List of highest-paid NHL players by season

This is an unofficial list of the twenty NHL players who have earned the most in total salary from the through the s. These figures have been gleaned from certain financial sites dedicated to professional sports, and so may not be perfectly accurate. This is merely an estimation that, for the most part, does not take into account bonuses nor sponsor contracts. They do not take into account inflation, nor the growth in the popularity of the game allowing league revenue, and thus player salaries, to grow faster than inflation over the decades. For example, the highest salary in 1989–90 was Mario Lemieux's million (equivalent to $million in ), while the salary cap for any single player in the was $17.6 million. These totals take into account players missing an entire season due to illness or injury, such as Jonathan Toews missing all of due to illness. These totals do not take into account reductions for partial seasons played, due to injuries or suspensions, for which a player would only receive a partial salary. The list counts no salary for any player during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, when the was cancelled in its entirety. It is not apparent, from the notes left here, if there has been an adjustment for the reduction in salaries paid when the 1994–95 NHL lockout shortened the by (48 games played of a scheduled 84), or when the 2012–13 NHL lockout shortened the by (48 games played of a scheduled 82), or when the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the by varying amounts, with teams having played anywhere from 68 to 71 of their scheduled 82 games when the season was halted. ==Top five contracts by season==

1989–90 season is considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time, and his annual salary was in the top five for eight of his last ten seasons (including five seasons at No. 1), he retired before the end of the 20th century, so his total salaries have long ago fallen off the list of top 20 salary earners of all time. • Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) million (equivalent to $million in ) • Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) $1.72million ($million in ) • Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers) $0.86million ($million in ) • Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) $0.7million ($million in ) • Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders) $0.575million ($million in ) 1990–91 season • Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) $3 million • Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) $2.18 million • Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) $1.3 million • Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) $1.19 million • Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) $1.12 million 1991–92 season • Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) million (equivalent to $million in ) • Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) $2.34million ($million in ) • Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) $1.5million ($million in ) • (tie) Pat LaFontaine (Buffalo Sabres) $1.4million ($million in )(tie) Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) $1.4million ($million in ) 1992–93 season • Eric Lindros (Philadelphia Flyers) million (equivalent to $million in ) • Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) $3million ($million in ) • Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) $2.41million ($million in ) • Mark Messier (New York Rangers) $2.39million ($million in ) • Pat LaFontaine (Buffalo Sabres) $1.78million ($million in ) 1993–94 season was the highest-paid goaltender of all time, with approximately $82 million earned in salaries alone. • Eric Lindros (Philadelphia Flyers) million (equivalent to $million in ) • Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) $3.2million ($million in ) • (tie) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) $3million ($million in )(tie) Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) $3million ($million in ) • Patrick Roy (Montreal Canadiens) $2.66million ($million in ) 1994–95 season After the 1994–95 NHL season was shortened to 48 games due to a lockout, players earned only about 56% of their predicted salary. • Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) $3.66 million (Predicted salary of $6.54 million) • Mark Messier (New York Rangers) $3.45 million (Predicted salary of $6.29 million) • Scott Stevens (New Jersey Devils) $3.24 million (Predicted salary of $5.8 million) • Pavel Bure (Vancouver Canucks) $2.61 million (Predicted salary of $4.5 million) • Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) $2.36 million (Predicted salary of $4.07 million) 1995–96 season • Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings/St. Louis Blues) $6.54 million • Mark Messier (New York Rangers) $6.29 million • Keith Tkachuk (Winnipeg Jets) $6 million • Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) $4.57 million • Pavel Bure (Vancouver Canucks) $4.5 million 1996–97 season • Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) $11.35 million • Mark Messier (New York Rangers) $6 million • Pavel Bure (Vancouver Canucks) $5 million • Pat LaFontaine (Buffalo Sabres) $4.6 million • Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) $4.57 million 1997–98 season • Joe Sakic (Colorado Avalanche) $16.45 million • Chris Gratton (Philadelphia Flyers) $10.15 million • Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) $7.6 million • : Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis Blues) $7.6 million • : Alexei Yashin (New York Islanders) $7.6 million • Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames) $7 million 2006–07 season The team salary cap was $44 million. No player could earn more than $8.8 million. • Jaromir Jagr (New York Rangers) $8.36 million • Brad Richards (Tampa Bay Lightning) $7.8 million • Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) $7.6 million • : Mats Sundin (Toronto Maple Leafs) $7.6 million • : Alexei Yashin (New York Islanders) $7.6 million 2007–08 season The team salary cap was $50.3 million. No player could earn more than $10.06 million. • Daniel Briere (Philadelphia Flyers) $10 million • : Scott Gomez (New York Rangers) $10 million • : Thomas Vanek (Buffalo Sabres) $10 million • Jaromir Jagr (New York Rangers) $8.36 million • Kimmo Timonen (Philadelphia Flyers) $8 million 2008–09 season The team salary cap was $56.7 million. No player could earn more than $11.34 million. • Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators) $10 million • Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) $9 million • : Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) $9 million • Mats Sundin (Vancouver Canucks) $8.6 million • Miikka Kiprusoff (Calgary Flames) $8.5 million 2009–10 season The team salary cap was $56.8 million. No player could earn more than $11.36 million. • Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning) $10 million • Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) $9 million • : Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) $9 million • : Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) $9 million • Chris Drury (New York Rangers) $8.05 