NHL players earn tens of millions of people a year, but are well-known for being the league’s highest-paid player in 2025.
Top 10 Best Paid NHL Players 2025
10. Eric Carlson (Pittsburgh Penguins) – $11,500,000
The highest paid player in the NHL is Pittsburgh Penguins defensive man Eric Carlson.
However, the Swedes have contributed 11 goals and 42 assists in the 2024/25 regular season so far, with one of those goals being the winner of the game.
Throughout his time in the NHL, Carlson played nearly 1,100 games, scoring 200 goals and contributing to 670 assists. He won seven spots on the NHL All-Star roster.
9. IgorShesterkin (New York Rangers) – $11,500,000
Another player who earns $11.5 million a year is New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. He is currently in his sixth season in the NHL.
In the 2024/25 season, Shesterkin faced 1751 shots and admitted 167 innings.
The New York Rangers goalkeeper is actually the best paid player of all time, signing an eight-year contract worth $92 million.
8. William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs) – $11,500,000
Then there’s another player who has earned a $11.5 million salary in January 2024, signing a $92 million contract over eight years.
The Maple Leafs right-winger has scored 45 goals in the previous 2024/25 season and contributed 39 assists, but has yet to score a game winner.
In 2024, Swedish Hockey Stir first appeared in the NHL All-Star Game, earning a place through fan votes.
7. Elias Petterson (Vancouver Canucks) – $11,600,000
The step-up from $11.5 million we’ve seen so far has also linked Vancouver Canucks star Elias Petterson with trade.
The 26-year-old endured a difficult 2024/25 campaign and was the worst performance ever since his fifth pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Many were more important than Petterson’s exhibit in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season. There, the Canucks lost 4-3 to the Edmonton Oilers in the 7-game series.
6. ARTEMI Panarin (New York Rangers) – $11,642,857
The strangest salary on this list goes to Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers, who signed a contract in July 2019.
The deal is expected to run for seven years, worth around $81.5 million and included no-maube clauses, while being boosted by $74.5 million with bonus signing.
At the end of the 2025/26 season, Panarin became a free agent as his 2019 contract expired, and the Russians have been involved in recent allegations of controversy, making new deals difficult.
5. Mikko Rantanen (Dallas Stars) – $12,000,000
One recent addition to this list is Miccola Natanen, the Dallas Star right-winger who agreed to a new deal in March 2025.
This improved contract means that the 28-year-old will earn $96 million over eight years, ending in 2033 during the 2025/26 season.
In 2022, the finish hockey player achieved his biggest feat in the sport by winning the Stanley Cup in the Colorado Avalanche.
4. Conor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – $12,500,000
Edmonton Oilers star Conor McDavid is nearing the end of his current contract with the NHL franchise as his annual $12.5 million contract goes away at the end of next season.
The 28-year-old is able to sign a one-year extension at the end of his current contract, and the Oilers may be keen to do so after McDavid’s impressive 2024/25 performance.
So far, McDavid has scored 26 goals and has contributed 74 assists in 67 games this season. This is an elite return, but it’s particularly impressive for the center.
3. Nathan McKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) – $12,600,000
The third-highest paying player in the NHL is Colorado avalanche player Nathan McKinnon, who signed an eight-year contract with a franchise worth $100.8 million in September 2022.
His deal expires at the end of the 2030-31 season. There, MacKinnon will be 35, so this could be his last major contract.
Canadian Hockeystor was also the Stanley Cup champion in 2022 and has been appointed to the Avalanche since 2013/14. This season he finished 12th in the franchise.
2. AustonMatthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – $13,250,000
The one we missed at the top is Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews. He is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in NHL history.
His rise in popularity has been a cover star for popular NHL video games in 2020 and 2022, as well as being a sponsorship with Logan Paul and KSI’s “Prime Hydration.”
In August 2023, Matthews became the NHL’s best paid player after signing a four-year contract worth $53 million, earning a $1325 million annual cap.
1. LeonDraisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) – $14,000,000
Finally, the highest paying player in the NHL is Leon Dry Sightle of the Edmonton Oilers, who signed the most lucrative contract in league history in September 2024.
The German centre has signed a deal worth £112 million over eight years, and the deal will run until the end of the 2032-33 season.
So far, in the 2024/25 campaign, Draisaitl has been the top NHL scorer with 52 goals and has also contributed to 54 assists, sitting jointly in the third to contribute to the goal.
