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| Lemieux |
PITTSBURGH -- Mario Lemieux's one-year, $5 million contract will make him the Pittsburgh Penguins' highest-paid player next
season, the Post-Gazette reported.
The figure for Lemieux, also the team's primary owner, was determined two weeks ago by the rest of the management committee. It was approved in a vote, with Lemieux abstaining, then submitted to general manager Craig Patrick, the Post-Gazette reported.
The salary ranks 31st among NHL players -- four will make $10
million or more, topped by Colorado Avalanche center Peter Forsberg's
$11 million -- but it places Lemieux first on his club, surpassing the
$4.2 million right winger Alexei Kovalev was awarded by an arbitrator
last week. Lemieux's salary was determined before Kovalev's was
announced.
Lemieux, 35, was paid a prorated share of a $1.41 million salary
last season, roughly $770,000, but that grew to $2.8 million because
of incentive bonuses he achieved. He scored 35 goals and had 41
assists in 43 regular-season games, leading the league with a 1.77
points-per-game average.
Including Lemieux's pay, the Penguins have committed $24.52 million
in salary for next season to the 14 players on their roster with
NHL-only contracts. The team has a self-imposed payroll cap of $34
million, and Patrick said yesterday he expects to get close to that
figure before the season begins Oct. 3.
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