Like, tens of millions kind of staggering.
Just recently, Auston Matthews snagged a $53 million, four-year extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs, bumping up his average annual salary to about CAD$17.97 million for the 2024-25 season. He might not be Canadian himself, but a lot of the highest-paid NHL players are.
But remember, it's not just the yearly salary of these players you have to consider. The 'cap hit' — a combination of each contract, bonuses, and duration — is the real game, thankfully CapFriendly has those numbers as well.
We've used them to zero in on the top-earning Canadian NHL players ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Nathan MacKinnon
Salary: US$12,600,000 (approximately CA$17,126,487.00)
Team: Colorado Avalanche
Details: Back in September 2022, the Colorado Avalanche sealed the deal with MacKinnon with a staggering eight-year contract extension. This arrangement ensures he bags a cool US$12.6 million every year, making him the highest-paid Canadian NHL player. Although, his new and hefty US$100.8 million contract doesn't kick in until the start of the 2023-24 season.
So, is he worth all that moolah? Just consider this:
In 2023 alone, MacKinnon notched both his 700th NHL point and his 100th playoff point. He achieved these milestones faster than most, being outpaced only by hockey legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby.
Connor McDavid
Salary: US$12,500,000 USD (approximately CA$17,001,012.50)
Team: Edmonton Oilers
Details: Connor McDavid is undoubtedly a household name in Canada, and his career highlights easily showcase why. Back in 2017, he inked an eight-year, US$100 million contract extension with the Oilers—a mammoth deal that kicked in during the 2018–19 season.
Since his debut in the league, journalists and fans alike have all but crowned McDavid as the NHL's top gem. If we're talking accolades, he's a four-time NHL First Team All-Star, boasts five Art Ross Trophies, clinched the Ted Lindsay Award four times, captured the Hart Memorial Trophy on three occasions, and even brought home the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the 2022–23 season.
And if that wasn't enough, he's claimed the Fastest Skater title at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition not once, not twice, but thrice!
Drew Doughty
Salary: US$11,000,000 (approximately CA$14,960,891.00)
Team: Los Angeles Kings
Details: Doughty has long been a beacon of consistency in the NHL. In the 2015-16 season, he impressed with a +24, leading the NHL in shot attempts with a remarkable 1,780. He also showcased his endurance, ranking third in average ice time at 28:01. This performance secured him the Norris Trophy, recognizing him as the top defenseman in the League. The Los Angeles Kings, acknowledging his value, signed an eight-year contract with him in 2018.
Highlighting his enduring contributions, Doughty played his 1,000th NHL game on January 27, 2022, against the New York Islanders—a game they won. This milestone made him the inaugural player from the 2008 NHL Draft to achieve such a feat.
Turning the pages back to the 2012 playoffs, Doughty was instrumental, tying for the NHL lead with 12 assists. He was a key player as the Kings celebrated their first championship. In 2014, yet again, he shined, leading all NHL defensemen in playoff scoring, aiding the Kings in securing their second Stanley Cup. Recognizing his leadership, the Kings appointed Doughty as an alternate captain for the 2015-16 season. An illustrious career, indeed.
John Tavares
Salary: US$11,000,000 (approximately CA$14,960,891.00)
Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Details: Tavares, that old hockey prodigy from Mississauga, Ontario. In 2018, he kicked off a fresh chapter in his NHL story by signing a hefty seven-year, $77 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A team he's been a fan of since he was a kid.
In 2022, Tavares nailed his 400th NHL goal. Then, in 2023, he celebrated his 1,000th NHL game with not one but two assists. The performance made him only the second player in Maple Leafs' storied history to score multiple points in such a landmark game.
But here's the kicker: Tavares was turning heads long before his NHL days. At just 14 years old, he was granted a special status that allowed him to be drafted into the OHL. Picked first by Oshawa in 2005, he went on to shatter records during his junior years, even eclipsing the great Wayne Gretzky's OHL goal record for 16-year-olds.
Mitch Marner
Salary: US$10,903,000 (approximately CA$14,855,664.59)
Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Details: Marner kicked off his career by being picked 4th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. Fast forward to 2019, and he had bagged a sweet six-year, US$65.358 million deal with the Leafs and got the alternate captain's badge to boot.
Often compared to the legend Doug Gilmour, Marner's track record is certainly impressive. In 2022, he joined the elite 400-point club and even set a Leafs record with a 19-game point streak. By 2023, he wrapped up with a career-best 99 points and snagged a Selke Award nomination.
Jonathan Huberdeau
Salary: US$10,500,000 (approximately CA$14,280,850.50)
Team: Calgary Flames
Details: Jonathan Huberdeau burst onto the NHL scene in 2013, scoring on his very first shot with the Florida Panthers. Fast forward a few years, and he's smashing records, like his impressive 115-point season with the Panthers. But 2022 was a big year for him; he made a move to the Calgary Flames. And landed an eight-year, US$84 million contract extension in August, the largest in Flames' history.
So, yeah, he's probably not looking back on his Panthers days with any kind of regret.
So, there you have it.
A list of hockey players making more money than most of us will see in our lifetime.
If only we had been born to skate like these fellas, then we too could make millions.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
