Who’s No. 1? It may not be who you think — from the grizzled vets to the fantastic phenoms, check out all the highest-paid hockey players on the ice this season.
The best overall player in hockey? Sure, your mileage may vary, and if you’re a stone-cold homer for a team whose fans are known for being, shall we say, acutely territorial, you can’t be expected to see the world for precisely what it is.
But if you’re out here simply to call balls and strikes (and mix a few metaphors while you’re at it), you may be compelled to say the words “Connor McDavid,” winner of the Hart Trophy in two of the last three seasons. But what if I told you that the Edmonton Oilers superstar, for all of his exploits on the ice, doesn’t currently earn a salary that lands him even among the top 15 highest-paid NHL players this season?
Kinda makes you think, doesn’t it?
So, who actually gets the distinction of being No. 1 on the money list? Check out Boardroom’s list of the highest-paid NHL players for the 2023-24 campaign by total single-year cash — and stick around at the end of this article for a definitive ranking of the biggest NHL contracts overall across the league.
Highest-paid NHL Players of 2023 by Total Compensation
Reflects total cash compensation for the 2023-24 NHL season as noted by Spotrac.
| PLAYER | TEAM | 2023-24 $ |
| 1. C Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche | $16.5M |
| 2. RW David Pastrnak | Bruins | $13M |
| 3. D Dougie Hamilton | Devils | $12.6M |
| t4. LW Alex Ovechkin | Capitals | $12.5M |
| t4. LW Kirill Kaprizov | Wild | $12.5M |
| t4. D Seth Jones | Blackhawks | $12.5M |
| 7. D Alex Pietrangelo | Golden Knights | $12.3M |
| t8. D Adam Fox | Rangers | $12M |
| t8. C Aleksander Barkov | Panthers | $12M |
| t8. LW Timo Meier | Devils | $12M |
| t8. D Zachary Werenski | Blue Jackets | $12M |
| t12. D Erik Karlsson | Penguins | $11.5M |
| t12. LW Roope Hintz | Stars | $11.5M |
| t14. C Brayden Point | Lightning | $11.25M |
| t14. LW Matthew Tkachuk | Panthers | $11.25M |
| 16. D Mikhail Sergachev | Lightning | $11.05M |
| t17. C Connor McDavid | Oilers | $11M |
| t17. LW Artemi Panarin | Rangers | $11M |
| t17. D Cale Makar | Avalanche | $11M |
| t17. D Drew Doughty | Kings | $11M |
| t17. RW Mark Stone | Golden Knights | $11M |
| t17. D Charlie Mcavoy | Bruins | $11M |
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Highest-paid NHL Players by Total Contract Value
| PLAYER | TEAM | CONTRACT $ |
| 1. D Shea Weber | ARI | $110M |
| 2. C Sidney Crosby | PIT | $104.4M |
| 3. C Nathan MacKinnon | COL | $100.8M |
| 4. C Connor McDavid | EDM | $100M |
| 5. D Erik Karlsson | PIT | $92M |
| 6. RW David Pastrnak | BOS | $90M |
| 7. D Drew Doughty | LAK | $88M |
| t8. G Carey Price | MTL | $84M |
| t8. LW Jonathan Huberdeau | CGY | $84M |
| 10. LW Artemi Panarin | NYR | $81.5M |
| t11. C Anze Kopitar | LAK | $80M |
| t11. C Jack Eichel | VGK | $80M |
| t11. C Aleksander Barkov | FLA | $80M |
| 14. C Tyler Seguin | DAL | $78.8M |
| 15. C John Tavares | TOR | $77M |
| t16. RW Nikita Kucherov | TBL | $76M |
| t16. LW Jamie Benn | DAL | $76M |
| t16. D Charlie Mcavoy | BOS | $76M |
| t16. G Andrei Vasilevskiy | TBL | $76M |
| t16. RW Mark Stone | VGK | $76M |
| t16. D Seth Jones | CHI | $76M |
| t16. C Brayden Point | TBL | $76M |
| t16. LW Matthew Tkachuk | FLA | $76M |
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