The Underpaid NHL Superstar

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, - There are 120 players in the NBA this season who will be paid more than Matthews. Steph Curry just signed a new deal to pay him $62 million a season — which is almost five times what Matthews is getting paid. At $70 million, Shohei Ohtani outreaches everyone in major-league North American sport. And quarterback Joe Burrow will make more money this season with the Cincinnati Bengals — $55 million — than Matthews will be paid for the entirety of his four-year deal with the Leafs. - Bigger picture, it makes you wonder: Are hockey’s greatest players getting paid what they deserve? Before there was a salary cap, Jaromir Jagr and Peter Forsberg were the highest paid players in the game. Their salary was $11 million in 2004. That was 20 years ago. At the time, Brett Favre was the highest-paid player in the NFL at $9 million a season. Shaquille O’Neal topped the NBA at $28 million and Manny Ramirez led baseball, taking home $22 million. NFL star salaries have gone up by six times since 2004, while baseball and basketball have basically doubled since then. NHL star salaries are up 20% in a 20-year-period in which league revenue is up 200%. Something doesn’t add up from the players’ end on this one, especially from the super duper stars such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the giant difference-makers. - The value of the Maple Leafs as a franchise in 2004 was $228 million. The estimated value now is $1.5 billion. a few more hockey notes