If you take a gander at any salary cap tracking site – such as PuckPedia – you may notice something interesting. The Calgary Flames have given out among the least in signing bonuses in the entire National Hockey League. But with negotiations with Matthew Tkachuk ongoing for a new contract, it seems likely that the Flames may need to divert from their usual stance in regards to big bonus payouts.
How signing bonuses work
In a standard NHL contract, players are paid every two weeks during the regular season. But in the case of a player with a signing bonus, they would get a big chunk of their money up-front in early or mid-July – it varies by contract.