How much does it cost to win the Stanley Cup? Colorado Avalanche Spent The Most To Win The Stanley Cup in 2022
High salaries and big bucks is synonymous with the sporting world, but how much does money talk in the NHL?
The team at Pickswise had a look at the last 10 Stanley Cup victors just to see how much the squad was worth based on that season’s salaries.
Over the span of 10 seasons, the salary cap within the NHL has increased from 60 million to 82.5 million, and whilst teams have been able to pour more money into their squads, does it really necessarily mean success?
For current Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche, it does. Their 2022 squad was the most expensive winning roster in the past decade, with their winning team totalling over $86m from their base regular season salaries.
Meanwhile, 2021 victors Tampa Bay Lightning was one of the cheapest squads, with a total of just over $52m. Although a season of COVID-19 restrictions and changes is also something to consider here.
Last 10 Stanley Cup winning teams ranked on their average base salary
| Team | Winning Year | Base Salary Total | Base Salary Average |
| Colorado Avalanche |
2022 |
$86,340,000.00 |
$3,453,600.00 |
| LA Kings |
2014 |
$75,635,000.00 |
$3,288,478.26 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins |
2017 |
$78,510,333.00 |
$3,271,263.88 |
| Washington Capitals |
2018 |
$71,442,400.00 |
$3,247,381.82 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins |
2016 |
$77,257,500.00 |
$3,219,062.50 |
| St Louis Blues |
2019 |
$75,246,500.00 |
$3,135,270.83 |
| Chicago Blackhawks |
2015 |
$80,417,500.00 |
$3,092,980.77 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning |
2020 |
$73,197,500.00 |
$2,711,018.52 |
| Chicago Blackhawks |
2013 |
$60,670,000.00 |
$2,426,800.00 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning |
2021 |
$52,262,500.00 |
$2,272,282.61 |
Las Vegas Golden Knights currently top both their division and the league, and to some it may not come as a shock to hear that, as per capfriendly.com, the Golden Knights are currently predicted to have no cap space at the end of the regular season.
Bruce Cassidy’s men will be hoping that their current seven game win streak will continue and they can prove doubters wrong as they currently sit at +1400 to win the Stanley Cup.
However, the $10m price tag on Jack Eichel is a worthy spend, with the 26-year-old currently leading the team with most points at 14, although that is a far cry from Edmonton’s Connor McDavid who leads the leagues with points at 27.
Last seasons’ victors currently lead the way in odds to win the Stanley Cup at +450, despite their current third position in their division. The Avs are on their way back, starting November off with two wins, however with their captain Gabriel Landeskog on IR the team might just be facing some further challenges.
But money currently isn’t an issue for Jared Bednar’s team. According to capfriendly, Colorado are currently predicted to end the regular season with over $1.7m cap space.
While space might be available for the Colorado Avalanche in this year’s salary cap, the team will be hoping that the NHL will agree to yet another increase to the cap, with Nathan MacKinnon signing a contract extension with the team worth $100,800,000 over eight years.
Commentary from Pickswise representative Cassie Nunn-Price
“With standout players such as MacKinnon, McDavid, and Auston Matthews, all earning huge sums of money whilst still in their 20s, plus league veterans such as Alex Ovechkin, Anze Kopitar, and Sidney Crosby not only earning huge salaries, but showing no-signs of slowing down, it’s fair to say that the high price tag on players does mean something.
“But we are seeing an increase in younger players getting paid huge sums so early on in their career, the players are only going to start expecting to be valued higher and higher as time goes on.
“It’ll be important for the league to increase the salary cap to give more opportunities to young, talented players to make their mark within the league, but it is also vital that the increase doesn’t allow teams to create a team of well-paid giants of the hockey world that could thrash any contender.”
Methodology
Data was collected from CapFriendly.com. Names that were engraved onto the Stanley Cup for the last 10 winning teams were collected, and base salary data collected for each player for the corresponding winning season.