Highest Paid NHL Player by Annual Salary
The highest paid hockey player in the current NHL season is Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, who earns an average annual salary of $12.5 million under his eight year, $100 million contract extension signed in 2017, making him the top earner on the ice ESPN.
McDavid's contract is structured with a cap hit of $12.5 million per season through the 2025-26 campaign, and his on ice production, including consecutive Art Ross Trophy wins, keeps his effective earnings among the highest in professional hockey NHL.com.
Top NHL Contracts and Salary Cap Context
Beyond McDavid, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs leads the next tier with an average annual value of $11.63 million on a five year, $58.17 million extension signed in 2019, while Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, and Artemi Panarin also rank among the league's highest paid players CapFriendly.
The NHL salary cap for the 2024-25 season is set at $88 million, meaning a player like McDavid consumes roughly 14 percent of a team's cap space, which influences roster construction and makes his contract a benchmark for future elite player deals Forbes.
How NHL Player Pay Compares to Other Leagues and Investments
McDavid's $12.5 million annual salary exceeds the average pay of top earners in the NBA and MLB on a per season basis, and his total contract value ranks among the largest in North American professional sports when adjusted for league size and revenue structures.
When comparing hockey earnings to other asset classes, a player's contract functions like a long term equity position, with performance bonuses and endorsement deals adding upside, similar to how investors evaluate high growth assets on platforms that provide market insights and data Forbes Advisor.