million 2010–11 season The team salary cap was $59.4 million. No player could earn more than $11.88 million. • Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning) $10 million • : Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks) $10 million • Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) $9 million • : Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) $9 million • : Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) $9 million 2011–12 season The team salary cap was $64.3 million. No player could earn more than $12.86 million. • Brad Richards (New York Rangers) $12 million • Ilya Bryzgalov (Philadelphia Flyers) $10 million • : Christian Ehrhoff (Buffalo Sabres) $10 million • : Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning) $10 million • Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) $9 million 2012–13 season The team salary cap was $70.2 million. No player could earn more than $14.04 million. • Shea Weber (Nashville Predators) $14 million • Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres) $12 million • : Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild) $12 million • : Brad Richards (New York Rangers) $12 million • : Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild) $12 million 2013–14 season The team salary cap was $64.3 million. No player could earn more than $12.86 million. • Shea Weber (Nashville Predators) $14 million • Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) $12 million • : Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild) $12 million • : Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild) $12 million • Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes) $9.25 million 2014–15 season The team salary cap was $69 million. No player could earn more than $13.8 million. • Shea Weber (Nashville Predators) $14 million • Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) $12 million • Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) $11 million • : Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild) $11 million • : Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild) $11 million 2015–16 season The team salary cap was $71.4 million. No player could earn more than $14.28 million. • Shea Weber (Nashville Predators) $14 million • Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) $13.8 million • : Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks) $13.8 million • Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) $12 million • Phil Kessel (Pittsburgh Penguins) $10 million 2016–17 season The team salary cap was $73 million. No player could earn more than $14.6 million. • Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings) $14 million • Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) $13.8 million • : Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks) $13.8 million • Shea Weber (Montreal Canadiens) $12 million • Ryan O'Reilly (Buffalo Sabres) $11 million 2017–18 season The team salary cap was $75 million. No player could earn more than $15 million. • Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) $13.8 million • : Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks) $13.8 million • Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars) $13 million • : Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings) $13 million • Shea Weber (Montreal Canadiens) $12 million 2018–19 season The team salary cap was $79.5 million. No player could earn more than $15.9 million. • John Tavares (Toronto Maple Leafs) $15.9 million • Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) $15 million • : Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) $15 million • Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars) $13 million • John Carlson (Washington Capitals) $12 million 2019–20 season The team salary cap was $81.5 million. No player could earn more than $16.3 million. • Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs) $16 million • Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) $15.9 million • : John Tavares (Toronto Maple Leafs) $15.9 million • Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) $15 million • : Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) $15 million 2020–21 season has topped the list of lifetime salary since completion of the . The team salary cap was $81.5 million. No player could earn more than $16.3 million. • Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs $15.9 million • Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs) $15 million • Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) $14 million • Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers) $13 million • Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers) $12 million 2021–22 season The team salary cap was $81.5 million. No player could earn more than $16.3 million. • Erik Karlsson (San Jose Sharks) $14.5 million • Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) $13 million • : Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers) $13 million • : Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) $13 million • : Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars) $13 million 2022–23 season The team salary cap was $82.5 million. No player could earn more than $16.5 million. • Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars) $13 million • Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers) $12.5 million • Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers) $12 million • : Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers) $12 million • : Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) $12 million 2023–24 season The team salary cap was $83.5 million. No player could earn more than $16.7 million. • Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) $16.5 million • David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) $13 million • Dougie Hamilton (New Jersey Devils) $12.6 million • Seth Jones (Chicago Blackhawks) $12.5 million • Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild) $12.5 million 2024–25 season The team salary cap was $88 million. No player could earn more than $17.6 million. • Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) $16.7 million • Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) $16.5 million • Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks) $14.5 million • William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs) $13.5 million • Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning) $13.26 million 2025–26 season The team salary cap is $95.5 million. No player can earn more than $19.1 million. • Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) $16.5 million • Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) $16.05 million • Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers) $15.825 million • Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) $15.2 million • Mitch Marner (Vegas Golden Knights) $15 million ==Sample salaries from earlier seasons==

1,300 during the 1917–18 NHL season, which is equivalent to approximately $25,000 CAD in today's funds. Salary figures prior to the 1989–90 season are not readily available. The following table presents a sample of salaries from various seasons; the players listed were not necessarily the highest paid that year. ==See also==