HIGHLIGHTS
- We’re taking a look at the top-10 biggest contracts in NHL history
- Several big names are on the list
- Read below to see the full list
NHL contract numbers can look confusing at first because three different figures are often discussed at once. Total contract value is the full amount a player is scheduled to earn over the entire deal. Average annual value (AAV) divides that total by the contract’s years, which determines how much the player makes per season. Front-loaded cash means the player receives more actual money in the early seasons, often through signing bonuses, even though the AAV remains relatively level for cap purposes.
This piece is a ranking of the biggest contracts in NHL history based on each deal’s original total value, not its remaining money, current cap hit or the player’s career earnings. Several modern entries were eight-year NHL maximum contracts under the rules in place through Sept. 15, 2026. Beginning Sept. 16, the maximum drops to seven years for players re-signing with their clubs and six years for outside free agents, per the new CBA.
All numbers courtesy of Spotrac.
10. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter: 13 Years, $98 Million Each
Parise and Suter signed identical contracts with Minnesota on July 4, 2012. Each deal carried a $7.54 million AAV and a $98 million total value, creating a tie for the final ranking.
The Wild bought out both players in 2021, but their original values still count when ranking the largest deals ever signed.
9. Ilya Kovalchuk: 15 Years, $100 Million
Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils finalized a 15-year, $100 million contract in 2010. Its $6.67 million AAV was reduced by inexpensive seasons scheduled near the back end of the agreement.
Kovalchuk retired from the NHL in 2013, terminating the contract long before it was supposed to expire in 2025. Not the best investment from New Jersey.
8. Connor McDavid: Eight Years, $100 Million
McDavid signed his eight-year Oilers extension in July 2017, one year before it took effect. The $12.5 million AAV made him the NHL’s highest-paid player at the time.
Although later contracts passed it annually, the full $100 million value remains one of the largest commitments in league history. Well-deserved for one of the greatest ever.
7. Nathan MacKinnon: Eight Years, $100.82 Million
MacKinnon’s Colorado Avalanche extension began in 2023-24 and carries an AAV of approximately $12.6 million.
Its obscure $100.82 million total places it narrowly ahead of the two contracts tied at exactly $100 million and makes it one of the biggest deals signed under the eight-year limit.
6. Sidney Crosby: 12 Years, $104.4 Million
Crosby and Pittsburgh agreed to a 12-year extension in 2012 worth exactly $8.7 million per season, a number matching his jersey. The agreement covered the 2013-14 through 2024-25 seasons and gave the Penguins rare long-term cost certainty around the face of their franchise.
Even after all these years, Crosby is still producing offensively, too.
5. Jack Eichel: Eight Years, $108 Million
Eichel’s Vegas Golden Knights extension begins in 2026-27 and runs through 2033-34.
The $13.5 million AAV places him among the league’s highest-paid players, while its $108 million total makes it one of only six NHL contracts ever to surpass $100 million. Needless to say, Vegas values him a lot.
4. Shea Weber: 14 Years, $110 Million
Weber signed a heavily front-loaded offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012, but the Nashville Predators matched it and kept their star defenseman.
The contract carried a $7.86 million AAV and included a whopping $68 million in signing bonuses. Its extreme length and payment structure came just before the NHL introduced tighter contract limits.
3. Leon Draisaitl: Eight Years, $112 Million
Edmonton committed $112 million to Draisaitl in September 2024, with the extension beginning in 2025-26. Its $14 million AAV briefly established a new league high.
Large signing bonuses and higher payments early in the contract were a perfect example of why a player’s annual cash earnings can differ from his cap hit. Draisaitl remains a pillar for the Oilers alongside McDavid.
2. Alex Ovechkin: 13 Years, $124 Million
Ovechkin signed his landmark Washington Capitals contract in January 2008. Its approximately $9.54 million AAV does not look record-breaking by modern standards, but the 13-year commitment became the NHL’s first nine-figure contract and remained the league’s total-value record for more than 17 years.
Well-deserved for one of the best players to ever step foot on the ice, and the regular-season all-time leading scorer.
1. Kirill Kaprizov: Eight Years, $136 Million
Kaprizov’s extension with the Minnesota Wild carries a mind-boggling $17 million AAV and runs from 2026-27 through 2033-34.
Signed in September 2025, it became the largest NHL contract extension ever by both total value and annual cap hit. The agreement pushed Alex Ovechkin’s long-standing record into second place.
