If you look at those numbers most and add up the salaries you get for example:
LA 2.005M
Philly 2.115M
St. Louis 1.78M
Toronto 1.865M
Vancouver 1.72M
Washington 1.305M
Atlanta 1.445M.
Four years later, aside form Gretzky, the Oilers would have looked a lot more like a team like Atlanta than Philly. Remember, guys like Anderson, Messier and Coffey were 20.
Sport Magazine use to publish player salaries. Here is an old post from Ogopogo in 2005 that had a compilation from 1987.
Even in 77-78 season, a full 5 yrs before 82-83 there were ZERO cases of a player being paid 25K. Again I don't know why that is being posted when operatively no players were earning as little as 25K. Even 5 seasons previous.
Remember as well that the Oilers were supplementing with other players like Ken Linseman, Kent Nillson etc.
Ken Linseman alone was on a contract of 180K and played on that Oilers 82-82 club, I presume the club you had said cost less than 2M.
Its also confusing that you use Canadian funds in some of your posting and yet using the American salary interchangeable.
Gretz made 500K Cad in 82-83.
Linseman 180K
Anderson signed for 400K/ a yr later. I can't find any source that says what Anderson was making before that. Lets say 50K.
Mess 60K This was even what he made in his first WHA contract.
Kurri 50K
Fogolin. Details scant but was making 95K in Buffalo years prior. I'd read the Oilers matched the Buffalo price. This would put Lee at over 100K Canadian.
Coffey was making 110K
Lowe signed in 83 for 150K
Charlie Huddy. Unknown. Unlikely it would be lower than 50K
Pat Hughes. Lowest paid player in league in 82 was making 40K so at least that.
Lumley a sought after player at the time was pulling in 100K
Tom Roulston. Put it at 40K Again no NHL players were getting less.
Pouzar. Recollection he was paid 80K. A reasonably talented sought after free agent.
Dave Hunter. Doubt it was under 50K, the Habs wanted him and Lumley at the time.
Dave Semenko. A perhaps surprising 110K. But an important player and insurance policy.
Laurie Boschman 94K
Randy Gregg from recollection he was 60K. Can't find actual figures but it took a bit of convincing for him to forego medical career. Keeping in mind he could make anything less just being a specialist, at the time.
Willy Lidstrom100K
Garry Unger 200K USD
Moog 50K
Fuhr 50K plus a signing bonus, can't remember the details.
Ron Low 100k
About 8 other players on roster for that season. Even using lowest possible total of 40k thats 320K
Even if you want to dispute some numbers above or factor in trades and days paid here vs elsewhere theres little chance at the figure being under 2M as you first stated. Likely even that the payroll was 2.5-3M for the 82-83 season.
I'll bold the players above that you probably forgot in terms of what their salary range was. its understandable to think the bolded players were paid less than that or to have overlooked that. But those are the numbers and all the bolded could've been playing on other clubs. It wasn't the whole team that was young. The vets were especially crucial and Journeyman NHL players came at a price.