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Before collecting the data, I expected to see a correlation in the the amount of money the upper-echelon teams and to a certain position group. What I didn't expect was the randomness of where cap spending of the 16 playoff teams ended up. Sure, the Chicago Blackhawks were in the top 10 for total cap spending, but the Anaheim Ducks are 23rd overall in total cap hit. The Washington Capitals, Predators, and Flames make up five of the bottom teams in terms of total salary.
The Minnesota Wild rank 8th in the league in terms of total cap hit, just ahead of teams like the Kings, Senators, and Rangers. Minnesota falls in rank to number 14 when you tally up total salary. This puts them behind teams like the Red Wings, Maple Leafs, and Penguins.
But enough of the stuff you can find on General Fanager.
To no surprise the Wild spend a good amount of money on the wings and on defense. Chuck Fletcher has the second most money allocated to left wing in the league. Really, with contracts like Zach Parise's on the books it should inflate the numbers pretty quickly. The Canucks were tops in the league - spending $19 million on the left flank. Minnesota is also Top 3 for the right wing position as well. The Wild have a lot of depth and a ton of money spent on the wings and if they want to shed salary, that may be the place to start.
Ryan Suter has a $98 million contract as well and you'd think the Wild are heavy spenders on blue liners. Yes, the over $19 million spent of defensemen is above the league average of $17 million, but the Wild have been lucky to have players that are still on reasonable RFA contracts or even entry-level as in Matt Dumba's. Minnesota is below teams like Washington, St. Louis, and Florida, but higher than Toronto, Los Angeles, and Islanders.
Most intriguing was the money spent on centers. Everyone knows the Wild need centers. With Erik Haula and Mikael Granlund's contracts yet to be signed, and Kyle Brodziak's contract coming off the books, the money isn't really going anywhere. The Wild are cap strapped and only have $10,550,000 committed for the position. That puts them at 24th for money spent on centers. Frankly, they haven't had the players in that position to spend money on, outside of Mikko Koivu. The Blackhawks are the biggest spenders on the pivot with over $26 million committed, and teams like the Penguins, Lightining, Blues, and Kings spending more than $20 million on a position that generational talent comes at a premium.
Ultimately, spending to the cap doesn't guarantee success. It all depends on how the money is allocated. It also matters on the type and how many star players a team has. It's no coincidence that the Blackhawks spend a ton on forwards because of Marian Hossa, and, of course, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Looking at the charts, you can see exactly where the Wild are lacking. Money may not mean everything, but it is interesting to see how the payrolls stacks up against the other 29 franchises. Think of it as a way to grade the performances of the general managers.
The full chart can be seen below:
| Num | Team | Cap Hit | Total Salary | LW | C | RW | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flyers | $69,395,595 | $69,326,190 | $1,812,500 | $22,475,000 | $11,850,000 | $29,158,095 | 4,100,000 |
