What is average salary for an NHL player?

The National Hockey League (NHL) is one of the “Big 4” sporting leagues in the United States along with the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Major League Baseball (MLB). While it may not be as popular as the other three, it still packs a lot of money.

At the moment, the league has the third-highest salary cap in American sports at $88 million. This had led to many wondering what is the average salary of an NHL player?

While the big names of the league have locked up huge money contracts, there are some in the league who are still trying to break out and earn more than the base salary allowed by the league.

As per estimation, the average salary of an NHL player for the 2024-25 season is around $3.63 million. This is an increase from last year which was estimated to be around $3.49 million. Let’s delve a bit deeper into this and find out more.

Who is the highest-paid player in the NHL?

The big common question among several people is, how is the highest-paid player in the league? Till the 2023-24 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews held the record for the highest paid player in the league with a salary of $13.25 million.

As of the 2024-25 season, he no longer holds that record. The Edmonton Oilers and Leon Draisaitl would put pen to paper on an 8-year $112 million contract. This contract extension will see him earn around $14 million in salary, the highest any player has ever received in the NHL.

Highest-paid players in the NHL in every position

Center position:

The NHL has four positions in the leagues (forwards, defensemen, center, and goaltenders). Starting with the center position, the highest-paid player in this position is Leon Draisaitl.

As mentioned above, Draisaitl penned down a huge contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers. This will see him have an Average Annual Value of $14 million. So not only he is the highest-paid player in the league, he is also the highest-paid player in the center position.

As for the lowest paid salary, several players have signed a one-year $775,000 million deal (the league minimum) in their careers. This figure could rise expected to rise about $800,000 in the upcoming season.

Right Winger:

The right winger position sees a player play on the right side of the attack. The highest paid player in the NHL in this position is Dallas Stars’ newly acquired star, Mikko Rantanen.

The Finnish ice hockey star became the talk of the town with a surprising trade from the Colorado Avalanche. After failing to make a mark at the Carolina Hurricanes, he was traded again, this time to the Stars.

Following his trade to the Stars, he agreed to a huge 8-year $96 million contract. This will see him earn $12 million per year. Previously, the highest-paid right winger in the league was David Pastrnak, who was earning $11.25 million.

Left Winger:

The final forward position in the NHL is the left wing position. The highest-paid player in this position in the league is New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin.

After making a name for himself at the Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Russian international made his way to the Rangers. He penned down a seven-year, $81.5 million contract. This sees him make around $11.62 million in salary.

The second highest belongs to Jonathan Huberdeau. The Canadian star and the Calgary Flames agreed to an 8-year $84 million deal, which sees him make $10.5 million per year.

Defenseman:

The highest-paid player in the defense position in the NHL is Erik Karlsson. After breaking through at the San Jose Sharks, the Swedish international signed an 8-year $92 million contract to remain with the California-based outfit.

The deal sees him earn around $11.5 million. Despite this deal to keep him in San Jose, he was traded away to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023. At the moment, he is one of the top members of the Penguins organization.

The second highest-paid defenseman in the league is Rasmus Dahlin. The Buffalo Sabres star has an AVV of $11 million after signing an 8-year $88 million deal.

Goaltender

The record for the highest-paid goaltender was broken in the 2024-25 season. While going through a troublesome phase, the New York Rangers locked down goaltender Igor Shesterskin until the 2032 season with an 8-year deal.

The Russian goalie agreed to a $92 million contract extension. This will see him earn $11.5 million from this season. Before this deal, the highest-paid goaltender was Carey Price, who signed an 8-year $84 million deal with the Montreal Canadiens in 2018.

With the salary cap expected to hit around $92 million for the next season, there are chances that the pay scale of players in the NHL will go up even further. This could see the average salary of an NHL player go up to $4 million.