List of player salaries in the NHL


Here are several lists of National Hockey League players' salaries since the 1989–90 NHL season. This list does not include income from corporate endorsements or salaries before.

Top 20 salaries in the NHL since 1989

This is a list of the twenty NHL players who have earned the most in salaries between the 1989–90 season and the 2007–08 season.
These figures have been gleaned from different sources, and so may not be perfectly accurate. This is merely an estimation that, for the most part, does not take into account bonuses and sponsor contracts.
These totals also do not take into account partial seasons played—for which a player would only receive a partial salary—except for the shortened 2004–05 season, which affected every player. Thus, the listed totals are a sum of the amounts each player was contracted to receive for a full season.
RankPlayer nameSalary Years active†
1Jaromír Jágr$ 19
2Nicklas Lidström$ 19
3Joe Sakic$ 20
4Mats Sundin$ 18
5Keith Tkachuk$ 17
6Rob Blake$ 19
7Paul Kariya$ 14
8Peter Forsberg$ 12 a
9Mike Modano$ 19
10Chris Pronger$ 15
11Steve Yzerman$ 22
12Sergei Fedorov$ 18
13Brian Leetch$ 18
14Mark Messier$ 25
15Brendan Shanahan$ 21
16Teemu Selänne$ 16
17Patrick Roy$ 19
18Pavel Bure$ 12
19Doug Weight$ 17
20Dominik Hašek$ 16 b

Top five contracts by season

1989–90 season

  1. Mario Lemieux $2 million
  2. Wayne Gretzky $1.72 million
  3. Mark Messier $0.86 million
  4. Steve Yzerman $0.7 million
  5. Bryan Trottier $0.575 million

    1990–91 season

  6. Wayne Gretzky $3 million
  7. Mario Lemieux $2.18 million
  8. Steve Yzerman $1.3 million
  9. Ray Bourque $1.194 million
  10. Brett Hull $1.116 million

    1991–92 season

  11. Wayne Gretzky $3 million
  12. Mario Lemieux $2.34 million
  13. Brett Hull $1.5 million
  14. Pat LaFontaine $1.4 million
  15. : Steve Yzerman $1.4 million

    1992–93 season

  16. Eric Lindros $3.5 million
  17. Wayne Gretzky $3 million
  18. Mario Lemieux $2.408 million
  19. Mark Messier $2.385 million
  20. Pat LaFontaine $1.775 million

    1993–94 season

  21. Eric Lindros $3.35 million
  22. Steve Yzerman $3.2 million
  23. Mario Lemieux $3 million
  24. : Wayne Gretzky $3 million
  26. Patrick Roy $2.6593 million

    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.
  1. Wayne Gretzky $3.66 million
  2. Mark Messier $3.45 million
  3. Scott Stevens $3.24 million
  4. Pavel Bure $2.61 million
  5. Mario Lemieux $2.361,429 million

    1995–96 season

  6. Wayne Gretzky $6.54 million
  7. Mark Messier $6.29 million
  8. Keith Tkachuk $6 million
  9. Mario Lemieux $4.5714 million
  10. Pavel Bure $4.5 million

    1996–97 season

  11. Mario Lemieux $11.35 million
  12. Mark Messier $6 million
  13. Pavel Bure $5 million
  14. Pat LaFontaine $4.6 million
  15. Patrick Roy $4.567 million

    1997–98 season

  16. Joe Sakic $16.45 million
  17. Chris Gratton $10.15 million
  18. Wayne Gretzky $6.25 million
  19. Mark Messier $6 million
  20. Pavel Bure $5.5 million

    1998–99 season

  21. Sergei Fedorov $14.5 million
  22. Paul Kariya $8.25 million
  23. Eric Lindros $8 million
  24. : Dominik Hasek $8 million
  26. Mats Sundin $6.347 million

    1999–00 season

  27. Jaromir Jagr $11.7 million
  28. Paul Kariya $11 million
  29. Peter Forsberg $9 million
  30. Theoren Fleury $8.5 million
  31. : Eric Lindros $8.5 million

    2000–01 season

  32. Peter Forsberg $10 million
  33. : Paul Kariya $10 million
  35. Jaromir Jagr $9.842708 million
  36. Pavel Bure $9 million
  37. Keith Tkachuk $7.3 million

    2001–02 season

  38. Jaromir Jagr $11 million
  39. Pavel Bure $10 million
  40. : Paul Kariya $10 million
  42. Joe Sakic $9.832727 million
  43. Chris Pronger $9.5 million
  44. : Teemu Selanne $9.5 million

    2002–03 season

  45. Jaromir Jagr $11.483333 million
  46. Keith Tkachuk $11 million
  47. Nicklas Lidstrom $10.5 million
  48. Pavel Bure $10 million
  49. : Paul Kariya $10 million

    2003–04 season

  50. Peter Forsberg $11 million
  51. : Jaromir Jagr $11 million
  53. Sergei Fedorov $10 million
  54. : Nicklas Lidstrom $10 million
  55. : Keith Tkachuk $10 million

    2004–05 season

cancelled.

