The highest-paid NHL players list swells with a $95million cap and richer TV money, and that means bigger cheques for the game’s marquee names.
Extensions arriving at just the right moment, plus a couple of blockbuster moves, have nudged salaries upward across the board.
We’re ranking 2025–26 salary only, not career totals or pure AAV. Leon Draisaitl’s new contract grabbed the headlines, but who gets anywhere near his $14million?
1. Leon Draisaitl — $14million
Leon Draisaitl leads the list on $14million for 2025–26, with his eight-year, $112million extension now in effect. He tops the highest-paid NHL players this season as Edmonton locks in its championship window.
You pay that number for a forward who scores in bunches and dictates tempo at five-on-five. On the power play, he finds seams, hammers one-timers, and turns small openings into goals with ruthless efficiency.
He posted 52 goals and 54 assists in 71 games, stacking 106 points while carrying heavy special-teams minutes. He finished runner-up for the Hart, again underlining elite, year-to-year production when the games matter.
2. Auston Matthews — $13.25million
Matthews sits second at $13.25million for 2025–26, a number that pairs star power with leverage in a hockey-mad market. Toronto pays for a franchise centre that tilts games.
He remains a perennial Rocket Richard threat, pulling top pairings out of shape and still finding clean looks. The two-way growth shows in puck recoveries, exits, and a power play that runs through his release.
His extension set this figure before the cap bump and now looks savvy. It keeps the window open and the spotlight squarely on him.
3. Nathan MacKinnon — $12.6million
MacKinnon ranks third at $12.6million, which feels light for a reigning MVP and Colorado’s heartbeat. He sets the tempo every night.
He attacks in waves, turns rushes into high-danger chances, and forces defenders to backpedal. That first step changes neutral-zone math in seconds.
The eight-year, $100.8million deal locked in earlier now reads like value as the cap climbs. It anchors Colorado’s core through their contending years.
4. Connor McDavid — $12.5million
McDavid ranks fourth on $12.5million, which says more about contract timing than value. He remains the league’s most decisive skater and Edmonton’s metronome.
Shift by shift, he stretches coverage, rewrites angles, and turns routine entries into grade-A chances. The power play runs through his vision, and five-on-five, he still tilts ice like few in history.
This is the final stretch of his current deal, and the next one could reset the market. Expect a number that reflects his era-defining production and the leverage that comes with it.
=5. Mitch Marner — $12million
Marner opens his Vegas chapter on $12million for 2025–26, arriving as the Golden Knights’ headline free-agent splash. The number fits a winger who drives play and offence.
He knits zones together, feeds finishers, and quarterbacks a power play that should hum in Vegas. The defensive reads travel too, giving Bruce Cassidy another trusted late-game option.
The deal lands at the right time in a rising cap, and it resets the Knights’ forward mix. Expect him to live on the puck and lift percentages across the top six.
=5. Mikko Rantanen — $12million
Rantanen matches $12million as his new extension kicks in with Dallas, reflecting first-line production and big-game reliability. He brings size, touch, and a release that punishes small mistakes.
Give him a clean entry, and he turns it into a chance, whether by power move or quick dish. On the power play, he finds soft ice and buries.
The contract aligns with a win-now window in Dallas, where his finishing should amplify an already deep forward group and keep the scoreboard busy.
7. Artemi Panarin — $11.64million
Panarin earns $11.642million for 2025–26, a price that fits the Rangers’ most reliable wing scorer. He drives offence at even strength and on the half wall.
Give him time and space and he freezes defenders, slipping pucks through seams that look closed to everyone else. The power play flows through his patience and quick hands.
This number reflects prime-age production in a contending window at Madison Square Garden, where his finishing and touch lift New York’s ceiling.
8. Elias Pettersson — $11.6million
Pettersson comes in at $11.6million, anchoring Vancouver’s forward core as a true first-line centre. The extension matches his role and rising totals.
He wins pucks, attacks through the middle, and turns controlled entries into dangerous looks. On the power play, he finds soft ice, then punishes it.
With the cap climbing, this figure secures the Canucks’ timeline around a two-way driver who tilts matchups and elevates linemates.
9. Erik Karlsson — $11.5million
Karlsson’s $11.5million reflects an elite puck-moving résumé and ongoing value as a transition engine. Few blue liners create like this.
He quarterbacks the power play, jumps into lanes, and turns retrievals into clean exits that become chances seconds later. The skating still separates him.
For Pittsburgh, the bet marries pedigree with urgency, keeping the attack dangerous while the core pushes for one more spring.
9. William Nylander — $11.5million
Nylander lands at $11.5million, reflecting first-line production and the versatility to play wing or centre. Toronto leans on his scoring touch and carry-in game.
He attacks off the rush, slips defenders with small edges, and buries from the circles. The puck skills lift any line he rides with.
The long-term deal that set this figure kicked in last season, and it looks fine in a rising cap as his prime years line up with the Leafs’ window.
9. Igor Shesterkin — $11.5million
Shesterkin matches $11.5million, the top bracket for goalies this year, and the number fits an apex shot-stopper. When he heats up, New York grows a safety net.
He tracks through traffic, beats passes on his edges, and turns high-danger into routine saves. The bench relaxes when he’s locked in.
This salary backs a contender’s plan: ride elite goaltending while the stars up front chase margins at the other end.
12. David Pastrnak — $11.25million
Pastrnak comes in at $11.25million, which is tidy business for a winger who lives near 50 goals. Boston pays for finishing and gets it most nights.
He glides into soft ice, loads the one-timer, and punishes loose coverage on the power play. Defenders know what’s coming and still can’t smother it.
The long deal underpinning this figure continues to age well, keeping Boston’s top-end scoring secure as the cap climbs.
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