Team USA's NHL Payroll Stacks Up vs. Olympic Rivals
Team USA rolls into the Olympics loaded with NHL stars whose cap hits dwarf the competition's, but does that salary edge translate to gold? Front offices have whispered for years about how UFA deals and max contracts shape these rosters, and now Forbes breaks down the numbers that casual fans never see. GMs from Vancouver to Tampa watch these matchups knowing one hot tournament run can reset a franchise's timeline.
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Pittsburgh Pirates boosted payroll by $47 million this winter via trade for Brandon Lowe plus free agent signings of Ryan O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, Gregory Soto, and Jose Urquidy, retaining aces Mitch Keller and Bryan Reynolds while flipping Johan Oviedo for top prospect Jhostynxon García—transforming a 71-91 offense-starved squad into a top-20 payroll contender for 2026 without dumping salary.
by Adam Gretz · Adam Gretz Newsletter · Read on Substack →