Contracts (Including extensions, releases, restructures)

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Contracts
Contracts are always listed in terms of flat salary and the last season of such contract. For example, $10m (2024) is a contract the pays $10m each season through the 2024 season.

Except for any contract inherited in 2021-22, all contracts must be no longer than five years. Also, for a given salary, all contacts have term limits (max years contract can be per the salary) as provided below.

Salary range (per year), Maximum Years
$1m or less = 2 years
$1.1m - $4.9m = 3 years
$5.0m - $7.9mm = 4 years
$8m or higher = 5 years (max years is 5)

Releasing Players Under Contract
All contracts are non-binding, you may release a player at any time. However, bonuses are given to each contract for the duration of the contract that will count against your salary cap. They are as follows:

Player's yearly salary/amount of bonus each year:
$1.0m or less = no bonus
$1.1m - $3.0m = $500k
$3.1m - $5.0m = $1.0m
$5.1m - $7.0m = $2.0m
$7.1m - $10.0m = $3.0m
$10.1m or higher = $4.0m

Example - The Penguins sign Sidney Crosby for $45.0m. Contract is set for 5 years @ $9.0m per. Crosby's bonus each year is $3.0m for each of the 5 years he was signed for, whether he plays for the Penguins or another team, since his yearly salary ($9.0m) is in the $7.1-10.0m range (based on the bonus chart). Remember, if you release a player, any remaining years he has on the contract will have its bonus affect your cap for its duration. Always check your contract lengths.

-If a team releases a player, that team may not re-sign said player for 30 days.

Contract Buyout
For a contract buyout, a GM must pay his bonus salary for the current season, plus all salary bonuses in each year after in the current season. This will allow a GM to not accrue any cap hits for any future years of a forfeited contract. No buyouts allowed once playoffs start.

Example: If the Penguins release Crosby at $9.0m (2024), he is due a signing bonus of $3.0m per year. Therefore, the team must pay his bonus this season ($3.0m) plus his 2022, 2023, and 2024 bonuses, a total $12M. Therefore, the team may release Crosby, and not take a cap hit to his contract for any season after the current one if the team pays $12.0m for a contract buyout in 2021.


Extensions
Extensions can only be given in the last season of a player's contract or after the final season of a player's contract before the league rolls over to the next league year. Salary is based on player's top positional ranking from the last two complete seasons. If the player qualifies at multiple positions, it is the highest total between them. If in offseason, last two complete seasons. If current season before week 14 of current season, last two seasons and current. If after week 14 of current NHL season, then it will be last complete season and current season. $2M is the minimum extension value. Contracts are subject to maximum years and bonus guidelines, as follows:

REGULAR SEASON, PRE-NHL WEEK 14 (2021-22): 2019-20 and 2020-21 rankings are used (Prior 2 seasons)
REGULAR SEASON, AFTER NHL WEEK 14 (2021-22): 2020-21 and 2021-22 rankings are used (so current and 1 yr prior)
OFFSEASON (between 2021-22 & 2022-23); 2020-21 and 2021-22 rankings are used

Note: Values will be adjusted when required based on contracts within the league and periodically updated. The highest-paid player at that position will set the top value, then the rest will go down from there.

EFFECTIVE FOR START OF 2021-22 SEASON

Centers
1-13.5
2-12.6
3-12.0
4-11.5
5-6-11.0
7-10.9
8-10.5
9-9.7
10-9.5
11-9.3
12-9.2
13� � � � 9.0
14� � � � 8.8
15� � � � 8.5
16� � � � 8.3
17� � � � 8.1
18� � � � 8.0
19� � � � 7.8
20-7.6
21-23-7.5
24� � � � 7.3
25� � � � 7.2
26� � � � 7.1
27� � � � 7.0
28� � � � 6.8
29� � � � 6.6
30� � � � 6.5
31-32 � 6.4
33� � � � 6.3
34-36 � 6.2
37-38 � 6.1
39-42 � 6.0
43-44 � 5.9
45-46 � 5.8
47-48 � 5.7
49� � � � 5.6
50� � � � 5.5
51-53 � 5.4
54-55 � 5.3
56-57 � 5.2
58-59 � 5.1
60-64 � 5.0
65-69 � 4.7
70-72 � 4.5
73� � � � 4.3
74� � � � 4.1
75-80 � � � 4.0
81-85 � � � 3.7
86-90 � � � 3.5
91-95 � � � 3.3
96-101 � � 3.2
102-105 � 3.1
106-109 � 3.0
110-113� � 2.9
114-117� � 2.8
118 � � � � � 2.7
119 � � � � � 2.6
120 � � � � � 2.5
121 � � � � � 2.4
122 � � � � � 2.3
123-24� � � 2.2
125+� � ��� �2.0

