The NHL spent a record $1 billion on player contracts

It became known that NHL clubs spent a record $1.1 billion on player contracts during the opening of the market.

This is reported by the Canadian TV channel Sportsnet.

The first day in the spotlight was “Nashville,” which signed contracts for $115 million with ex-captain of the “Tampa Bay Lightning” Steven Stamkos.

They also signed former Vegas Godin Knights leader Jonathan Marchessault, as well as a number of other players.

Stamkos, Tampa Bay’s hitting captain, admitted he had a hard time making the decision to leave Tampa, whose offer he was not happy with.

“I never envisioned a day like today happening, but it did,” Stamkos said.

“It was definitely a bitter pill to swallow when it became clear it wasn’t going to work out in Tampa.”

He said he and Marchessault had been in contact before the move to Nashville.

It is reported that on just the first day of the market opening, more than 100 players changed teams.

The increased spending is due to the first increase in the salary ceiling since the pandemic, to $88 million.

“There’s a lot of money on the market. Clubs have gotten aggressive in the market, and as a result, a lot of players have changed teams,” Toronto general manager Brad Treliving said.