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NHL · 2025-26 SEASON

2025-26 NHL salaries

$890,002,937 paid to 143 players, Nathan MacKinnon the biggest at $16,050,000.

Every man the league paid that season, ranked by what the contract paid him for it. Ten of them took 13.1% of the total.

PAID OUT $890.0m
BIGGEST SALARY $16.1m
PLAYERS PAID 143
AVERAGE $6.2m
OVER $1M 137

The 2025-26 season at a glance

What the league paid, and how it split

2025-26

Paid out
$890,002,937
Players paid
143
Average
$6,223,797
Basic salary
81.5%
Signing bonus
18.5%
Top ten hold
13.1%

2024-25 paid $1,303,583,113 to 212 players, so 2025-26 is down 31.7% on the season before it.

The fifteen biggest 2025-26 salaries

One season, not a career

Top ten hold 13.1%

Nathan MacKinnon $16m Brayden Point $12m Aleksander Barkov $12m Dougie Hamilton $12m Charles Mcavoy $12m Drew Doughty $11m Miro Heiskanen $11m Brady Tkachuk $11m Jonathan Huberdeau $11m Robert Thomas $11m Seth Jones $11m Quinn Hughes $10m Alex Pietrangelo $10m Andrei Svechnikov $10m Connor McDavid $10m

