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NHL · 5 POSITIONS

NHL career earnings by position

$26,432,687,994 across 1,084 careers, the Center the biggest single position at $8,367,669,070.

Every career in the league filed by the job it was paid to do. A man counts once, at the position he is listed at now, so the totals answer which seat on the roster the money goes to rather than how any one career moved between them.

TOTAL $26.43bn
BIGGEST $8.37bn
POSITIONS 5
CAREERS 1,084
TOP THREE HOLD 78.3%

The richest positions

Career money earned by the players on them

Top three hold 78.3%

Center $8.37bn Defenseman $8.24bn Left Wing $4.08bn Right Wing $3.28bn Goaltender $2.46bn

Every position ranked

Total career money, and what it comes to per career

5 positions

# Position Careers Per career Top earner Span Career money
01 Center 314 $26.6m Sidney Crosby 1997 to 2030 $8,367,669,070$8.37bn
02 Defenseman 341 $24.2m Drew Doughty 2000 to 2030 $8,240,947,514$8.24bn
03 Left Wing 173 $23.6m Alex Ovechkin 1997 to 2030 $4,081,473,113$4.08bn
04 Right Wing 129 $25.4m Patrick Kane 1998 to 2029 $3,278,176,040$3.28bn
05 Goaltender 127 $19.4m Carey Price 2002 to 2027 $2,464,422,257$2.46bn

Per career is the total divided by the number of careers in it, and it reorders the table: Center pays $26,648,628 a career, against a ranking by total that is led by Center.

Frequently asked questions

Which NHL position earns the most?

Center, $8,367,669,070 across 314 careers, an average of $26,648,628 each.

How is a position total worked out?

Every career filed at that position, added together. A man counts once, at the position he is listed at now, so a career that moved between two jobs sits entirely under the second one.

Which position pays the best per career?

Center, $26,648,628 per career across 314 of them.

Which position is bottom?

Goaltender, $2,464,422,257 across 127 careers.

Why are some positions missing?

A position needs 10 careers before it gets a page, because below that a ranking is a list with a rank printed beside it. 0 of the 1,084 careers on record sit outside the 5 positions here.

Where to next

The seasons, the franchises and the rest of the league

Every season

Every franchise

Every position

The money lists