It’s a great gig, if you can get it.
National Hockey League players are rewarded well for the job they do, and that includes players on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs are projected to spend more than $67 million on players in 2018-19.Ā Though the team is a Stanley Cup favourite, their payroll actually qualifies as one of the lowest in the entire NHL.
For now, anyway.
Contract holdout William Nylander (not listed below) is expected to be paid handsomely whenever he eventually signs. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will also be paid significantly more than their listed contracts after performance bonuses kick in.
The coming seasons should see the Leafs bump up near the top of the league in terms of payroll, as Matthews and Marner are in the final year of their entry-level contracts, and will cash in.
The highest-paid player on the Maple Leafs this season is John Tavares, who will make more than anyone else in the entire NHL this season, at $15.9 million. The average annual value of his seven-year, $77 million contract is lower though, so his cap hit is only $11 million.
In total, 10 Leafs players will make over $2 million per season, with 13 under $1 million before bonuses. The “poorest” players on the team are Frederik Gauthier, Tyler Ennis, and Justin Holl – who will all make $650,000 each in the NHL this season.
That means that Tavares will make more than 24 times more than the lowest paid player on the team in 2018-19.
Name | Position | Cap hit | Salary |
John Tavares | Forward | $11 million | $15.9 million |
Patrick Marleau | Forward | $6.25 million | $6 million |
Morgan Rielly | Defenceman | $5 million | $5 million |
Frederik Andersen | Goaltender | $5 million | $5 million |
Nazem Kadri | Forward | $4.5 million | $4.5 million |
Nikita Zaitsev | Defenceman | $4.5 million | $4.5 million |
Jake Gardiner | Defenceman | $4.05 million | $4.05 million |
Ron Hainsey | Defenceman | $3 million | $2.4 million |
Connor Brown | Forward | $2.1 million | $2.1 million |
Zach Hyman | Forward | $2.25 million | $2 million |
Josh Leivo | Forward | $925,000 | $925,000 |
Auston Matthews | Forward | $925,000 | $925,000 |
Par Lindholm | Forward | $925,000 | $925,000 |
Igor Ozhiganov | Defenceman | $925,000 | $925,000 |
Mitch Marner | Forward | $894,167 | $832,500 |
Kasperi Kapanen | Forward | $863,333 | $832,500 |
Travis Dermott | Defenceman | $863,333 | $832,500 |
Martin Marincin | Defenceman | $800,000 | $800,000 |
Andreas Johnsson | Forward | $787,500 | $787,500 |
Garret Sparks | Goaltender | $675,000 | $700,000 |
Frederik Gauthier | Forward | $675,000 | $650,000 |
Tyler Ennis | Forward | $650,000 | $650,000 |
Justin Holl | Defenceman | $675,000 | $650,000 |