Every NHL salary in 2025-26

Ranked by what the season paid

143 players

# Player Franchise Position Share Career 2025-26 salary
01 Nathan MacKinnon Colorado Avalanche Center 1.8% $153.6m $16,050,000$16.1m
02 Brayden Point Tampa Bay Lightning Center 1.3% $98.2m $12,000,000$12.0m
03 Aleksander Barkov Florida Panthers Center 1.3% $118.4m $11,600,000$11.6m
04 Dougie Hamilton New Jersey Devils Defenseman 1.3% $101.1m $11,550,000$11.6m
05 Charles Mcavoy Boston Bruins Defenseman 1.3% $93.4m $11,500,000$11.5m
06 Drew Doughty Los Angeles Kings Defenseman 1.2% $143.9m $11,000,000$11.0m
07 Miro Heiskanen Dallas Stars Defenseman 1.2% $70.3m $11,000,000$11.0m
08 Brady Tkachuk Ottawa Senators Left Wing 1.2% $60.3m $10,500,000$10.5m
09 Jonathan Huberdeau Calgary Flames Left Wing 1.2% $129.0m $10,500,000$10.5m
10 Robert Thomas St Louis Blues Center 1.2% $73.1m $10,500,000$10.5m
11 Seth Jones Chicago Blackhawks Defenseman 1.2% $111.4m $10,500,000$10.5m
12 Quinn Hughes Vancouver Canucks Defenseman 1.2% $49.2m $10,250,000$10.2m
13 Alex Pietrangelo Vegas Golden Knights Defenseman 1.1% $109.6m $10,000,000$10.0m
14 Andrei Svechnikov Carolina Hurricanes Right Wing 1.1% $64.8m $10,000,000$10.0m
15 Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers Center 1.1% $105.6m $10,000,000$10.0m
16 Darnell Nurse Edmonton Oilers Defenseman 1.1% $92.5m $10,000,000$10.0m
17 Filip Forsberg Nashville Predators Center 1.1% $106.9m $10,000,000$10.0m
18 Jack Eichel Vegas Golden Knights Center 1.1% $83.0m $10,000,000$10.0m
19 Mika Zibanejad New York Rangers Center 1.1% $102.7m $10,000,000$10.0m
20 Thomas Chabot Ottawa Senators Defenseman 1.1% $67.3m $10,000,000$10.0m
21 Tomas Hertl San Jose Sharks Center 1.1% $95.7m $10,000,000$10.0m
22 Johnny Gaudreau Columbus Blue Jackets Left Wing 1.1% $112.4m $9,750,000$9.7m
23 Adam Fox New York Rangers Defenseman 1.1% $69.3m $9,500,000$9.5m
24 Zachary Werenski Columbus Blue Jackets Defenseman 1.1% $75.3m $9,500,000$9.5m
25 Alex Ovechkin Washington Capitals Left Wing 1.0% $170.7m $9,000,000$9.0m
26 Andrei Vasilevski Tampa Bay Lightning Goaltender 1.0% $88.8m $9,000,000$9.0m
27 Erik Karlsson San Jose Sharks Defenseman 1.0% $138.9m $9,000,000$9.0m
28 Sean Couturier Philadelphia Flyers Center 1.0% $94.0m $9,000,000$9.0m
29 Kevin Fiala Los Angeles Kings Left Wing 1.0% $68.5m $8,750,000$8.7m
30 Nick Suzuki Montreal Canadiens Center 1.0% $65.6m $8,750,000$8.7m
31 Cale Makar Colorado Avalanche Defenseman 1.0% $55.8m $8,700,000$8.7m
32 Jack Hughes New Jersey Devils Center 1.0% $66.8m $8,500,000$8.5m
33 Nick Schmaltz Arizona Coyotes Center 1.0% $43.7m $8,500,000$8.5m
34 Artemi Panarin New York Rangers Left Wing 0.9% $95.0m $8,000,000$8.0m
35 Colton Parayko St Louis Blues Defenseman 0.9% $81.3m $8,000,000$8.0m
36 Hampus Lindholm Boston Bruins Defenseman 0.9% $87.0m $8,000,000$8.0m
37 Mark Stone Vegas Golden Knights Right Wing 0.9% $95.2m $8,000,000$8.0m
38 Morgan Rielly Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman 0.9% $92.9m $8,000,000$8.0m
39 Nico Hischier New Jersey Devils Center 0.9% $53.5m $8,000,000$8.0m
40 Nikita Kucherov Tampa Bay Lightning Right Wing 0.9% $92.5m $8,000,000$8.0m
41 Roman Josi Nashville Predators Defenseman 0.9% $102.8m $8,000,000$8.0m
42 Carey Price Montreal Canadiens Goaltender 0.8% $131.0m $7,500,000$7.5m
43 Gabriel Landeskog Colorado Avalanche Left Wing 0.8% $97.5m $7,500,000$7.5m
44 Joel Eriksson Ek Minnesota Wild Center 0.8% $47.7m $7,500,000$7.5m
45 Jonas Brodin Minnesota Wild Defenseman 0.8% $70.1m $7,500,000$7.5m
46 Kirill Kaprizov Minnesota Wild Left Wing 0.8% $45.9m $7,500,000$7.5m
47 Valeri Nichushkin Colorado Avalanche Right Wing 0.8% $61.2m $7,300,000$7.3m
48 Tage Thompson Buffalo Sabres Center 0.8% $56.0m $7,142,857$7.1m
49 Tyler Seguin Dallas Stars Center 0.8% $116.0m $7,100,000$7.1m
50 Clayton Keller Arizona Coyotes Center 0.8% $60.8m $7,000,000$7.0m
51 Jared Spurgeon Minnesota Wild Defenseman 0.8% $83.4m $7,000,000$7.0m
52 Jeff Skinner Buffalo Sabres Left Wing 0.8% $109.1m $7,000,000$7.0m
53 Kyle Connor Winnipeg Jets Left Wing 0.8% $52.8m $7,000,000$7.0m
54 Logan Couture San Jose Sharks Center 0.8% $101.2m $7,000,000$7.0m
55 Michael Matheson Pittsburgh Penguins Defenseman 0.8% $41.0m $7,000,000$7.0m
56 Nazem Kadri Calgary Flames Center 0.8% $88.1m $7,000,000$7.0m
57 Brayden Schenn St Louis Blues Center 0.7% $79.9m $6,500,000$6.5m
58 Brendan Gallagher Montreal Canadiens Right Wing 0.7% $64.0m $6,500,000$6.5m
59 Drake Batherson Ottawa Senators Center 0.7% $30.8m $6,500,000$6.5m
60 Jordan Binnington St Louis Blues Goaltender 0.7% $45.8m $6,500,000$6.5m
61 Mattias Ekholm Nashville Predators Defenseman 0.7% $50.5m $6,500,000$6.5m
62 Torey Krug St Louis Blues Defenseman 0.7% $74.0m $6,500,000$6.5m
63 Zach Hyman Edmonton Oilers Center 0.7% $48.4m $6,425,000$6.4m
64 John Gibson Anaheim Ducks Goaltender 0.7% $66.7m $6,400,000$6.4m
65 Alexander Killorn Anaheim Ducks Center 0.7% $69.0m $6,250,000$6.3m
66 Cam Fowler Anaheim Ducks Defenseman 0.7% $82.0m $6,250,000$6.3m
67 MacKenzie Weegar Calgary Flames Defenseman 0.7% $63.7m $6,250,000$6.3m
68 Ryan Pulock New York Islanders Defenseman 0.7% $63.6m $6,150,000$6.2m
69 Jacob Markstrom Calgary Flames Goaltender 0.7% $53.6m $6,000,000$6.0m
70 Jacob Trouba New York Rangers Defenseman 0.7% $70.6m $6,000,000$6.0m
