CBA School: Exhibit 5 – Performance Bonuses
By Ryan Pike
3 years agoLast but not least in our tour of the CBA is Performance Bonuses. While players signing deals at age 35 or older have a lot of bonus leeway, players on entry level deals can only get Exhibit 5 bonuses or games played bonuses.
Let’s dive into Exhibit 5: Performance Bonuses.
Category A Bonuses
Category A bonuses are for clubs to pay to rookies for hitting thresholds or for performance excellence relative to the rest of the team – provided they were negotiated into the deal. Players can get a maximum of $212,500 for any specific category and it maxes out per season at $850,000 in the aggregate.
Forwards:
- Top six forwards on team in either aggregate or average ice time (minimum 42 GP)
- 20+ goals
- 35+ assists
- 60+ points
- 0.73 points per game (minimum 42 GP)
- Top three forwards on team in plus/minus (minimum 42 GP)
- Named to All-Rookie Team
- Selected to All-Star Game
- Named All-Star Game MVP
Defensemen:
- Top four defenders on team in either aggregate or average ice time (minimum 42 GP)
- 10+ goals
- 25+ assists
- 40+ points
- 0.49 points per game (minimum 42 GP)
- Top three defenders on team in plus/minus (minimum 42 GP)
- Top two defenders on team in blocked shots (minimum 42 GP)
- Named to All-Rookie Team
- Selected to All-Star Game
- Named All-Star Game MVP
Goaltenders:
- 1,800+ minutes played
- Goals against average equal to or less than the median GAA of all goalies with 25+ GP
- Save percentage equal to or greater than the median SV% of all goalies with 25+ GP
- 20+ wins
- Shutouts equal to or greater than the median shutouts of all goalies with 25+ GP
- Named to All-Rookie Team
- Selected to All-Star Game
- Named All-Star Game MVP
Category B Bonuses
Here’s the gist of Category B: everybody on an ELC is eligible for bonuses from the league (which don’t count against the cap). But Category B bonuses from the team have to be negotiated into the contract (and they count against the cap). Teams and players can negotiate whatever bonuses they want to based on Category B awards, but the absolute maximum they can pay in any combination of Category B bonuses is $2 million per season.
Players can only negotiate club-paid bonuses for the following trophies: the Hart, Norris, Selke and Conn Smythe (determined by the PHWA), the Vezina (determined by GMs), and the Richard and Jennings (which are both pure statistical awards).
AWARDS:
The league gives bonuses to players on ELCs for the following award finishes:
Top 5 in balloting for the Hart, Norris, Vezina, Selke and Richard:
- $250,000 for first
- $200,000 for second
- $150,000 for third
- $100,000 for fourth
- $50,000 for fifth
Top 3 in balloting for the Lady Byng:
- $150,000 for first
- $100,000 for second
- $50,000 for third
Winning the Jennings is worth $50,000
Top 3 in balloting for the Calder:
- $212,500 for first
- $150,000 for second
- $100,000 for third
A First Team All-Star nod is worth $100,000, a Second Team All-Star nod is worth $50,000
Winning the Conn Smythe is worth $250,000
STAT LEADERS:
There are also bonuses for finishing among the league leaders in a statistical category:
Forwards:
- Top 10 in goals, assists or points ranges from $150,000 for first to $60,000 for 10th
- Top 10 in points per game (42+ GP) ranges from $100,000 for first to $10,000 for 10th
Defensemen:
- Top 10 in goals, assists or points ranges from $150,000 for first to $60,000 for 10th
- Top 10 in points per game (42+ GP), average time on ice (42+ GP) or aggregate ice time ranges from $100,000 for first to $10,000 for 10th
Goalies:
- Top 5 in goals against average (25+ GP), save percentage (25+ GP) or wins ranges from $150,000 for first to $110,000 for fifth
An illustration…
Here’s a snapshot of the bonuses negotiated into the contracts of first rounders signed from the past three NHL Drafts, and you can see the cascading nature of Category A and B bonuses as we slide into the later part of the first round:
| Drafted | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| 1st | $2,850,000 | $2,850,000 | $2,850,000 |
| 2nd | $2,650,000 | $2,650,000 | $2,650,000 |
| 3rd | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 |
| 4th | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 | $1,973,333 (avg.) |
| 5th | $1,550,000 | $1,250,000 (avg.) | $2,850,000 |
| 6th | $850,000 | $850,000 | $850,000 |
| 7th | $850,000 | $687,500 (avg.) | $850,000 |
| 8th | $850,000 | $850,000 | $566,667 (avg.) |
| 9th | $850,000 | $850,000 | $816,667 (avg.) |
| 10th | n/a | $733,333 (avg.) | $733,333 (avg.) |
| 11th | $660,000 (avg.) | $537,500 | $733,333 (avg.) |
| 12th | n/a | $537,500 | $537,500 |
| 13th | n/a | $537,500 | $462,500 (avg.) |
| 14th | n/a | $500,000 (avg.) | $500,000 |
| 15th | n/a | n/a | $450,000 |
| 16th | n/a | $425,000 | $425,000 |
| 17th | $414,500 | $400,000 | $400,000 |
| 18th | $425,000 (avg.) | $375,000 (avg.) | $408,333 (avg.) |
| 19th | $425,000 | n/a | $708,333 (avg.) |
| 20th | $212,500 (avg.) | $187,500 (avg.) | $283,333 (avg.) |
| 21st | $0 | $300,000 | $350,000 |
| 22nd | $158,333 (avg.) | $350,000 (avg.) | $230,000 |
| 23rd | $0 | $0 | $212,500 |
| 24th | $141,667 (avg.) | n/a | $566,667 (avg.) |
| 25th | $0 | $212,500 (avg.) | $566,667 (avg.) |
| 26th | $0 | n/a | $462,500 (avg.) |
| 27th | $0 | $241,667 (avg.) | $0 |
| 28th | $0 | n/a | $150,000 (avg.) |
| 29th | $0 | $0 | $354,167 (avg.) |
| 30th | n/a | $318,750 (avg.) | $2,220,833 (avg.) |
| 31st | n/a | $0 | $212,500 (avg.) |
Obviously there’s year-to-year variations, but you get the idea.
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