| 2 | Lightning | $67,887,973 | $70,570,238 | $4,227,499 | $21,016,666 | $7,461,666 | $26,707,142 | 6,875,000 |
| 3 | Canucks | $65,794,166 | $66,458,333 | $19,000,000 | $8,900,000 | $16,400,000 | $22,150,000 | 7,150,000 |
| 4 | Canadiens | $64,275,000 | $64,100,000 | $7,925,000 | $12,000,000 | $9,575,000 | $27,712,500 | 7,062,500 |
| 5 | Bruins | $64,118,810 | $63,150,000 | $10,500,000 | $22,027,143 | $9,475,000 | $15,116,667 | 7,000,000 |
| 6 | Blackhawks | $64,045,127 | $76,863,333 | $12,100,000 | $26,788,332 | $15,775,000 | $15,438,461 | 7,337,500 |
| 7 | Blue Jackets | $62,804,640 | $63,535,500 | $11,050,000 | $15,761,666 | $14,408,333 | $14,159,641 | 7,425,000 |
| 8 | Wild | $61,188,003 | $61,139,167 | $17,438,711 | $10,550,000 | $15,533,334 | $19,265,959 | 4,666,666 |
| 9 | Kings | $59,947,727 | $65,200,000 | $4,950,000 | $20,297,727 | $10,750,000 | $18,150,000 | 5,800,000 |
| 10 | Senators | $59,750,832 | $61,082,500 | $11,300,000 | $9,281,666 | $9,150,000 | $22,244,166 | 7,775,000 |
| 11 | Rangers | $59,500,000 | $68,480,556 | $1,172,500 | $6,500,000 | $5,400,000 | $25,950,000 | 9,950,000 |
| 12 | Avalanche | $58,000,594 | $58,725,000 | $14,354,761 | $16,325,000 | $5,945,833 | $13,150,000 | 7,350,000 |
| 13 | Average | $63,059,039 | $65,719,235 | $9,652,581 | $15,993,600 | $10,977,014 | $20,766,886 | 6,874,306 |
| 14 | Penguins | $57,731,666 | $61,782,500 | $7,662,500 | $23,700,000 | $8,000,000 | $12,619,166 | 5,750,000 |
| 15 | Blues | $57,009,166 | $58,052,500 | $8,150,000 | $20,550,000 | $6,072,500 | $19,936,666 | 2,500,000 |
| 16 | Hurricanes | $55,952,498 | $56,432,500 | $8,161,666 | $17,705,833 | $7,000,000 | $13,159,999 | 8,550,000 |
| 17 | Red Wings | $55,907,877 | $62,154,167 | $11,983,333 | $16,103,333 | $3,954,545 | $17,837,500 | 6,029,166 |
| 18 | Sharks | $54,958,330 | $55,370,000 | $9,425,832 | $22,861,666 | $3,326,666 | $14,704,166 | 1,600,000 |
| 19 | Islanders | $54,749,642 | $62,474,167 | $8,487,500 | $20,913,333 | $8,550,000 | $18,098,809 | 4,500,000 |
| 20 | Stars | $54,339,999 | $54,950,833 | $10,900,000 | $17,050,000 | $5,739,166 | $16,250,000 | 5,900,000 |
| 21 | Maple Leafs | $54,339,999 | $62,132,500 | $9,500,000 | $8,837,500 | $13,300,000 | $18,369,166 | 2,300,000 |
| 22 | Oilers | $53,057,916 | $53,383,750 | $13,975,000 | $10,617,500 | $13,817,500 | $12,269,166 | 2,300,000 |
| 23 | Panthers | $52,283,707 | $54,065,208 | $5,200,000 | $13,411,666 | $6,125,000 | $19,763,708 | 6,383,333 |
| 24 | Ducks | $51,405,830 | $52,160,000 | $5,925,000 | $15,744,166 | $10,791,666 | $17,073,332 | 1,871,666 |
| 25 | Capitals | $49,765,959 | $49,832,500 | $12,463,461 | $11,775,000 | $4,560,832 | $20,016,666 | 950,000 |
| 26 | Jets | $48,152,498 | $50,065,000 | $5,228,333 | $8,563,333 | $6,800,000 | $23,535,832 | 4,475,000 |
| 27 | Devils | $47,895,833 | $50,006,667 | $16,750,000 | $16,900,000 | $825,000 | $6,445,833 | 6,725,000 |
| 28 | Flames | $47,854,566 | $47,475,833 | $5,325,000 | $17,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $22,937,066 | 4,500,000 |
| 29 | Sabres | $42,085,355 | $46,911,865 | $12,762,500 | $11,244,166 | $4,250,000 | $12,528,689 | 1,300,000 |
| 30 | Predators | $40,355,474 | $46,845,000 | $10,500,000 | $4,144,166 | $1,000,000 | $16,986,308 | 7,725,000 |
| 31 | Coyotes | $34,194,442 | $34,726,944 | $2,500,000 | $8,291,666 | $6,153,333 | $7,513,333 | 5,666,666 |