Who are the Highest-Paid Players in the NHL?

This 28-year-old Florida Panthers star from Finland is in just the second year of an eight-year, $80-million contract. He led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Finals in year one and many people view them as a favorite this time around.

"Foxy" is in year two of a seven-year contract, which is pretty impressive for a guy who just turned 26 (meaning he might get one more big deal later in his career). Perhaps the best "offensive" defensiveman in the NHL, this Long Island native is hoping to bring his "hometown" team its first title since 1994.

The 27-year-old Meier grew up in Switzerland and began his career with the San Jose Sharks. He was traded to the Devils in February, 2023 and last offseason signed the eight-year contract that got him onto this list.

A 26-year-old defenseman from Grosse Pointe, MI, Werenski is a career-long Blue Jacket now in year two of a six-year, $57.5-million contract with Columbus.

A 34-year-old defenseman who came to prominence with the 20-19-Cup-winning St. Louis Blues, Pietrangelo signed a seven-year free agent contract with the Golden Knights in October, 2020. He's won another Cup with Vegas and has three years remaining on the deal, which figures to be his last as an active player.

One of the game's best defenseman, Jones signed an eight-year contract extension with the Blackhawks in 2021. Chicago was at the tail end of a great era, and the team are hoping Jones is part of the next great era now that the Hawks have Connor Bedard in town. One great fact about Seth Jones is that his father, "Popeye," played in the NBA. Son is way out-earning dad, btw.

A super-talented left wing out of Russia, Kaprizov is just 26 years old and already more than halfway through a five-year, $45-million dollar deal. He will be a free agent again in 2026 and whether it's with the Wild or another NHL team, Kaprizov figures to get even more money in his next contract.

The second-leading goal scorer in NHL history, who just became the first player in NHL history to have 18 30-goal seasons, "Ovie" has made upwards of $150 million in his storied career as a Washington Capital. The 2018 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the MVP of the 2018 Playoffs for that year's Cup winners, Ovechkin is signed through the 2025-26 season, at which point he will be 40 and maybe, finally, done?

The second Devil in this top-11 list (not a great look for a team that will miss the Playoffs this season), Hamilton is a 30-year-old defenseman who played for the Bruins, Flames and Hurricanes before joining New Jersey as a free agent in 2021 on the contract that got him on this list.

Pastrnak is a native of the Czech Republic who has been a centerpiece of the Bruins for the length of his decade-long career in Boston. Now in the first year of a new, eight-year, $90-million contract he signed before this season, Pastrnak and the Boston fans have every right to expect a Stanley Cup title during the course of that deal.

A 28-year-old stud of a center, MacKinnon has been the heart of the Avalanche for more than a decade. He brought the Avs to a Stanley Cup title in 2022 and then promptly signed an eight-year, $100.8-million contract extension, which at the time was the largest in NHL history (and landed him at the top of this esteemed list).

P.S. For those of you wondering where the best player in the NHL right now, Connor McDavid, is, he's just off this list at $11 million cash for this season. McDavid will get his over time though, trust.