League Pay Trends
How each position group's pay has moved across the cap era — measured as a share of the salary cap, never in nominal dollars. Descriptive contract distribution only; no value model, no bargain claim.
Data as of 2025-26
The typical (median) cap hit in each group, as a fraction of that season's cap ceiling.
Cap share — each group's slice of total league contract spend.
Top-end pay — median of each group's top 10% of cap hits. The goalie top-end is the median of the top ~10% of the goalie pool (≈3-4 contracts) — structurally thin in every season, so it is always drawn dashed and should be read with its n.
| Group | Median % cap | Cap share | Top-10% median | n (median) | n (share) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forwards | 3.1% | 58.3% | 9.2% | 416 | 561 |
| Defense | 3.6% | 32.2% | 9.4% | 214 | 324 |
| Goalies | 2.4% | 9.6% | 9.4%* | 39 | 100 |
* goalie top-end is the median of ≈3-4 contracts (top ~10% of the goalie pool) — structurally thin, read with caution.
% of cap only, never nominal. A $4M deal in 2010 and a $7M deal in 2024 can be the same cap commitment — nominal dollars are meaningless across the cap era.
Era-scoring drift: league scoring has risen over this span, which shifts what production a contract buys.
Roster-composition drift: how teams allocate lineup slots changes over time, moving these shares independent of price.
Descriptive, not predictive — this is pay distribution, not an efficiency, surplus, or bargain claim.
Goalie series are thin-sample (~30 goalies league-wide) — read the n before trusting a goalie line, especially top-end.