Price tags in hockey's top-flight continue to soar, with the NHL's latest CBA rocketing player's values into new stratospheres.
That has only proved profitable for the league's best talents. Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid represent a who's who of hockey royalty in 2025. All four are handsomely rewarded for their services, landing double-digit average annual value (AAV) salaries.
The number of players who collect such contracts should only grow in the years to come, too. The Minnesota Wild agreed terms to a hulking contract with star forward Kirill Kaprizov that will see the Russian goal-scorer net $17 million a season when his extension kicks in. Meanwhile, stars like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes are on the cusp of mammoth deals of their own.
So, which players will be frolicking in the most Benjamins during the 2025-26 campaign? Here's what you need to know.
1. Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers
- AAV: $14 million
A new man reigns supreme at the top of the NHL's highest-paid list in 2025. Leon Draisatl's eight-year, $112 million extension went into effect in 2025, meaning he now holds the title of league's richest player. He has some distance between himself and the rest of the crowd, too; Draisaitl is the only player in the league making more than $13 million. A one-time Hart Trophy winner with three 50-goal seasons in his last four campaigns, Draisaitl clearly looks worth the investment.
2. Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs
- AAV: $13.25 million
Matthews is perhaps the NHL's best goal-scorer. He is paid like it, too, The 2022 Hart Trophy winner and two-time 60-goal-scorer will take home a hair over $13 million in 2025-26. He recorded 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games last season.
3. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche
- AAV: $12.6 million
Nathan MacKinnon places third on the highest-paid charts, having landed his glitzy eight-year, $100.6 million extension three years ago. MacKinnon won his first Hart Trophy in 2024. He finished fourth in voting last year.
4. Connor McDavid, C, Oilers
- AAV: $12.5 million
McDavid is undoubtedly hockey's greatest talent. That just isn't reflected in his paycheck yet. McDavid earns a cool $12.5 million in the final year of the eight-year deal he inked in 2018. He'll make the same in the next two seasons, as well; McDavid inked a two-year, $25 million extension days before the NHL season kicked off.
MORE: Connor McDavid signs extension with Oilers
T5. Mitch Marner, RW, Golden Knights
- AAV: $12 million
Marner's latest deal sees him climb into the top-five wealthiest players based on AAV. The longtime Maple Leafs forward was dealt to Vegas via sign-and-trade, summarily agreeing terms to an eight-year, $96 million with his new employer. Marner, 28, has 741 points in 657 career games.
T5. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Stars
- AAV: $12 million
Rantanen enjoyed one of the most hectic individual seasons in recent history in 2025, turning out for three different sides. He still produced 88 points in 82 games, proving his success with the Colorado Avalanche wasn't merely a product of his proximity to MacKinnon. Rantanen's arrival in Dallas was predicated on his willingness to agree terms to a new contract. He didn't get quite the figure he sough for when assessing his potential options. But he landed fairly close to the target, commanding the joint-highest AAV figure among wingers.
7. Artemi Panarin, LW, Rangers
- AAV: $11.64 million
On-ice, Panarin enjoyed another sizzling season. Off of it, he took hold of headlines for a sexual assault allegation made by a former Rangers team employee. Panarin settled the case with the woman in 2024. He was named New York's MVP after compiling his eighth 80-point season last year.
8. Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks
- AAV: $11.6 million
Pettersson, 26, makes his first appearance in the top-20 after landing an eight-year, $92 million extension with the Vancouver Canucks in 2024. The former Calder Memorial Trophy winner fell short of the point-per-game average he sported ahead of the 2024-25 season. But he remains one of hockey's most captivating draws, carving sides open with silky hands and precise passing.
T9. Erik Karlsson, D, Penguins
- AAV: $11.5 million
If it feels like Erik Karlsson has been on this list forever, it's because he has — and he won't be leaving it anytime soon. The Penguins defenseman still has two years left on his massive contract that earns him $11.5 million a season. The 35-year-old is far from the sensational blue liner he was in his prime; however, he still is effective as a top-four defenseman —just not at his price tag.
