The NHL is still in a bit of a transition when it comes to how much money their top players are making.
The 25 highest-paid players in the NHL
This year's list of the NHL's highest-paid players includes 11 centers, eight wingers, five defensemen, and just one goaltender.
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Prior to the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), teams took advantage of a loophole that allowed players to be paid more than they normally would under the salary cap. That loophole led to some skewed salaries and has since been corrected.
Still, several of the NHL's highest-paid players are playing on deals made under the old rules.
25. Patrick Marleau — $8,500,000
Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Position: Left Wing
All-Star games:
Contract: 3 years, $18.75 million
One thing to know: After Marleau spent 18 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, the 38 year old gives Austin Matthews a veteran left winger. While the Leafs did not have to go overboard to get a veteran wing, they did have to commit to three seasons. The good news is the Leafs are only on the hook for $4.3 million in the final season, although his cap hit will still be a little higher at $6.3 million.
24. Patrice Bergeron — $8,750,000
Team: Boston Bruins
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $55 million
One thing to know:
t15. Ryan O'Reilly — $9,000,000
Team: Buffalo Sabres
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 7 years, $52.5 million
One thing to know:
t15. Henrik Lundqvist — $9,000,000
Team: New York Rangers
Position: Goaltender
All-Star games:
Contract: 7 years, $59.5 million
One thing to know:
t15. Zach Parise — $9,000,000
Team:
Position: Left wing
All-Star games:
Contract: 13 years, $98 million.
One thing to know:
t15. Ryan Suter — $9,000,000
Team: Minnesota Wild
Position: Defenseman
All-Star games:
Contract:
One thing to know: Like some other players further down this list, Suter and Parise signed front-loaded deals prior to the new CBA which allowed the team to spread out their cap hits. Suter is set to make just $1 million in each of the two last seasons of the deal, when he will be 38 and 39.
t15. Claude Giroux — $9,000,000
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $66.2 million
One thing to know: Giroux still has five seasons left on his contract and has a no-move clause in his contract. That means Giroux will be with the Flyers until at least his age-33 season.
t15. Leon Draisaitl — $9,000,000
Team: Edmonton Oilers
Position: Center/Right wing
All-Star games:
Contract: 6 years, $68 million
One thing to know: The Oilers locked up Draisaitl long-term before his 22nd birthday, and after a switch to center in the playoffs last season, he appears to be back on the first line with Conor McDavid for years to come.
t15. Phil Kessel — $9,000,000
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Position: Right Wing
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $64 million
One thing to know: This offseason, Kessel spent his day with the Stanley Cup eating hot dogs.
t15. Brent Seabrook — $9,000,000
Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Position: Defenseman
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $55 million
One thing to know: Seabrook still has seven seasons left on his contract and will have a $6.9 million cap hit until his age-38 season.
t15. Aaron Ekblad — $9,000,000
Team: Florida Panthers
Position: Defenseman
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $60 million
One thing to know: An anonymous GM told Sportsnet that Ekblad's contract "screwed up a lot of contracts moving forward" for other defensemen. "It set the bar way too high for some of these guys," the GM said.
14. Ryan Getzlaf — $9,025,000
Team: Anaheim Ducks
Position: Center
All-Star games: in 12 seasons
Contract: 8 years, $66 million
One thing to know:
t12. Steven Stamkos — $9,500,000
Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $68 million
One thing to know: Stamkos signed an extension to stay with the Lightning even though he might have made more in free agency. However, in the first year of the deal, Stamkos played just 17 games before injuring his knee and missing the rest of the season.
t12. Evgeni Malkin — $9,500,000
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $76 million
One thing to know: Shortly after Malkin signed his long-term contract with the Penguins, his father caused a bit of a firestorm by claiming that Malkin had rejected a larger offer from the Dallas Stars even though his son was not a free agent. The Stars denied they ever tampered with Malkin.
t8. Alex Ovechkin — $10,000,000
Team: Washington Capitals
Position: Left Wing
All-Star games:
Contract: 13 years, $124 million.
One thing to know:
t8. Evgeny Kuznetsov — $10,000,000
Team: Washington Capitals
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $62.4 million
One thing to know: Kuznetsov was a restricted free agent this summer and signed a long-term contract, making him the second-highest paid player on the team. More importantly for the Caps, they now have eight players with a cap hit of at least $5 million. Those eight players are taking up 70% of the $75 million salary cap.
t8. Jakub Voracek — $10,000,000
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Position: Right Wing
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $66 million
One thing to know: Voracek's $8.25 million cap hit this season is behind only Claude Giroux on the Flyers, who is just a tad higher at $8.275 million.
t8. Corey Perry — $10,000,000
Team: Anaheim Ducks
Position: Right Wing
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $69 million
One thing to know: Perry has played all 12 of his seasons with the Ducks and is under contract for four more years until his age-35 season.
7. Sidney Crosby — $10,900,000
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 12 years, $104.4 million
One thing to know:
6. P.K. Subban — $11,000,000
Team: Nashville Predators
Position: Defenseman
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $72 million
One thing to know: Subban's $9.0 million cap hit is the largest for any defenseman and he is the only defenseman among the top 15 cap hits in the NHL.
5. Shea Weber — $12,000,000
Team: Montreal Canadiens
Position: Defenseman
All-Star games:
Contract: 14 years, $110 million.
One thing to know:
t3. Anze Kopitar — $13,000,000
Team: Los Angeles Kings
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $80 million
One thing to know: Kopitar signed a long-term deal during the 2015-16 season, just before he was set to become an unrestricted free agent. While Kopitar has a no-move clause in the first four years of his deal, that becomes a limited no-trade clause starting in 2020.
t3. Jamie Benn — $13,000,000
Team: Dallas Stars
Position: Left Wing
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $76 million
One thing to know: Benn's $9.5 million cap hit is the third-highest among wingers, trailing only Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane.
t1. Jonathan Toews — $13,800,000
Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Position: Center
All-Star games:
Contract: 8 years, $84 million
One thing to know:
t1. Patrick Kane — $13,800,000
Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Position: Right Wing
All-Star games:
Contract:
One thing to know: Kane and Toews are the highest-paid players in the NHL for the second straight season. However, that will come to end next season when Conor McDavid's $100 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers kicks in and Carey Price's $84 million deal with the Montreal Canadiens begins.
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