Highest Paid NHL Players 2022

The NHL is the highest-paying professional hockey league in the world. Unlike their counterparts in other leagues, NHL players are not unionized. 

Players earn most of their money through salaries. However, they also have endorsement deals and sometimes even receive a cut of revenue from ticket sales. Here is a list of the highest-paid NHL players in 2022.

Connor McDavid – $15 million

Connor McDavid is the highest-paid player in the NHL. The 25-year-old earns $15 million for the 2021-22 season. However, that’s just a small part of his overall contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

Previously, McDavid signed an eight-year extension worth $100 million in July 2018. McDavid has been putting up superstar numbers since he entered the league in 2015. He has won two Art Ross Trophies and two Ted Lindsay Awards (best player voted on by the NHLPA). Thus, making him one of the most dominant players in hockey today.

McDavid has led the Oilers in scoring each of his four seasons in Edmonton and has been named an NHL all-star three times. In 2017, he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, becoming the youngest player to earn that honor since Sidney Crosby claimed it in 2007-08 at age 19. He looks set to get a third this season too and that would be the most for someone under the age of 26.

Erik Karlsson – $14.5 million

Erik Karlsson is the second-highest-paid NHL player in terms of salary. He has been a member of the Ottawa Senators since he was drafted in 2008 and played his first game in 2009. Since then, he was acquired by the San Jose Sharks and is one of their most valuable players. This is why there is no surprise that he’s on a yearly salary of $14,500,000.

He is also considered one of the best defensive players in the world. Additionally, he has won many awards in his career, including James Norris Memorial Trophy, NHL Foundation Player Award, and William M. Jennings Trophy.

Tyler Seguin – $13 million

Tyler Seguin is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who plays for the Dallas Stars in the NHL. Seguin was selected second overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and won rookie of the year in that season.

His $13,000,000 yearly salary now comes as he’s moved around a bit, first to the Swiss team EHC Biel, then back to the Bruins when the NHL lockout ended. Before joining the Dallas Stars in 2013 where he has become one of their top scorers in this period.

Artemi Panarin – $13 million

Artemi Panarin is arguably one of the most underrated players in the NHL. The Russian forward has been dazzling fans since his rookie season with his speed and skill on the ice.

He has been called a “one-man show” by many because of his incredible offensive abilities. In his first two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, he scored more than 50 points each year and won two Stanley Cups with them.

After some time at the Columbus Blue Jackets, in 2019, he signed for the New York Rangers. This seven-year deal was worth $81.5 million, making his annual salary without compensation $11,642,857.

Carey Price – $13 million

Carey Price is the fifth highest-paid NHL player tied with Panarin, with a yearly salary of $13 million. He is also one of the most successful players in the league, having won three Vezina Trophies, two Jennings Trophies, and one Hart Memorial Trophy.

He helped lead Canada to gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2016 World Championship and has also been named an NHL All-Star three times. It looks like he’ll spend his entire career in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens after Seattle Kraken’s passed on taking him in the expansion draft due to his high salary and age.