This week, a more in-depth look at the Montreal Canadiens rather than the entire National Hockey League. The question: Which Habs player is the least expensive in terms of producing points? (OK, the question needs some work…) To elaborate, how much does it cost the Habs organization for each player to produce a single point? The costs range, from as low as just over $10,000, to as much as over $1.9 million dollars for 1 point, be it an assist or a goal.
But which Hab is the best in this department? I’m sure you can figure out who’s worst. (I’ll give you a clue, he’s a goalie with the number 60.) For the rest though, you’ll have to read the chart…
| Player | Salary | Points | Salary per point (SPP) |
| 1) 73-Ryder | $605,000 | 41 | $10,329.27 |
| 2) 71-Ribeiro | $847,000 | 47 | $12,614.89 |
| 3) 26-Dagenais | $500,000 | 17 | $20,588.23 |
| 4) 44-Souray | $1,600,000 | 35 | $32,000.00 |
| 5) 38-Bulis | $1,150,000 | 23 | $35,000.00 |
| 6) 20-Zednik | $1,850.000 | 32 | $40,468.75 |
| 7) 51-Bouillon | $500,000 | 8 | $43,750.00 |
| 8) 22-Begin | $400,000 | 6 | $46,666.67 |
| 9) 79-Markov | $1,300,000 | 19 | $47,894.74 |
| 10) 17-Ward | $750,000 | 7 | $75,000.00 |
| 11) 11-Koivu | $4,250,000 | 36 | $82,638.88 |
| 12) 37-Sundstrom | $1,950,000 | 15 | $91,000.00 |
| 13) 90-Juneau | $2,025,000 | 14 | $101,249.99 |
| 14) 94-Perreault | $2,800,000 | 19 | $103,157.89 |
| 15) 15-Langdon | $500,000 | 3 | $116,666.66 |
| 16) 24-Dackell | $1,400,000 | 8 | $122,500.00 |
| 17) 25-Kilger | $800,000 | 4 | $140,000.00 |
| 18) 43-Brisebois | $4,000,000 | 19 | $147,368.41 |
| 19) 52-Rivet | $2,500,000 | 11 | $159,090.90 |
| 20) 5-Quintal | $1,500,000 | 4 | $262,500.00 |
| 21) 46-Gratton | $470,000 | 1 | $329,000.00 |
| 22) 65-Hainsey | $1,075,000 | 2 | $376,250.00 |
| 23) 81-Hossa | $1,075,000 | 2 | $376,250.00 |
| 24) 60-Theodore | $5,500,000 | 2 | $1,925,000 |
| 25) 32-Dwyer | $500,000 | 0 | N/A |
| 26) 35-Plekanec | $550,000 | 0 | N/A |
| 27) 76-Balej | $570,000 | 0 | N/A |
| 28) 30-Garon | $1,000,000 | 0 | N/A |
| 29) 8-Komisarek | $1,130,000 | 0 | N/A |
| 30) 88-Higgins | $1,185,000 | 0 | N/A |
Point totals as of games played through February 12th, 2004.
There are a couple of points you need to know about this chart. Firstly, both Francois Beauchemin and Karl Dykhuis were not included as, despite being with the team, they have not yet played so far this season. Second, and most importantly, the salary per point total was done by dividing the player’s points by total salary, and then multiplying by 70%. (The 70% is because the season is 70% completed, this factors in the potential for more points to come.)
So, a trio of youth lead the way, not surprising as their contracts are all low because of their age. If we were to do this in 3 years, this would likely not be the case, unless Ryder, Ribeiro or Dagenais were to become the top scorer in the league, which likely won’t happen. What’s interesting to note is Koivu, whose SPP is a little high. This is because this stat does not factor in games played, and points per game. Factoring in these omissions, Koivu’s SPP is $63,297.87, good for 10th overall. Not surprisingly, Jose Theodore is last in this category, as he isn’t expected to produce points; he has already equalled last season’s totals.
One thing is for certain in this particular category, and that is it won’t be the same come next season. The leaders’ salaries will increase, and a new leader will emerge. For this season however, it doesn’t matter who wins, what’s most important is that everyone produces, or else the “game” will become lowest score on the golf course.
Questions/comments? E-mail me at b.larose@habsworld.net.
Player salaries courtesy of the National Hockey League Players Association