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American professional sports leagues are known for their high wages, and the National Hockey League is no different. In the 2019/20 season, the Minnesota Wild topped the table for average annual player salaries, giving each of its players an average of 3.32 million U.S. dollars. On the other end of the scale, players for the Toronto Maple Leafs took home an average of 1.54 million U.S. dollars during the season.

NHL minimum salary

A minimum salary is in place in the National Hockey League to ensure that the players are fairly compensated for their endeavors. This minimum wage stood at 650 thousand U.S. dollars in 2019, a steady increase from the 500 thousand U.S. dollars minimum salary in place in 2011. Even though the LA Kings had the highest average salary in 2019, it was the Washington Capitals who topped the league for player expenses. The Capitals spent 85 million U.S. dollars on player expenses in 2018, whilst the Carolina Hurricanes spent the lowest in the league at 62 million U.S. dollars. The league-wide average payroll for the 2017/18 season stood at 75.35 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 25 million U.S. dollars on the figure from ten years before.

Highest paid players in the NHL

The highest paid player in the NHL is the captain of the Edmonton Oilers and Canadian national team player, Connor McDavid. The 22-year old pocketed 19 million U.S. dollars in 2019, of which 15 million U.S. dollars came from his salary and a further four million was generated through endorsements. However, the honor of being the player who commands the highest salary in the league belongs to John Tavares - the Toronto Maple Leafs player had a yearly salary of 15.9 million U.S. dollars.