a tricky league when it comes to building a winning team under the salary cap. Often, clubs are encouraged to sign their homegrown talent to exorbitant long-term contracts before they hit free agency, almost regardless of what position they play. Many clubs will dole out dollars without question to their star forwards and defense, but there does seem to be some hesitation when it comes to goaltending. The obvious reason for that is that only one goaltender can be on the ice at any time, and teams generally carry just two on the roster.
Over the years we’ve seen teams continually move on from young netminding talents, trading them away to teams desperate for an upgrade. That’s only really possible if the team has solidified the position already, a confidence that can weaken extremely quickly. Several of the league’s starting goaltenders—including the likes of Frederik Andersen, Martin Jones and Cory Schneider—have been traded in recent years and are on their second or third teams. They’ve earned high salaries and long-term stability, but their prior availability begs a question. Is it necessary (or even recommended) to pay top dollar for goaltenders?
In Montreal we will see the answer to this question play out over the next few seasons. In 2018-19 Carey Price will begin his eight-year, $84MM extension that makes him the highest-paid goaltender in the league with a $15MM salary and $10.5MM cap hit. The front-loaded deal will pay him twice as much as Henrik Lundqvist, the next highest-paid goaltender in the league, and carries a cap hit of $2MM more. That puts Montreal right at the top of the list for spending on goaltenders, even with the paltry $950K they will be paying Antti Niemi in a backup role. Even in a healthy season for Price he’ll likely only start around 65 of Montreal’s 82 games, meaning Niemi will still be in more than 20% of their action for less than 10% of the cap hit.
You might not be surprised by the Buffalo Sabres appearance at the bottom of the spending list, with Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark combining for just $3.5MM this season. The Sabres did after all finish dead last in the NHL during the 2017-18 season, and are probably still a few years away from really competing for the Stanley Cup. The bottom third of the list though has some other interesting entries.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Anaheim Ducks all still consider themselves contenders, but will employ extremely inexpensive tandems this season. There is a common thread among those teams though, as they are all using young goaltenders on their second contracts. John Gibson was given a huge extension from Anaheim recently, and Andrei Vasilevskiy and Matt Murray will be paid in time. The question though is where does the threshold lie for goaltending salaries? Murray, for example, has an up-and-coming goaltender in Tristan Jarry right behind him, who could potentially put up at least league average numbers for a greatly reduced price. Is that more beneficial for roster construction, given that Murray will likely demand a contract in 2020 that would make him among the league’s highest-paid goaltenders?
The answer isn’t clear, as the Boston Bruins have found success in recent years even paying Tuukka Rask his high $7MM salary. They find themselves second on the list now that Jaroslav Halak has been added as Rask’s backup, but still are in fine shape financially thanks to some reasonably-priced stars in their lineup. The entire list is below, though it doesn’t include the years remaining on each contract. That is obviously a huge factor when determining goaltender worth going forward, but would be difficult to order.
2018-19 Goaltending Cap Hits
Montreal Canadiens – $11.45MM – Carey Price ($10.5MM), Antti Niemi ($950K)
Boston Bruins – $9.75MM – Tuukka Rask ($7.0MM), Jaroslav Halak ($2.75MM)
Colorado Avalanche – $9.23MM – Semyon Varlamov ($5.9MM), Philipp Grubauer ($3.33MM)
Florida Panthers – $9.23MM – Roberto Luongo ($4.53MM), James Reimer ($3.4MM), Michael Hutchinson ($1.3MM)*
New York Rangers – $9.15MM – Henrik Lundqvist ($8.5MM), Marek Mazanec ($650K)
Chicago Blackhawks – $9.0MM – Corey Crawford ($6.0MM), Cam Ward ($3.0MM)
Nashville Predators – $8.5MM – Pekka Rinne ($7.0MM), Juuse Saros ($1.5MM)
Columbus Blue Jackets – $8.33MM – Sergei Bobrovsky ($7.43MM), Joonas Korpisalo ($900K)
Detroit Red Wings – $8.29MM – Jimmy Howard ($5.29MM), Jonathan Bernier ($3.0MM)
San Jose Sharks – $7.65MM – Martin Jones ($5.75MM), Aaron Dell ($1.9MM)
Dallas Stars – $7.42MM – Ben Bishop ($4.92MM), Anton Khudobin ($2.5MM)
New Jersey Devils – $7.25MM – Cory Schneider ($6.0MM), Keith Kinkaid ($1.25MM)
Ottawa Senators – $7.15MM – Craig Anderson ($4.75MM), Mike Condon ($2.4MM)
Los Angeles Kings – $6.83MM – Jonathan Quick ($5.8MM), Peter Budaj ($1.03MM)
Winnipeg Jets – $6.82MM – Connor Hellebuyck ($6.17MM), Laurent Brossoit ($650K)
Washington Capitals – $6.75MM – Braden Holtby ($6.1MM), Pheonix Copley ($650K)
Edmonton Oilers – $6.67MM – Cam Talbot ($4.17MM), Mikko Koskinen ($2.5MM)
Vegas Golden Knights – $6.4MM – Marc-Andre Fleury ($5.75MM), Malcolm Subban ($650K)
Vancouver Canucks – $6.17MM – Jacob Markstrom ($3.67MM), Anders Nilsson ($2.5MM)
Arizona Coyotes – $6.1MM – Antti Raanta ($4.25MM), Darcy Kuemper ($1.85MM)
St. Louis Blues – $6.1MM – Jake Allen ($4.35MM), Chad Johnson ($1.75MM)
Toronto Maple Leafs – $5.85MM – Frederik Andersen ($5.0MM), Curtis McElhinney ($850K)
Carolina Hurricanes – $5.65MM – Scott Darling ($4.15MM), Petr Mrazek ($1.5MM)
Philadelphia Flyers – $5.25MM – Brian Elliott ($2.75MM), Michal Neuvirth ($2.5MM)
Calgary Flames – $5.05MM – Mike Smith ($4.25MM), David Rittich ($800K)
Minnesota Wild – $4.98MM – Devan Dubnyk ($4.33MM), Alex Stalock ($650K)
New York Islanders – $4.83MM – Thomas Greiss ($3.33MM), Robin Lehner ($1.5MM)
Tampa Bay Lightning – $4.65MM – Andrei Vasilevskiy ($3.5MM), Louis Domingue ($1.15MM)
Pittsburgh Penguins – $4.43MM – Matt Murray ($3.75MM), Tristan Jarry ($675K)
Anaheim Ducks – $4.3MM– John Gibson ($2.3MM), Ryan Miller ($2.0MM)
Buffalo Sabres – $3.5MM – Carter Hutton ($2.75MM), Linus Ullmark ($750K)
*The Panthers are unlikely to carry three goaltenders in the NHL the entire season, but Hutchinson’s one-way contract is still a substantial figure.