71 John Carlson Washington Capitals Defenseman 0.7% $88.9m $6,000,000$6.0m
72 Oliver Bjorkstrand Columbus Blue Jackets Right Wing 0.7% $35.5m $6,000,000$6.0m
73 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Edmonton Oilers Center 0.7% $85.8m $6,000,000$6.0m
74 Sergei Bobrovsky Florida Panthers Goaltender 0.7% $113.4m $6,000,000$6.0m
75 Vincent Trocheck New York Rangers Center 0.7% $68.5m $6,000,000$6.0m
76 Adam Pelech New York Islanders Defenseman 0.6% $53.9m $5,750,000$5.8m
77 Joel Farabee Philadelphia Flyers Left Wing 0.6% $32.7m $5,750,000$5.8m
78 Phillip Danault Los Angeles Kings Center 0.6% $44.7m $5,750,000$5.8m
79 Phillip Grubauer Seattle Kraken Goaltender 0.6% $47.7m $5,600,000$5.6m
80 William Karlsson Vegas Golden Knights Center 0.6% $55.7m $5,600,000$5.6m
81 Elvis Merzlikins Columbus Blue Jackets Goaltender 0.6% $36.0m $5,525,000$5.5m
82 Adrian Kempe Los Angeles Kings Left Wing 0.6% $29.8m $5,500,000$5.5m
83 Jaden Schwartz Seattle Kraken Left Wing 0.6% $61.2m $5,500,000$5.5m
84 Marc-Edouard Vlasic San Jose Sharks Defenseman 0.6% $90.3m $5,500,000$5.5m
85 Rasmus Ristolainen Philadelphia Flyers Defenseman 0.6% $60.2m $5,500,000$5.5m
86 Ryan Ellis Philadelphia Flyers Defenseman 0.6% $64.9m $5,500,000$5.5m
87 John Marino Pittsburgh Penguins Defenseman 0.6% $28.3m $5,300,000$5.3m
88 Kevin Hayes Philadelphia Flyers Center 0.6% $62.2m $5,250,000$5.3m
89 Oliver Ekman-Larsson Vancouver Canucks Defenseman 0.6% $101.4m $5,250,000$5.3m
90 Bryan Rust Pittsburgh Penguins Right Wing 0.6% $46.7m $5,125,000$5.1m
91 Chris Kreider New York Rangers Left Wing 0.6% $71.1m $5,000,000$5.0m
92 Conor Garland Vancouver Canucks Right Wing 0.6% $26.7m $5,000,000$5.0m
93 Josh Anderson Montreal Canadiens Right Wing 0.6% $44.8m $5,000,000$5.0m
94 Matt Duchene Nashville Predators Center 0.6% $94.4m $5,000,000$5.0m
95 Ryan Strome Anaheim Ducks Center 0.6% $53.2m $5,000,000$5.0m
96 Samuel Girard Colorado Avalanche Defenseman 0.6% $37.1m $5,000,000$5.0m
97 Thatcher Demko Vancouver Canucks Goaltender 0.6% $29.1m $5,000,000$5.0m
98 Blake Coleman Calgary Flames Center 0.6% $35.3m $4,900,000$4.9m
99 Jesperi Kotkaniemi Carolina Hurricanes Center 0.5% $47.4m $4,820,000$4.8m
100 Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins Center 0.5% $151.7m $4,800,000$4.8m
101 Joshua Morrissey Winnipeg Jets Defenseman 0.5% $58.9m $4,800,000$4.8m
102 Kris Letang Pittsburgh Penguins Defenseman 0.5% $105.5m $4,800,000$4.8m
103 Alex Tuch Buffalo Sabres Right Wing 0.5% $36.0m $4,750,000$4.8m
104 Pavel Zacha Boston Bruins Center 0.5% $32.0m $4,750,000$4.8m
105 Rasmus Andersson Calgary Flames Defenseman 0.5% $29.7m $4,550,000$4.5m
106 Anders Lee New York Islanders Center 0.5% $66.0m $4,500,000$4.5m
107 Charlie Coyle Boston Bruins Center 0.5% $49.9m $4,500,000$4.5m
108 Darcy Kuemper Washington Capitals Goaltender 0.5% $44.5m $4,500,000$4.5m
109 Justin Faulk St Louis Blues Defenseman 0.5% $77.0m $4,500,000$4.5m
110 Mattias Samuelsson Buffalo Sabres Defenseman 0.5% $31.7m $4,285,714$4.3m
111 Jared McCann Seattle Kraken Left Wing 0.5% $36.0m $4,250,000$4.3m
112 Brandon Carlo Boston Bruins Defenseman 0.5% $32.0m $4,200,000$4.2m
113 Jack Campbell Edmonton Oilers Goaltender 0.5% $31.3m $4,200,000$4.2m
114 Ryan McDonagh Nashville Predators Defenseman 0.5% $77.8m $4,200,000$4.2m
115 Artturi Lehkonen Colorado Avalanche Left Wing 0.4% $32.4m $4,000,000$4.0m
116 Evander Kane Edmonton Oilers Left Wing 0.4% $76.6m $4,000,000$4.0m
117 Radko Gudas Anaheim Ducks Defenseman 0.4% $40.9m $4,000,000$4.0m
118 Barclay Goodrow New York Rangers Left Wing 0.4% $26.3m $3,750,000$3.8m
119 Boone Jenner Columbus Blue Jackets Center 0.4% $32.6m $3,750,000$3.8m
120 Jamie Oleksiak Seattle Kraken Defenseman 0.4% $32.5m $3,750,000$3.8m
121 Connor Murphy Chicago Blackhawks Defenseman 0.4% $43.8m $3,650,000$3.6m
122 Brandon Saad St Louis Blues Left Wing 0.4% $60.9m $3,625,000$3.6m
123 Jean-Gabriel Pageau New York Islanders Center 0.4% $42.1m $3,500,000$3.5m
124 Josh Manson Colorado Avalanche Defenseman 0.4% $37.9m $3,500,000$3.5m
125 Nicholas Paul Tampa Bay Lightning Center 0.3% $27.2m $3,000,000$3.0m
126 Nick Leddy St Louis Blues Defenseman 0.3% $62.3m $3,000,000$3.0m
127 Zach Whitecloud Vegas Golden Knights Defenseman 0.3% $18.9m $2,750,000$2.8m
128 Adam Lowry Winnipeg Jets Left Wing 0.3% $29.0m $2,500,000$2.5m
129 Casey Cizikas New York Islanders Center 0.3% $35.9m $2,500,000$2.5m
130 Scott Laughton Philadelphia Flyers Center 0.3% $22.5m $2,500,000$2.5m
131 Jeremy Lauzon Nashville Predators Defenseman 0.2% $10.2m $2,000,000$2.0m
132 Kyle Turris Edmonton Oilers Center 0.2% $52.7m $2,000,000$2.0m
133 Colton Sissons Nashville Predators Center 0.2% $22.1m $1,825,000$1.8m
134 Martin Jones Seattle Kraken Goaltender 0.2% $43.6m $1,666,667$1.7m
135 Ross Johnston New York Islanders Left Wing 0.1% $9.4m $1,100,000
136 Brad Richards Detroit Red Wings Center 0.1% $107.4m $1,055,556
137 Shea Weber Montreal Canadiens Defenseman 0.1% $132.8m $1,000,000
138 Jack Johnson Colorado Avalanche Defenseman 0.1% $54.3m $916,667
139 Alexander Wennberg Seattle Kraken Center 0.1% $38.2m $891,667
140 Colin White Florida Panthers Center 0.1% $21.3m $875,000
141 Christian Ehrhoff Chicago Blackhawks Defenseman 0.1% $52.8m $857,143
142 Ryan Suter Dallas Stars Defenseman 0.1% $126.1m $833,333
143 Zach Parise New York Islanders Left Wing 0.1% $115.2m $833,333

