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

mike brehm, usa today
·6-min read

This story was updated to add new information.

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.
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  9. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $11,000,000, eight years, $88 million

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

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

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

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

  14. Jack Eichel, Vegas, $10,000,000, eight years, $80 million

  15. Aleksander Barkov, Florida, $10,000,000, eight years, $80 million

  16. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida, $10,000,000, seven years, $70 million

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

  18. Sebastian Aho, $9,750,000, eight years, $78 million

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  31. 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)

  1. Auston Matthews, Toronto, $16,700,000

  2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado, $16,500,000

  3. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver, $14,500,000

  4. William Nylander, Toronto, $13,500,000

  5. Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay, $13,263,157

  6. David Pastrnak, Boston, $13,000,000

  7. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $13,000,000

  8. Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey, $12,600,000

  9. Seth Jones, Chicago, $12,500,000

  10. Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas, $12,500,000

  11. Aleksander Barkov, Florida, $12,000,000

  12. Sebastian Aho, Carolina, $12,000,000

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

  14. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay, $12,000,000

  15. Darnell Nurse, Edmonton, $12,000,000

  16. Zach Werenski, Columbus, $11,500,000

  17. Charlie McAvoy, Boston, $11,500,000

  18. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida, $11,250,000

  19. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Washington, $11,250,000

  20. Roope Hintz, Dallas, $11,250,000

  21. Timo Meier, New Jersey, $11,100,000

  22. Mikhail Sergachev, Utah, $11,050,000

  23. Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, $11,000,000

  24. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles, $11,000,000

  25. Alex Ovechkin, Washington, $11,000,000

  26. Mark Stone, Vegas, $11,000,000

  27. Dylan Larkin, Detroit, $11,000,000

  28. Sam Reinhart, Florida, $11,000,000

  29. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas, $11,000,000

  30. Seth Jarvis, Carolina, $10,950,000

Highest-paid NHL defensemen

Player, team, cap hit

  1. Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, $11,500,000

  2. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $11,000,000

  3. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles, $11,000,000

  4. Zach Werenski, Columbus, $9,583,333

  5. Seth Jones, Chicago, $9,500,000

  6. Charlie McAvoy, Boston, $9,500,000

  7. Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers, 9,500,000

  8. Darnell Nurse, Edmonton, $9,250,000

  9. Roman Josi, Nashville, $9,059,000

  10. Cale Makar, Colorado, $9,000,000

  11. Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey, $9,000,000

  12. Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas, $8,800,000

  13. Moritz Seider, Detroit, $8,550,000

  14. Mikhail Sergachev, Utah, $8,500,000

  15. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas, $8,450,000

  16. Owen Power, Buffalo, $8,350,000

  17. Jake Sanderson, Ottawa, $8,050,000

  18. Brent Burns, Carolina, $8,000,000

  19. John Carlson, Washington, $8,000,000

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

  21. Thomas Chabot, Ottawa, $8,000,000

Highest-paid NHL goaltenders

Player, team, cap hit

  1. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida, $10,000,000

  2. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000

  3. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg, $8,500,000

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

  5. Jeremy Swayman, Boston, $8,250,000

  6. John Gibson, Anaheim, $6,400,000

  7. Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey, $6,000,000

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

  9. Philipp Grubauer, Seattle, $5,900,000

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

  11. Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus, $5,400,000

  12. Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh, $5,375,000

  13. Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles, $5,250,000

  14. Thatcher Demko, Vancouver, $5,000,000

  15. Juuse Saros, Nashville, $5,000,000

  16. Linus Ullmark, Ottawa, $5,000,000

  17. Adin Hill, Vegas, $4,900,000

  18. Ville Husso, Detroit, $4,750,000

  19. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo, $4,750,000

  20. Spencer Knight, Florida, $4,500,000

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