NHL

Who are the highest-paid NHL players? A ranking of how much hockey stars make

Who are the highest-paid NHL players? A ranking of how much hockey stars make

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews becomes the NHL’s top-paid player this season now that his four-year, $53 million extension has taken effect.

But his reign will last only one season.

Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl has signed an eight-year, $112 million extension that begins in 2025-26. His $14 million cap hit next season will pass Matthews’ $13.25 million as NHL teams take advantage of the rising salary cap.

Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon was the top-paid player ($12.6 million cap hit) in 2023-24 and Oilers captain Connor McDavid led with a $12.5 million average annual salary in 2022-23.

Here are the NHL leaders in cap hit and salary for the 2024-25 season (per puckpedia.com):

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews’ $13.25 million cap hit makes him the NHL’s highest-paid player in 2024-25.

Highest-paid NHL players by salary cap hit

Player, team, cap hit, contract

  • Auston Matthews, Toronto, $13,250,000, four years, $53 million

  • Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado, $12,600,000, eight years, $100.8 million

  • Connor McDavid, Edmonton, $12,500,000, eight years, $100 million

  • Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers, $11,642,857, seven years, $81.5 million

  • Elias Pettersson, Vancouver, $11,600,000, eight years, $92.8 million

  • Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, $11,500,000, eight years, $92 million

  • William Nylander, Toronto, $11,500,000, eight years, $92 million

  • David Pastrnak, Boston, $11,250,000, eight years, $89 million

  • Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $11,000,000, eight years, $88 million

  • Drew Doughty, Los Angeles, $11,000,000, eight years, $88 million

  • John Tavares, Toronto, $11,000,000, seven years, $77 million

  • Mitch Marner, Toronto, $10,903,000, six years, $65,418,000

  • Jonathan Huberdeau, Calgary, $10,500,000, eight years, $84 million

  • Jack Eichel, Vegas, $10,000,000, eight years, $80 million

  • Aleksander Barkov, Florida, $10,000,000, eight years, $80 million

  • Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida, $10,000,000, seven years, $70 million

  • Tyler Seguin, Dallas, $9,850,000, eight years, $78.8 million

  • Sebastian Aho, $9,750,000, eight years, $78 million

  • Zach Werenski, Columbus, $9,583,333, six years, $57.5 million

  • Seth Jones, Chicago, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million

  • Charlie McAvoy, Boston, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million

  • Matthew Tkachuk, Florida, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million

  • Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million

  • Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million

  • Brayden Point, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million

  • Mark Stone, Vegas, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million

  • Jamie Benn, Dallas, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million

  • Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers, $9,500,000, seven years, $66.5 million

  • Alex Ovechkin, Washington, $9,500,000, five years, $47.5 million

  • Darnell Nurse, Edmonton, $9,250,000, eight years, $74 million

  • Mikko Rantanen, Colorado, $9,250,000, six years, $55.5 million

  • Note: Canadiens goalie Carey Price averages $10.5 million but isn’t included because he’s on long-term injured reserve.

    Highest-paid NHL players by 2024-25 salary

    Player, team, salary (includes signing bonus)

  • Auston Matthews, Toronto, $16,700,000

  • Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado, $16,500,000

  • Elias Pettersson, Vancouver, $14,500,000

  • William Nylander, Toronto, $13,500,000

  • Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay, $13,263,157

  • David Pastrnak, Boston, $13,000,000

  • Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $13,000,000

  • Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey, $12,600,000

  • Seth Jones, Chicago, $12,500,000

  • Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas, $12,500,000

  • Aleksander Barkov, Florida, $12,000,000

  • Sebastian Aho, Carolina, $12,000,000

  • Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers, $12,000,000

  • Brayden Point, Tampa Bay, $12,000,000

  • Darnell Nurse, Edmonton, $12,000,000

  • Zach Werenski, Columbus, $11,500,000

  • Charlie McAvoy, Boston, $11,500,000

  • Matthew Tkachuk, Florida, $11,250,000

  • Pierre-Luc Dubois, Washington, $11,250,000

  • Roope Hintz, Dallas, $11,250,000

  • Timo Meier, New Jersey, $11,100,000

  • Mikhail Sergachev, Utah, $11,050,000

  • Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, $11,000,000

  • Drew Doughty, Los Angeles, $11,000,000

  • Alex Ovechkin, Washington, $11,000,000

  • Mark Stone, Vegas, $11,000,000

  • Dylan Larkin, Detroit, $11,000,000

  • Sam Reinhart, Florida, $11,000,000

  • Miro Heiskanen, Dallas, $11,000,000

  • Seth Jarvis, Carolina, $10,950,000

  • Highest-paid NHL defensemen

    Player, team, cap hit

  • Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, $11,500,000

  • Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $11,000,000

  • Drew Doughty, Los Angeles, $11,000,000

  • Zach Werenski, Columbus, $9,583,333

  • Seth Jones, Chicago, $9,500,000

  • Charlie McAvoy, Boston, $9,500,000

  • Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers, 9,500,000

  • Darnell Nurse, Edmonton, $9,250,000

  • Roman Josi, Nashville, $9,059,000

  • Cale Makar, Colorado, $9,000,000

  • Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey, $9,000,000

  • Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas, $8,800,000

  • Moritz Seider, Detroit, $8,550,000

  • Mikhail Sergachev, Utah, $8,500,000

  • Miro Heiskanen, Dallas, $8,450,000

  • Owen Power, Buffalo, $8,350,000

  • Jake Sanderson, Ottawa, $8,050,000

  • Brent Burns, Carolina, $8,000,000

  • John Carlson, Washington, $8,000,000

  • Jacob Trouba, N.Y. Rangers, $8,000,000

  • Thomas Chabot, Ottawa, $8,000,000

  • Highest-paid NHL goaltenders

    Player, team, cap hit

  • Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida, $10,000,000

  • Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000

  • Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg, $8,500,000

  • Ilya Sorokin, N.Y. Islanders, $8,250,000

  • John Gibson, Anaheim, $6,400,000

  • Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey, $6,000,000

  • Jordan Binnington, St. Louis, $6,000,000

  • Philipp Grubauer, Seattle, $5,900,000

  • Igor Shesterkin, N.Y. Rangers, $5,666,667

  • Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus, $5,400,000

  • Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh, $5,375,000

  • Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles, $5,250,000

  • Thatcher Demko, Vancouver, $5,000,000

  • Juuse Saros, Nashville, $5,000,000

  • Linus Ullmark, Ottawa, $5,000,000

  • Adin Hill, Vegas, $4,900,000

  • Ville Husso, Detroit, $4,750,000

  • Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo, $4,750,000

  • Spencer Knight, Florida, $4,500,000

  • Petr Mrazek, Chicago, $4,250,000

  • Note: Injured Price and Robin Lehner ($5 million) aren’t included. Lehner’s cap hit isn’t being charged to the Golden Knights, according to The Athletic.

    What is the NHL salary cap for 2024-25?

    The 2024-25 NHL salary cap is $88 million, up from $83.5 million last season. It was the first significant rise since the pandemic.

    Who could pass Leon Draisaitl?

    Very simple. McDavid. He can receive a contract extension on July 1, 2025, and he can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026. Either way, the three-time MVP will reap the benefits of being the NHL’s best player since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2015.

    A player to watch: Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard’s entry-level contract expires in 2026, though he’ll be a restricted free agent. But he’s considered a generational player and McDavid got his $12.5 million cap hit contract extension after his second season.

    This story was updated to add new information.

    This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is the highest-paid NHL player? Salaries of hockey stars, ranked

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