![\"Highest-paid](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/9111dac1-5356-45fb-8042-9f692d413c46.webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n28 gen. | MIN READ TIME | <\/p>\n
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Source: Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
Find out the highest-paid NHL players, from the current top earners to those who have made the most money ever.<\/p>\n
Check out the Betway Insider\u2019s\u00a0NHL picks and predictions<\/a>\u00a0page for\u00a0best bets throughout the 2025-26 NHL season.<\/p>\n Which NHL players have earned the most money?<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s take a look at the top five highest paid NHL players in terms of total career earnings. \u00a0<\/p>\n 1. Alex Ovechkin<\/p>\n Alex Ovechkin holds the No. 1 spot as his total career earnings stand at a whopping $170,720,893. Ovechkin has scored more regular season goals than any other player in NHL history, and has been the face of the Washington Capitals since being drafted first overall in 2004.<\/p>\n 2. Sidney Crosby<\/p>\n Right behind Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby has earned the second-highest amount of money through NHL contracts, with the Pittsburgh Penguins star making $165,670,244 throughout his career.<\/p>\n 3. Evgeni Malkin<\/p>\n Another Penguins star, Evgeni Malkin takes the third spot with $151,670,893 in career earnings. Malkin\u2019s contracts have kept him among the league\u2019s top earners for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n 4. Anze Kopitar<\/p>\n With total career earnings of $143,250,000, Anze Kopitar ranks fourth on our list of the highest paid players in the NHL. In the 2025-26 season alone, Kopitar will earn a base salary of $7,000,000.<\/p>\n 5. Jaromir Jagr<\/p>\n Jaromir Jagr rounds off our top five, having accrued $135m across 24 seasons in the league. The Czech star ended his career as the second-highest points-scorer in NHL history.<\/p>\n Who is the highest-paid NHL player currently?<\/p>\n But what about the highest paid NHL players now? And how much do NHL players get paid? Here\u2019s a look at the top five earners for the 2025-26 season:<\/p>\n 1. Leon Draisaitl<\/p>\n The highest-paid current NHL player is Leon Draisaitl, set to earn $16,500,000 in the 2025-26 season. The Edmonton Oilers star won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2020 and was the NHL\u2019s leading goal scorer in 2025.<\/p>\n 2. Nathan MacKinnon<\/p>\n Just behind Draisaitl we have Colorado Avalanche captain Nathan MacKinnon, who\u2019s set to earn $16,050,000 in the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n The 2023-24 Hart Memorial Trophy winner is one of the NHL\u2019s most dominant two-way centres, and his salary certainly reflects this status.<\/p>\n 3. Igor Shesterkin<\/p>\n Goaltender Igor Shesterkin holds the third spot on our list of the best paid NHL players, earning a huge $15,825,000. Known for his speedy reflexes and high save rate, he\u2019s a key part of the New York Rangers\u2019 success.<\/p>\n 4. Auston Matthews<\/p>\n Earning $15,200,000, Auston Matthews claims fourth place on our list of the highest paid ice hockey players. In the 2025-26 season, Matthews will earn a base salary of $775,000 and a signing bonus of $14,425,000.<\/p>\n 5. Elias Petterson<\/p>\n In fifth place we have Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson, whose earnings for the 2025-26 season stand at $14,500,000. Known for his elite playmaking ability, the Swede won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2019 as the league\u2019s best rookie and has been a key member of Vancouver\u2019s offense throughout his career.<\/p>\n Who are the highest-paid NHL players ever?<\/p>\n The highest annual earner in NHL history is Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who, as mentioned above, made $16.7 million in the 2024-25 season. Nathan MacKinnon followed closely behind, earning a huge $16.5 million.<\/p>\n Joe Sakic made $16.45m for the 1997-98 season, a figure that stood as the highest single-season salary in the league for more than two decades.<\/p>\n Mitch Marner made $16m for the 2019-20 season, with the likes of John Tavares following closely behind making $15.9m in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. Igor Shesterkin\u00a0of the New York Rangers slots into our list here, making $15.825 million in the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n Connor McDavid\u2019s salary of $15m in both 2018-19 and 2019-20 rounds off our list of top NHL salaries, with Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens earning the same amount.<\/p>\n Well, there you have it: the best paid NHL players both currently and in the history of the league. Whether it\u2019s all-time legends like Jagr and Sakic, or current NHL stars like Draisaitl and Matthews, league salaries continue to reflect the value of elite talent.<\/p>\n Looking for more insights like this? Stay tuned to the Betway blog<\/a>, where you can read about The top 10 NHL draft classes of all time<\/a> and the top 10 NHL players of all time<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Visit Betway\u2019s\u00a0hockey\u00a0betting<\/a>\u00a0page, or stay ahead of the game with the Betway Sports app! Download it now from the Play Store<\/a> or the App Store<\/a> to enjoy live betting, real-time updates, and exclusive offers right at your fingertips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"28 gen. | MIN READ TIME | Source: Alamy Stock Photo Find out the highest-paid NHL players, from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467757,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[462],"tags":[5,4,465,466],"class_list":{"0":"post-467756","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl-draft","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-nhl-draft","11":"tag-nhl-entry-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116118200030586720","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}