Jokerit makes millions stink – the player budget rises wildly

Helsinki Jokerit is returning to the SM league next season with a bang and a big wallet.

Jokerit has put euros in new acquisitions.

The Helsinki club has recruited several star-level league players who have proven their level to their next season’s team.

According to HS’s information, Joker’s player budget for the next season in the SM league can even rise to more than four million euros.

The player budget is the league’s top department, along with Kärppie, Tappara, Luko and Ilves.

One of Jokeri’s big grabs for next season is a center forward Patrick Currywho is playing his second season in KalPa. Curry’s transfer to the Jokers was the first to report Yle.

The Yankee striker’s salary in the Jokers is hefty.

According to HS data, Curry, 30, will earn about 140,000 euros net from next season. Therefore, with the reduced taxation of 2026, Curry’s gross salary in the Jokers is around 300,000 euros. According to some estimates, the net amount would rise up to 170,000 euros.

Curry’s last season in the SM league was a full pot. In his first league season at KalPa, Curry won the Finnish championship and finished third in the regular season with a top performance of 29+31.

This season, the pace has dropped. Curry has scored 22 (10+12) points in 29 games. Since mid-December, Curry has been injured.

Jokers is especially emptying the Lappeenranta SaiPa pajatso. Three of the team’s four best scorers will move to the Jokers.

The golden helmet will move from the race park to the jester shirt next season Maxime Fortier, Antti Kalapudas, Henri Nikkanen and Emil Kuusla.

According to information, the gross salaries of Fortier, Kalapudas and Nikkanen from SaiPa’s star cavalcade are between around 290,000–250,000 euros.

Fortier, 28, wears a gold helmet at SaiPa. The man from Montreal is handsomely third in the league’s points market with 16+26.

Kalapudas, 29, is playing his fourth season in SaiPa. This season, he has scored 12+13 in 32 matches.

Nikkanen, 24, is SaiPa’s third best scorer. The big center has scored 31 (15+16) points in 39 games.

Also the Kärppie credit center Patrik Virta will strengthen the Jokers next season. Virta, 29, has scored 30 (7+23) points in 39 games this season.

The Jokerit is also strengthened by a former NHL forward Markus Hännikäinen32.

The goalkeeper duo of the Jokers next season will form Olle Eriksson Ek and Wine Vehviläinen.

Eriksson Ek, 26, is currently defending in Sweden’s second highest league level in IF Björklöven.

Vehviläinen moved to the mestizo team of the Jokers in the middle of this season. The 28-year-old veskari has saved 21 matches this season in Mestis with a save percentage of 92.0.

Next for the season, many league clubs significantly increase their player budget, because the so-called super season is ahead.

Next season, the league will be played with 17–18 teams. At the end of the super season, 3–4 teams are relegated to the B-league.