Full List of Biggest Contracts in NHL History
| Rank | Player | Team | Position | Years | Total Value | AAV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirill Kaprizov | MIN | LW | 8 | $136,000,000 | $17,000,000 |
| 2 | Alex Ovechkin | WAS | LW | 13 | $124,000,000 | $9,538,462 |
| 3 | Leon Draisaitl | EDM | C | 8 | $112,000,000 | $14,000,000 |
| 4 | Shea Weber | NSH | D | 14 | $110,000,000 | $7,857,143 |
| 5 | Jack Eichel | VGK | C | 8 | $108,000,000 | $13,500,000 |
| 6 | Sidney Crosby | PIT | C | 12 | $104,400,000 | $8,700,000 |
| 7 | Nathan MacKinnon | COL | C | 8 | $100,800,000 | $12,600,000 |
| 8 | Ilya Kovalchuk | NJD | LW | 15 | $100,000,000 | $6,666,667 |
| 9 | Connor McDavid | EDM | C | 8 | $100,000,000 | $12,500,000 |
| 10 | Ryan Suter | MIN | D | 13 | $98,000,000 | $7,538,462 |
| 11 | Zach Parise | MIN | LW | 13 | $98,000,000 | $7,538,462 |
| 12 | Kyle Connor | WPG | LW | 8 | $96,000,000 | $12,000,000 |
| 13 | Mikko Rantanen | DAL | RW | 8 | $96,000,000 | $12,000,000 |
| 14 | Mitchell Marner | TOR | RW | 8 | $96,000,000 | $12,000,000 |
| 15 | Elias Pettersson | VAN | C | 8 | $92,800,000 | $11,600,000 |
| 16 | Erik Karlsson | SJS | D | 8 | $92,000,000 | $11,500,000 |
| 17 | William Nylander | TOR | C | 8 | $92,000,000 | $11,500,000 |
| 18 | Martin Necas | COL | C | 8 | $92,000,000 | $11,500,000 |
| 19 | Igor Shesterkin | NYR | G | 8 | $92,000,000 | $11,500,000 |
| 20 | David Pastrnak | BOS | RW | 8 | $90,000,000 | $11,250,000 |
| 21 | Leo Carlsson | ANA | C | 5 | $90,000,000 | $18,000,000 |
| 22 | Rasmus Dahlin | BUF | D | 8 | $88,000,000 | $11,000,000 |
| 23 | Drew Doughty | LAK | D | 8 | $88,000,000 | $11,000,000 |
| 24 | Vincent Lecavalier | TBL | RW | 11 | $85,000,000 | $7,727,273 |
| 25 | Adrian Kempe | LAK | LW | 8 | $85,000,000 | $10,625,000 |
| 26 | Thomas Harley | DAL | D | 8 | $84,700,000 | $10,587,500 |
| 27 | Jonathan Huberdeau | CGY | LW | 8 | $84,000,000 | $10,500,000 |
| 28 | Jonathan Toews | CHI | C | 8 | $84,000,000 | $10,500,000 |
| 29 | Alex Tuch | BUF | RW | 8 | $84,000,000 | $10,500,000 |
| 30 | Carey Price | MTL | G | 8 | $84,000,000 | $10,500,000 |
| 31 | Patrick Kane | CHI | RW | 8 | $84,000,000 | $10,500,000 |
| 32 | Artemi Panarin | NYR | LW | 7 | $81,500,000 | $11,642,857 |
| 33 | Jack Eichel | BUF | C | 8 | $80,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| 34 | Logan Cooley | UTA | C | 8 | $80,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| 35 | Anze Kopitar | LAK | C | 8 | $80,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| 36 | Aleksander Barkov | FLA | C | 8 | $80,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| 37 | Tyler Seguin | DAL | C | 8 | $78,800,000 | $9,850,000 |
| 38 | Sebastian Aho | CAR | LW | 8 | $78,000,000 | $9,750,000 |
| 39 | John Tavares | TOR | C | 7 | $77,000,000 | $11,000,000 |
| 40 | Pavel Dorofeyev | NYR | LW | 7 | $77,000,000 | $11,000,000 |
| 41 | Matthew Tkachuk | FLA | LW | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 42 | Mark Stone | VGK | RW | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 43 | Nikita Kucherov | TBL | RW | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 44 | Charlie McAvoy | BOS | D | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 45 | Noah Dobson | MTL | D | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 46 | Brayden Point | TBL | C | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 47 | Evgeni Malkin | PIT | C | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 48 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | TBL | G | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 49 | Jamie Benn | DAL | LW | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| 50 | Seth Jones | CHI | D | 8 | $76,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
The table above shows the biggest contracts in NHL history ranked by total value. Kaprizov’s $136 million deal with Minnesota now sits on top, pushing Ovechkin’s 17-year record into second place.