Wingers
1 � 16.0
2 � 14.0
3 � 12.5
4 � 11.0
5 � 10.5
6 � 10.0
7 � � 9.5
8 � � 9.0
9 � � 8.5
10-14 � 8.0
15-20 � 7.7
21-25 � 7.3
26-30 � 7.0
31-33 � 6.7
34-36 � 6.5
37-39 � 6.2
40-42 � 6.0
43 � 5.8�
44 � 5.5
45 � 5.3
46 � 5.2
47 � 5.0
48 � 4.8
49 � 4.6
50 � 4.5
51 � 4.3
52 � 4.2
53 � 4.0
54 � 3.8
55 � 3.6
56 � 3.5
57 � 3.3
58 � 3.1
59-60 � 3.0
61� � � � 2.8
62� � � � 2.6
63� � � � 2.5
64� � � � 2.3
65-70� �2.1
71+� � � 2.0

Defense
1� � � � � � 14.5
2� � � � � � 14.0
3� � � � � � 13.5
4� � � � � � 13.0
5� � � � � � 12.5
6� � � � � � 12.0
7� � � � � � 11.5
8� � � � � � 11.0
9� � � � � � 11.0
10� � � � � 10.6
11� � � � � 10.5
12� � � � � 10.4
13� � � � � 10.3
14� � � � � 10.2
15-17 � � 10.0
18� � � � � � 9.8
19� � � � � � 9.7
20-21 � � � 9.5
22� � � � � � 9.4
23� � � � � � 9.3
24� � � � � � 9.2
25-27 � � � 9.0
28� � � � � � 8.8
29-30 � � � 8.7
31� � � � � � 8.5
32� � � � � � 8.3
33� � � � � � 8.0
34� � � � � � 7.7
35-36 � � � 7.5
37� � � � � � 7.2
38� � � � � � 7.0
39� � � � � � 6.8
40� � � � � � 6.7
41-42 � � � 6.5
43� � � � � � 6.3
44� � � � � � 6.2
45-54 � � � 6.0
55-64 � � � 5.5
65-74 � � � 5.0
75-84 � � � 4.5
85-94 � � � 4.0
95-104 � � 3.5
105� � � � � 3.0
106-110 � 2.8
111-114� � 2.5
115-120� � 2.3
121+�� � � ��2.0

Goalies
1� � 14.3
2� � 13.5
3� � 12.9
4� � 12.3
5� � 11.7
6� � 11.1
7� � 10.5
8 � � 9.9
9 � � 9.4
10 � 8.9
11 � 8.3
12 � 8.1
13 � 7.9
14 � 7.7
15 � 7.6
16 � 7.4
17 � 7.3
18 � 7.1
19 � 7.0
20 � 6.9
21 � 6.8
22 � 6.7
23 � 6.6
24 � 6.4
25 � 6.3
26 � 6.2
27 � 6.2
28 � 6.1
29 � 6.0
30 � 5.9
31 � 5.8
32 � 5.7
33 � 5.7
34 � 5.6
35 � 5.5
36 � 5.5
37 � 5.4
38 � 5.4
39 � 5.3
40 � 5.2
41 � 5.2
42 � 5.1
43 � 5.1
44 � 5.1
45 � 5.0
46 � 5.0
47 � 4.9
48 � 4.9
49 � 4.9
50 � 4.8
51 � 4.8
52 � 4.8
53 � 4.7
54 � 4.7
55 � 4.7
56 � 4.6
57 � 4.6
58 � 4.6
59 � 4.5
60 � 4.5
61 � 4.4
62 � 4.4
63 � 4.3
64 � 4.3
65 � 4.2
66 � 4.2
67 � 4.1
68 � 4.1
69 � 4.0
70 � 3.9
71 � 3.8
72 � 3.7
73 � 3.6
74 � 3.5
75 � 3.4
76 � 3.3
77 � 3.2
78 � 3.1
79 � 3.0
80 � 2.9
81 � 2.8
82 � 2.7
83 � 2.6
84 � 2.5
85 � 2.4
86 � 2.3
87 � 2.2
88-89�� 2.1
90+ � 2.0