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Who are the highest-paid NHL players? Ranking hockey stars' salaries, cap hits
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- Who are the highest-paid NHL players? Ranking hockey stars' salaries, cap hits
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.
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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.
There will also be a change in the highest-paid goaltender next season with the New York Rangers ' I gor Shesterkin agreeing to an eight-year extension with a record $11.5 million cap hit.
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
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Auston Matthews, Toronto, $13,250,000, four years, $53 million
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Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado, $12,600,000, eight years, $100.8 million
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Connor McDavid, Edmonton, $12,500,000, eight years, $100 million
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Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers, $11,642,857, seven years, $81.5 million
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Elias Pettersson, Vancouver, $11,600,000, eight years, $92.8 million
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Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, $11,500,000, eight years, $92 million
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William Nylander, Toronto, $11,500,000, eight years, $92 million
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David Pastrnak, Boston, $11,250,000, eight years, $89 million
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Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $11,000,000, eight years, $88 million
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Drew Doughty, Los Angeles, $11,000,000, eight years, $88 million
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John Tavares, Toronto, $11,000,000, seven years, $77 million
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Mitch Marner, Toronto, $10,903,000, six years, $65,418,000
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Jonathan Huberdeau, Calgary, $10,500,000, eight years, $84 million
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Jack Eichel, Vegas, $10,000,000, eight years, $80 million
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Aleksander Barkov, Florida, $10,000,000, eight years, $80 million
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Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida, $10,000,000, seven years, $70 million
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Tyler Seguin, Dallas, $9,850,000, eight years, $78.8 million
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Sebastian Aho, $9,750,000, eight years, $78 million
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Zach Werenski, Columbus, $9,583,333, six years, $57.5 million
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Seth Jones, Chicago, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million
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Charlie McAvoy, Boston, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million
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Matthew Tkachuk, Florida, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million
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Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million
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Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million
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Brayden Point, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million
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Mark Stone, Vegas, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million
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Jamie Benn, Dallas, $9,500,000, eight years, $76 million
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Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers, $9,500,000, seven years, $66.5 million
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Alex Ovechkin, Washington, $9,500,000, five years, $47.5 million
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Darnell Nurse, Edmonton, $9,250,000, eight years, $74 million
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Mikko Rantanen, Colorado/Carolina/Dallas, $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.
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Highest-paid NHL players by 2024-25 salary
Player, team, salary (includes signing bonus)
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Auston Matthews, Toronto, $16,700,000
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Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado, $16,500,000
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Elias Pettersson, Vancouver, $14,500,000
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William Nylander, Toronto, $13,500,000
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Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay, $13,263,157
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David Pastrnak, Boston, $13,000,000
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Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $13,000,000
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Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey, $12,600,000
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Seth Jones, Chicago, $12,500,000
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Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas, $12,500,000
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Aleksander Barkov, Florida, $12,000,000
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Sebastian Aho, Carolina, $12,000,000
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Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers, $12,000,000
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Brayden Point, Tampa Bay, $12,000,000
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Darnell Nurse, Edmonton, $12,000,000
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Zach Werenski, Columbus, $11,500,000
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Charlie McAvoy, Boston, $11,500,000
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Matthew Tkachuk, Florida, $11,250,000
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Pierre-Luc Dubois, Washington, $11,250,000
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Roope Hintz, Dallas, $11,250,000
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Timo Meier, New Jersey, $11,100,000
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Mikhail Sergachev, Utah, $11,050,000
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Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, $11,000,000
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Drew Doughty, Los Angeles, $11,000,000
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Alex Ovechkin, Washington, $11,000,000
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Mark Stone, Vegas, $11,000,000
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Dylan Larkin, Detroit, $11,000,000
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Sam Reinhart, Florida, $11,000,000
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Miro Heiskanen, Dallas, $11,000,000
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Seth Jarvis, Carolina, $10,950,000
Highest-paid NHL defensemen
Player, team, cap hit
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Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, $11,500,000
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Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo, $11,000,000
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Drew Doughty, Los Angeles, $11,000,000
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Zach Werenski, Columbus, $9,583,333
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Seth Jones, Chicago, $9,500,000
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Charlie McAvoy, Boston, $9,500,000
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Adam Fox, N.Y. Rangers, 9,500,000
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Darnell Nurse, Edmonton, $9,250,000
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Roman Josi, Nashville, $9,059,000
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Cale Makar, Colorado, $9,000,000
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Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey, $9,000,000
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Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas, $8,800,000
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Moritz Seider, Detroit, $8,550,000
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Mikhail Sergachev, Utah, $8,500,000
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Miro Heiskanen, Dallas, $8,450,000
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Owen Power, Buffalo, $8,350,000
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Jake Sanderson, Ottawa, $8,050,000
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Brent Burns, Carolina, $8,000,000
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John Carlson, Washington, $8,000,000
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Jacob Trouba, Anaheim, $8,000,000
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Thomas Chabot, Ottawa, $8,000,000
Highest-paid NHL goaltenders
Player, team, cap hit
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Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida, $10,000,000
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Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay, $9,500,000
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Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg, $8,500,000
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Ilya Sorokin, N.Y. Islanders, $8,250,000
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Jeremy Swayman, Boston, $8,250,000
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John Gibson, Anaheim, $6,400,000
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Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey, $6,000,000
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Jordan Binnington, St. Louis, $6,000,000
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Philipp Grubauer, Seattle, $5,900,000
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Igor Shesterkin, N.Y. Rangers, $5,666,667
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Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus, $5,400,000
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Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh, $5,375,000
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Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles, $5,250,000
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Thatcher Demko, Vancouver, $5,000,000
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Juuse Saros, Nashville, $5,000,000
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Linus Ullmark, Ottawa, $5,000,000
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Adin Hill, Vegas, $4,900,000
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Ville Husso, Detroit, $4,750,000
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Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo, $4,750,000
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Spencer Knight, Florida/Chicago, $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.
What is the NHL salary cap for 2025-26 and beyond?
The NHL and players associations announced the salary cap for the next three seasons . It is scheduled to jump to $95.5 million next season, $104 million in 2026-27 and $113.5 million in 2027-28.
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Who could pass Leon Draisaitl?
Very simple. McDavid. He can receive a contract extension on July 1, 2025, or 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.
There was thought that Rantanen had a chance to top $14 million, but he signed for a $12 million cap on March 7 when he was traded to the Dallas Stars .
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.
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This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is highest-paid NHL player? Salaries of hockey stars, ranked