2005–06 season

The team salary cap was $39 million. Under the latest NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, no player could earn more than 20 percent of the team salary cap.
  1. Jaromir Jagr $8.36 million
  2. Nicklas Lidstrom $7.6 million
  3. : Keith Tkachuk $7.6 million
  4. : Alexei Yashin $7.6 million
  6. Jarome Iginla $7 million

    2006–07 season

The team salary cap was $44 million. No player could earn more than $8.8 million.
  1. Jaromir Jagr $8.36 million
  2. Brad Richards $7.8 million
  3. Nicklas Lidstrom $7.6 million
  4. : Mats Sundin $7.6 million
  5. : Alexei Yashin $7.6 million

    2007–08 season

The team salary cap was $50.3 million. No player could earn more than $10.06 million.
  1. Daniel Briere $10 million
  2. : Scott Gomez $10 million
  3. : Thomas Vanek $10 million
  5. Jaromir Jagr $8.36 million
  6. Kimmo Timonen $8 million

    2008–09 season

The team salary cap was $56.7 million. No player could earn more than $11.34 million.
  1. Dany Heatley $10 million
  2. Sidney Crosby $9 million
  3. : Alexander Ovechkin $9 million
  5. Mats Sundin $8.6 million
  6. Miikka Kiprusoff $8.5 million

    2009–10 season

The team salary cap was $56.8 million. No player could earn more than $11.36 million.
  1. Vincent Lecavalier $10 million
  2. Sidney Crosby $9 million
  3. : Evgeni Malkin $9 million
  4. : Alexander Ovechkin $9 million
  6. Chris Drury $8.05 million

    2010–11 season

The team salary cap was $59.4 million. No player could earn more than $11.88 million.
  1. Vincent Lecavalier $10 million
  2. : Roberto Luongo $10 million
  3. Sidney Crosby $9 million
  4. : Evgeni Malkin $9 million
  5. : Alexander Ovechkin $9 million

    2011–12 season

The team salary cap was $64.3 million. No player could earn more than $12.86 million.
  1. Brad Richards $12 million
  2. Ilya Bryzgalov $10 million
  3. : Christian Ehrhoff $10 million
  4. : Vincent Lecavalier $10 million
  5. Sidney Crosby $9 million

    2012–13 season

The team salary cap was $70.2 million. No player could earn more than $14.04 million.
  1. Shea Weber $14 million
  2. Tyler Myers $12 million
  3. : Zach Parise $12 million
  4. : Brad Richards $12 million
  5. : Ryan Suter $12 million

    2013–14 season

The team salary cap was $64.3 million. No player could earn more than $12.86 million.
  1. Shea Weber $14 million
  2. Sidney Crosby $12 million
  3. : Zach Parise $12 million
  4. : Ryan Suter $12 million
  5. Eric Staal $9.25 million

    2014–15 season

The team salary cap was $69 million. No player could earn more than $13.8 million.
  1. Shea Weber $14 million
  2. Sidney Crosby $12 million
  3. Henrik Lundqvist $11 million
  4. : Zach Parise $11 million
  5. : Ryan Suter $11 million

    2015–16 season

The team salary cap was $71.4 million. No player could earn more than $14.28 million.
  1. Shea Weber $14 million
  2. Patrick Kane $13.8 million
  3. : Jonathan Toews $13.8 million
  4. Sidney Crosby $12 million
  5. Phil Kessel $10 million

    2016–17 season

The team salary cap was $73 million. No player could earn more than $14.6 million.
  1. Anze Kopitar $14 million
  2. Patrick Kane $13.8 million
  3. : Jonathan Toews $13.8 million
  4. Shea Weber $12 million
  5. Ryan O'Reilly $11 million

    2017–18 season

The team salary cap was $75 million. No player could earn more than $15 million.
  1. Patrick Kane $13.8 million
  2. : Jonathan Toews $13.8 million
  3. Jamie Benn $13 million
  4. : Anze Kopitar $13 million
  5. Shea Weber $12 million

    2018–19 season

The team salary cap was $79.5 million. No player could earn more than $15.9 million.
  1. John Tavares $15.9 million
  2. Connor McDavid $15 million
  3. : Carey Price $15 million
  4. Jamie Benn $13 million
  5. John Carlson $12 million

    2019–20 season

The team salary cap is $81.5 million. No player can earn more than $16.3 million.
  1. Mitch Marner $16 million
  2. Auston Matthews $15.9 million
  3. : John Tavares $15.9 million
  4. Connor McDavid $15 million
  5. : Carey Price $15 million

    2020–21 season

Currently signed contracts extending into 2020–21 season. Subject to change.
  1. Auston Matthews $15 million
  2. Connor McDavid $14 million
  3. Artemi Panarin $13 million
  4. Andrei Vasilevskiy $12 million

    Sample salaries from earlier seasons

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.
SeasonPlayer nameSalary
1917–18Newsy LalondeCAN $1,300
1921–22Newsy LalondeCAN $2,000
1923–24Howie MorenzCAN $3,500
1925–26Frank FredricksonCAN $3,500
1942–43Ronnie Rowe†CAN $3,000
1953–54Jean BeliveauCAN $21,000
1954–55Jean BeliveauCAN $21,000
1955–56Jean BeliveauCAN $21,000
1956–57Jean BeliveauCAN $21,000
1957–58Jean BeliveauCAN $21,000
1959–60Doug HarveyCAN $25,000
1959–60Maurice RichardCAN $25,000
1962–63Frank MahovlichCAN $25,000
1963–64CAN $7,000
1963–64Phil EspositoUS $54,990
1965–66Gump WorsleyCAN $28,000
1966–67Bobby OrrUS $35,000
1967–68Bobby OrrUS $35,000
1967–68Derek SandersonUS $10,000
1969–70Derek SandersonUS $13,000
1974–75Mario TremblayCAN $80,000
1977–78Bobby Hull †US $1,000,000
1977–78Bernie ParentUS $1,000,000
1977–78Derek SandersonUS $1,000,000
1982–83Brian HaywardUS $65,000