Every NHL club has one thing on its mind every season: a Stanley Cup.
Winning hockey's most coveted trophy is a rare, rewarding feat for those that can climb to the top of the NHL mountain. Between skating around the rink with the Cup held up high, to the celebrations throughout the winning city, there are plenty of memories made for hockey champions.
With that said, no one ever can complain about getting extra money, and that's actually what happens in the playoffs.
It's no secret that NHL players don't get nearly as much money as those in the NBA or NFL do. But for organizations that make the postseason, there is a bit of money that comes back to their players.
NHL PLAYOFFS: FULL BRACKET | PREDICTIONS | POWER RANKINGS
Here are the details on the playoff money given out to NHL clubs.
Do NHL players get paid in the playoffs?
Yes, players continue to get paid in the playoffs.
Contracts in the NHL run are paid from July 1, which typically is the first day of free agency of the new season, to June 30, marking the end of the season. So even players on teams that aren't participating in the postseason still get paid, in addition to those competing in the playoffs.
How do playoff bonuses work in the NHL?
In the NHL, individual playoff bonuses are actually not allowed, for the most part. While other sports can add incentives to contract deals based on how far the player's team goes in the postseason, hockey clubs are prohibited from structuring those types of bonuses into contracts.
The exceptions are players on entry-level contracts or players over the age of 35. Those are the only cases where bonuses may be given out as a result of playoff performances.
With that said, there is still a bit of cash that players receive if they make the postseason. The NHL and NHLPA set aside a playoff bonus pool that is distributed to each playoff team based on how far they advance. It is a part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which can be found here.
Here is the breakdown of the playoff money and how it is distributed:
- Presidents’ Trophy winner - $500,000
- First-round losers - $2 million ($250,000 each to eight teams)
- Second-round losers - $2 million ($500,000 each to four teams)
- Conference final losers - $2.5 million ($1.25 million each to two teams)
- Stanley Cup Finalist - $2.25 million
- Stanley Cup Champion - $3.75 million
It is up to the individual teams how they want to divvy up the dollars. Players that don't play in many playoff games may not get a full share of the money, while regulars that play in all of the organization's postseason games may all receive an equal amount.
