The NHL is currently in a wild era of spending. We are seeing massive contracts fly around like confetti at a parade. Look at the Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson, who just secured $18 million per season for five years. We saw massive eight-year extensions for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium and Washington Capitals winger Ryan Leonard too. It is a total shift from the old days of the flat cap. But while forwards and defensemen are laughing all the way to the bank, the guys in the crease are looking at an empty wallet.
The goalie salary gap grows
The money is moving, but it isn’t moving toward the net. The highest-paid goalie in the league is still Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers. His deal averages roughly $11.5 million. According to Daily Faceoff, that contract was signed in late 2024, well before the salary cap started growing at this breakneck speed. While the rest of the league enjoys a financial boom, the goaltending market feels stuck in the past.
The risk of the position
General managers are clearly scared of the volatility in the crease. On a recent episode of The Sheet, host Jeff Marek questioned if goalies will be the ones left out of this wealth. He observed that the possibility of an offer sheet constitutes a significant factor. He pointed out that a goalie has never been offer sheeted in NHL history, as that usually happens to forwards or defensemen. It is a different game for the netminders.
The logic for avoiding big goalie deals is pretty cold. Per Daily Faceoff, New Jersey Devils general manager Sunny Mehta recently shared his view on the matter. When asked by NHL.com what would make his goaltending plan work, he suggested that teams have to pick where to spend their money. He basically said that because there is randomness at the position, he is reluctant to spend significant assets there instead of in more predictable areas.
