A few years back, we were all under the misconception that the longer a professional player’s name appeared on a roster, the more value he had with his contract. In today’s NHL, contracts are worth a whole lot more than they used to be, and the name game is still significant. Since the 2016-17 season started, there have been many articles that have focused on the meaning of each NHL contract acronym.
While there’s no denying that the desire to have the best possible lineup is a motivating factor for teams and players alike, using the language of hockey contracts can get a bit tricky. So let’s run down the list of acronyms and their possible definitions, shall we?
Table of Contents
AAV
This is the first acronym we need to cover. It stands for “Average Annual Value”, and refers to the average annual value of a contract. Looking at the list of the league’s most expensive contracts for the 2016-17 season, we can see that AAV is a reasonable way to value player contracts. Many of the players on that list signed multi-year deals in the five- to seven-figure range. This past year, several players were rumored to be looking for AAVs well in excess of $10 million per season. Let’s also remember that AAV is not guaranteed money; if a player is paid in full before the end of the season, the team that signed him pays the league minimum for the rest of the year.
ABOVE MINIMUM
These are the next group of player contract acronyms, and they refer to a player’s ‘A’ level of play. If you’ll remember, the ‘A’ level refers to a player’s performance that is at or above the average level of play. If a team wants to sign a player, they will have to prove to the league that he is still able to play at a high level. The easiest way for them to do that is by offering him a contract at or above the minimum salary. As a result, a player’s ‘A’ level is the base level of his contract. The minimum salary is $650,000 for the 2019-20 season. That’s very close to $7 million per year, which is a considerable raise from the league minimum of $525,000.
BENCHMARK
This is another group of player contract acronyms that refer to a player’s statistics in comparison to those of other players on the same team. It’s important to remember that these are objective measures, so they can be used to compare players fairly. The most significant of these statistics is ‘goals’, ‘assists’, and ‘points’ (G+A+P). These are the basic numbers used to calculate a player’s overall effectiveness on the ice. If you’ll remember, Benching is getting a player off the ice for regular ice time so that another player can get some playing time. Benchmarking is frequently used in the offseason to determine who gets the most playing time between the two, and it has the potential to get a little messy in the middle of a season. In some cases, a player’s performance on the ice can dictate whether or not he gets benched. In others, it can cause a player to get benched even when his numbers are good. The last thing a team wants is for a player to get injured during a game, and then have to deal with all of the ramifications of that injury. In that case, you’d better believe that benching is a big no-no.
CAREER LEADER
This is another way of referring to a player’s statistics, but it’s a bit more special because it includes all of the relevant information in one spot. A career leader is an individual who has accumulated the most points (goals plus assists) during a single season. The most important fact to keep in mind is that this is solely based on the statistics that are tracked by the league. The total number of games played does not factor into the equation. This is why, in some cases, a player can accumulate a large number of points without ever having played in a particularly high level of competition. These are the contract extensions that teams give out to their own players, as a result of their performance during the season. If you’ll remember, a career leader is used to identify the best players at each position, and allows teams to negotiate better contracts with those players.
INTELLIGENCE
Finally, we have intelligence!, or as some might say, ‘info’. This is a grouping of contract acronyms that refer to a player’s ability to make smart decisions on the ice. One of the most important things to note is that these are evaluations that are solely done based on a player’s performance during the season. There is also a subjective component involved, as there’s always some element of opinion in every bit of information. For example, if a player’s contract calls for him to report for training camp in the fall, and he fails to report, that could be perceived as a decision issue. In that case, it would be reasonable for an opposing team to question whether or not he’s trying to hide from them. In any event, intelligence is one of the most important attributes to have in an NHL player, and a significant factor in whether or not he’ll succeed in the league.
Of course, there isn’t just one way of looking at player contracts. Each individual contract is unique and has its own special language that the parties involved use to make their intentions known. This is why it’s important to always have a professional services person review and explain any contract to you before you sign it. Only then can you be sure that you fully understand what the terms are, and it also allows you to ask any questions that might arise during the process. In the end, no two contracts are ever going to be exactly the same, and that’s part of the fun!