The career column is everything the same man's contracts are worth across every season he has been paid, which is the ranking the all-time list is built on.

2025-26 against every other season

What the league paid out, year by year

20 seasons

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest paid NHL player in 2025-26?

Nathan MacKinnon, $16,050,000 at the Colorado Avalanche. That is 1.8% of everything the league paid that season.

How much did NHL players earn in total in 2025-26?

$890,002,937 across 143 players, an average of $6,223,797 each.

How many NHL players earned $1 million in 2025-26?

137 of the 143 paid that season.

How does 2025-26 compare with 2024-25?

2024-25 paid $1,303,583,113 across 212 players. 2025-26 is down 31.7% on it.

What is in a NHL salary figure?

Everything the contract pays in that season: basic salary, the share of a signing bonus the deal books to the year, incentives and a trade bonus where one applies. It is not a cap hit and it is not a net figure after tax or escrow.

The seasons either side

The same table, 16 other years

2007-08 NHL salaries · 2008-09 NHL salaries · 2009-10 NHL salaries · 2010-11 NHL salaries · 2011-12 NHL salaries · 2012-13 NHL salaries · 2013-14 NHL salaries · 2017-18 NHL salaries · 2018-19 NHL salaries · 2019-20 NHL salaries · 2020-21 NHL salaries · 2021-22 NHL salaries · 2022-23 NHL salaries · 2023-24 NHL salaries · 2024-25 NHL salaries · 2026-27 NHL salaries · NHL career earnings

Where to next

The seasons, the franchises and the rest of the league

Every season

Every franchise

Every position

The money lists