Here you have it guys : (USA Today Source)
2003-04
Team Total Payroll
Detroit Red Wings $ 77,856,109
New York Rangers $ 76,488,716
Dallas Stars $ 68,578,885
Philadelphia Flyers $ 68,175,247
Colorado Avalanche $ 63,382,458
Toronto Maple Leafs $ 62,458,140
St. Louis Blues $ 61,675,000
Los Angeles Kings $ 53,833,800
Anaheim Mighty Ducks $ 53,296,750
Washington Capitals $ 50,895,750
New Jersey Devils $ 48,931,658
Boston Bruins $ 46,569,000
Vancouver Canucks $ 42,074,500
New York Islanders $ 40,865,500
Ottawa Senators $ 39,590,000
Phoenix Coyotes $ 39,249,750
Montreal Canadiens $ 38,857,000
Calgary Flames $ 36,402,575
Carolina Hurricanes $ 35,908,738
San Jose Sharks $ 34,455,000
Tampa Bay Lightning $ 34,065,379
Columbus Blue Jackets $ 34,000,000
Edmonton Oilers $ 33,375,000
Buffalo Sabres $ 32,954,250
Chicago Blackhawks $ 30,867,502
Atlanta Thrashers $ 28,547,500
Minnesota Wild $ 27,200,500
Florida Panthers $ 26,127,500
Pittsburgh Penguins $ 23,400,000
Nashville Predators $ 21,932,500
Average Payroll = $44,400,490
So when many here are saying that looking simply at the max. cap as the number to use when analyzing the proposal is unrealistic, I say it's very realistic given that teams last year spent on average $44.4M.
Clearly there will be a few teams that will spend less than that, but I think it's clear that the proposal the NHL put forward today was a meaningful one and the NHLPA would be, in my estimation, be making a huge mistake if they turned it down.
PJStyles