T9. William Nylander, C/RW, Maple Leafs
- AAV: $11.5 million
The son of famed Swede Michael Nylander and brother of former top Buffalo Sabres prospect Alexander, William Nylander has always had goal-scoring in his blood. He potted a career-best 45 strikes in 2024-25 — good for his third 40-goal season.
T9. Igor Shesterkin, G, Rangers
- AAV: $11.5 million
Good goaltending is worth its weight in gold. The New York Rangers are putting their money where their mouth is in regards to Shesterkin, whose eight-year, $92 million deal kicked in this offseason. A former Vezina Trophy winner, Shesterkin's numbers from last year paled in comparison to what he was producing at his pomp. He'll look to find his rhythm before long in 2025-26.
12. David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins
- AAV: $11.25 million
Pastrnak is a goal-scoring maven. But he has picked up some new trades over the years, evolving into a hub for Boston's offense.With three-straight 106+ points seasons, Pastrnak seems as likely a candidate as any to mount a charge for the Hart Trophy.
T13. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres
- AAV: $11 million
Dahlin lands in No. 13 on this year's list of highest-paid players. The honor is richly deserved for the 25-year old defender, who has received Norris Trophy nominations in each of the past three years. Dahlin tallied 17 goals and 51 assists in 2024-25 -- his first as captain following Jack Eichel's departure.
T13. Drew Doughty, D, Kings
- AAV: $11 million
Doughty's a far way form his Norris Trophy contending best. But he remains a steady presence in Los Angeles' blue line, albeit in a far less productive way. Doughty recorded 17 points in 30 contests last year, felled by a spate of injuries.
T15. Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers
- AAV: $10.5 million
Bouchard was rewarded for his impressive exploits with a four-year, $42 million extension in the offseason. He's one of the league's smoothest skaters and figures to play a big role in Edmonton's present and future.
T15. Carey Price, G, Sharks
- AAV: $10.5 million
Carey Price is the highest-paid goalie in the league, yet he hasn't played in a game since the 2021-22 season. It's unlikely he'll ever suit up again for the Canadiens or any team, which is unfortunate considering just how elite he was when healthy. The Sharks now are on the hook for Price for another two years after Montreal traded his contract to San Jose.
T15. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Flames
- AAV: $10.5 million
Jonathan Huberdeau has yet to live up to the massive deal he signed with the Flames after he was a part of the Matthew Tkachuk deal in 2022. He is only in the third year of his eight-year, $84 million deal, and if Huberdeau isn't able to right the ship in Calgary, his deal will go down as one of the worst in league history.
T-18. Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights
- AAV: $10 million
The trade with the Sabres for Jack Eichel paid off in a big way for the Golden Knights, who won the Stanley Cup with the center at the helm in 2023. In Vegas, he has flourished, recording a career-high in assists (66) and points (94). He hits the final year of the eight-year, $80 million extension in he inked in Buffalo this season, although his next deal should prove similarly viable.
T-18. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers
- AAV: $10 million
Bobrovsky's Hall of Fame case was effectively sealed with his second-straight Stanley Cup. The veteran remains one of the sport's finest goaltenders and his contract — once viewed as an overpay — continues to bear fruit for the Panthers.
The second goalie on the list and only one technically still active is Sergei Bobrovsky. The veteran goaltender is fresh off a Stanley Cup win, the first in his career. He was sensational for Florida for the second consecutive postseason. At one point, Bobrovsky's deal was viewed as an overpay, but his performance over the past two years has made it all worth it.
T-18 Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers
- AAV: $10 million
Florida's captain will not play in 2025 after suffering a preseason knee injury. Still, he is worth every penny of the $10 million a season he earns, having captured this third Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward in 2025. The Panthers will be desperate for his return in 2026-27.