Top 10 NHL Player Salaries of all time: There is no lack of water-cooler chit-chat about the highest-paid athletes. Fans are obsessed with the financial details of the world’s wealthiest sports personalities, whether it’s Air Jordan, A-Rod, Tiger Woods, or Floyd Mayweather. The flow of wealth in the sports industry is never underreported, from salary to endorsement agreements to signing bonuses.
With the 2022-23 NHL regular season rapidly approaching, we wondered how hockey salaries, calculated over an entire career, compare to the hundreds of millions earned by apex earners like LeBron James (NBA), Tom Brady (NFL), as well Alex Rodriguez (MLB) in each of the big four US sports leagues.
NHL players are conspicuously absent from the lists. People seldom talk about NHL pay since, when it comes to max contracts, hockey players make less than the other major North American sports leagues.
Top 10 NHL Player Salaries of all time
Now that the 2022-2023 NHL season has begun, it’s time to delve into the details of which league members sit atop the largest mountains of gold. Most of the top earners have spent more than a decade on NHL ice, and their bank accounts have benefited as a result.
Except for one player, everyone on the entry list is currently playing in the NHL. Furthermore, despite having the most difficult job, no goaltenders made the top ten.
10. Ryan Suter: “Defense” (Team Name – Dallas Stars)
Suter’s highest salary was $98 million from a 13-year contract signed by the Minnesota Wild in 2012.
Total Estimated Earnings: $107,659,333
NHL Seasons Played: 17
Playing Career: 2003 – Present
9. Zach Parise: “Left Wing” (Team Name – New York Islanders)
Parise also signed a 13-year, $98-million deal with the Minnesota Wild.
Total Estimated Earnings: $108,660,065
NHL Seasons Played: 17
Playing Career: 2003 – Present
8. Patrick Kane: “Right Wing” (Team Name – Chicago Blackhawks)
Kane signed an $88 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014, including a $44 million signing bonus.
Total Estimated Earnings: $108,737,195
NHL Seasons Played: 15
Playing Career: 2007 – Present
7. Joe Thornton: “Center” (Team Name – Free Agent)
Unlike the long-term contracts that are usual for stars today, Thornton used a different technique to accumulate his career profits. Thornton signed four consecutive three-year contracts for more than $20 million between 2005 and 2014.
Total Estimated Earnings: $111,541,561
NHL Seasons Played: 24
Playing Career: 1997 – Present
6. Anze Kopitar: “Center” (Team Name – Los Angeles Kings)
The two-time Stanley Cup champion is now under contract with the Kings for an eight-year, $80-million deal, and the most expensive of his career.
Total Estimated Earnings: $115,250,000
NHL Seasons Played: 17
Playing Career: 2005 – Present
5. Shea Weber: “Defense” (Team Name – Vegas Golden Knights)
Weber’s huge 14-year, $110-million deal with the Nashville Predators began in the summer of 2012.
Total Estimated Earnings: $126,831,000
NHL Seasons Played: 17
Playing Career: 2003 – Present
4. Evgeni Malkin: “Center” (Team Name – Pittsburgh Penguins)
Malkin is worth considerably more than his 195-pound weight in gold as a three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time league scoring champion, and 2012 NHL MVP. The Penguins signed the all-star center to an eight-year, $76-million deal in 2012, which will expire at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Total Estimated Earnings: $127,270,893
NHL Seasons Played: 16
Playing Career: 2004 – Present
3. Jaromír Jágr: “Right Wing” (Team Name – Retired)
Jágr signed a seven-year, $77 million deal with the Capitals in 2001, the league’s highest ever. At his height, the Czech hockey player made $11 million each season.
Total Estimated Earnings: $128,139,753
NHL Seasons Played: 24
Playing Career: 1990 – 2018
2. Alex Ovechkin: “Left Wing” (Team Name – Washington Capitals)
While Ovechkin is one of the NHL’s most decorated players, maybe his most noteworthy accomplishment was securing the league’s richest contract: 13 years, 124 million dollars.
Total Estimated Earnings: $128,220,893
NHL Seasons Played: 17
Playing Career: 2004 – Present
1. Sidney Crosby: “Center” (Team Name – Pittsburgh Penguins)
Crosby’s first large deal with the Penguins was worth $43.5 million over five years in 2007. However, after signing on for another 12 years for a paltry $104.4 million, he made $43 million look like a hill of beans, becoming him the highest-paid NHL player of all time.
Total Estimated Earnings: $146,890,244
NHL Seasons Played: 17
Playing Career: 2005 – Present
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