Will goalies be left out of NHL’s financial boom?
Seemingly every other day this offseason, shockingly enormous contracts are getting handed out in the NHL. From Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson getting $18 million per season for five years after receiving an offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, to Washington Capitals winger Ryan Leonard and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium signing mammoth eight-year extensions after just one full season of NHL experience, money has been getting thrown around in a way that would make faces melt on fans from the NHL’s flat-cap era.
We’re in a new age, however, and the NHL’s increasing revenue and balooning salary cap means these types of deals will soon become the norm, and maybe even bargains down the line. One position that’s yet to see the fruits the NHL’s new financial reality, though, is goaltending. The league’s highest paid goaltender is still the New York Rangers‘ Igor Shesterkin with an average annual value of roughly $11.5 million. That deal was signed in late 2024, before the salary cap began to grow by leaps and bounds.
On Tuesday’s episode of The Sheet, host Jeff Marek was joined by Jonny Lazarus, Tyler Yaremchuk, and Jay Rosehill to discuss whether goaltenders’ salaries will expand as they have for forwards and defensemen.
Jeff Marek: Are the goalies going to be the ones here that get phased out of getting paid? Here’s what I wonder about. The threat of the offer sheet is always the big one. Jesper Wallstedt is a restricted free agent next July with arbitration rights. A goalie has never been offer sheeted before in the history of the NHL. That is the domain of the forwards and the defensemen. Do we see goalies being the ones shut out of this financial windfall that your Zeev Buiums, Ryan Leonards, Leo Carlssons are all enjoying?
Tyler Yaremchuk: Did you happen to see the quote from (New Jersey Devils general manager) Sunny Mehta the other day? NHL.com asked him “What will determine whether your goaltending plan is successful?”, and to paraphrase it for a minute, he basically said you’ve got to pick your money in some spot, and because there is randomness at the position I’m reluctant to invest significant assets there instead of in areas where the results may be more predictable.
Fascinating, because it’s the most important position. Talk to Edmonton, if you don’t got it you’re not going all that far. But the idea that one of the new, bright, up and coming minds in the sport is saying “It’s just luck.”
You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Tuesday’s episode here…
