NHL salaries haven’t risen nearly as rapidly as some other leagues, but more players than ever are making north of $10 million per year — and the number is expected to continue to rise in the years ahead.
With Mitch Marner headlining a strong free agent class and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid due for a new contract at some point in the next year, another wave of lucrative deals is set to alter the NHL’s richest contract leaderboard.
For now, it’s actually another Oiler who can call himself the highest-paid player in hockey.
Here’s a complete look at the NHL’s highest-paid players for 2025-26 and largest overall contracts.
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NHL’s 25 highest-paid players in 2025-26
Nineteen NHL players are set to make $10 million in 2025-26, with Oilers star Leon Draisaitl topping the charts at $14 million per year. After Draisaitl, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Mikko Rantanen, and Marner round out the five NHL players making at least $12 million annually.
Rantanen’s new extension with the Stars kicks in next season and makes him the NHL’s fifth-highest-paid player, while Marner joined the leaderboard when he signed his free-agent deal.
Rangers star Igor Shesterkin ranks as the highest-paid goaltender at $11.5 million per year, as he and Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky are the only goaltenders making at least $10 million annually.
Here are the 25 highest-paid players in the NHL for 2025-26:
| Rank | Player | Cap hit | Team |
| 1 | Leon Draisaitl | $14 million | Oilers |
| 2 | Auston Matthews | $13.25 million | Maple Leafs |
| 3 | Nathan MacKinnon | $12.6 million | Avalanche |
| 4 | Connor McDavid | $12.5 million | Oilers |
| 5 | Mitch Marner | $12 million | Golden Knights |
| Mikko Rantanen | $12 million | Stars | |
| 7 | Artemi Panarin | $11.64 million | Rangers |
| 8 | Elias Pettersson | $11.6 million | Canucks |
| 9 | Erik Karlsson | $11.5 million | Penguins |
| William Nylander | $11.5 million | Maple Leafs | |
| Igor Shesterkin | $11.5 million | Rangers | |
| 12 | David Pastrnak | $11.25 million | Bruins |
| 13 | Rasmus Dahlin | $11 million | Sabres |
| Drew Doughty | $11 million | Kings | |
| 15 | Jonathan Huberdeau | $10.5 million | Flames |
| Carey Price* | $10.5 million | Canadiens | |
| 17 | Aleksander Barkov | $10 million | Panthers |
| Sergei Bobrovsky | $10 million | Panthers | |
| Jack Eichel | $10 million | Golden Knights | |
| 20 | Tyler Seguin | $9.85 million | Stars |
| 21 | Sebastian Aho | $9.75 million | Hurricanes |
| 22 | Zach Werenski | $9.58 million | Blue Jackets |
| 23 | Noah Dobson | $9.5 million | Canadiens |
| Adam Fox | $9.5 million | Rangers | |
| Seth Jones | $9.5 million | Panthers | |
| Nikita Kucherov | $9.5 million | Lightning | |
| Charlie McAvoy | $9.5 million | Bruins | |
| Alex Ovechkin | $9.5 million | Capitals | |
| Brayden Point | $9.5 million | Lightning | |
| Mark Stone | $9.5 million | Golden Knight | |
| Matthew Tkachuk | $9.5 million | Panthers | |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | $9.5 million | Lightning |
* — Under contract but not expected to play hockey again.
MORE: Ranking the NHL’s top free agents
Richest contracts in the NHL
Draisaitl also owns the NHL’s largest contract in terms of total value at $112 million over eight years. Draisaitl signed the deal in September 2024 to extend his tenure with the Oilers.
With Sidney Crosby’s deal ending in 2025, there are four active deals of at least $100 million. Three of those players have combined for five MVP awards, but the other — Shea Weber — hasn’t played in the NHL since 2021 and has already been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Weber’s rights are currently owned by the Blackhawks.
After the 2025-26 season, Weber, McDavid, Artemi Panarin, and an inactive Carey Price will all see their deals expire. Here are the 15 largest active NHL contracts:
MORE: Ranking the best landing spots for Mitch Marner
| Rank | Player | Team | Years signed | Years | Value |
| 1 | Leon Draisaitl | Oilers | 2025-33 | 8 | $112 million |
| 2 | Shea Weber* | Blackhawks | 2012-26 | 14 | $110 million |
| 3 | Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche | 2023-31 | 8 | $100.8 million |
| 4 | Connor McDavid | Oilers | 2018-26 | 8 | $100 million |
| 5 | Mitch Marner | Golden Knights | 2025-33 | 8 | $96 million |
| Mikko Rantanen | Stars | 2025-33 | 8 | $96 million | |
| 6 | Elias Pettersson | Canucks | 2024-32 | 8 | $92.8 million |
| 7 | Igor Shesterkin | Rangers | 2025-33 | 8 | $92 million |
| Erik Karlsson | Penguins | 2019-27 | 8 | $92 million | |
| William Nylander | Maple Leafs | 2024-32 | 8 | $92 million | |
| 10 | David Pastrnak | Bruins | 2023-31 | 8 | $90 million |
| 11 | Rasmus Dahlin | Sabres | 2024-32 | 8 | $88 million |
| Drew Doughty | Kings | 2019-27 | 8 | $88 million | |
| 13 | Jonathan Huberdeau | Flames | 2023-31 | 8 | $84 million |
| Carey Price* | Canadiens | 2018-26 | 8 | $84 million | |
| 15 | Artemi Panarin | Rangers | 2019-26 | 7 | $81.5 million |
* — Under contract but not expected to play hockey again.
