Top 11 salary cap hits in the NHL

When it comes to professional sports, there's no doubt that teams and their general managers treat certain kinds of players really well by giving out long-term contracts worth lots of dollars.

With that said, one thing that everyone wonders is if the particular player is really worth the money that he is being paid by the team. This is especially the case in the National Hockey League.

Below, we have the top 11 players in terms of their salary cap hit. We are going to take a look at each of these players and see just how much money they are making in terms of each goal that they score.

Do you think these players are worth what they are being paid?

1) Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, $9.02 million cap hit

Currently, Washington Capitals' offensive specimen Alexander Ovechkin owns the league highest cap hit at $9.02 million per season.

Unfortunately, it does not appear that Ovechkin's goal total this season is paying off for the club. With 20 goals so far, Ovechkin is being paid $451,000 per goal.

At 0.43 goals per game, this is hardly paying off for the Capitals like they thought it would be when he was scoring 40, 50 and even 60 goals in a season.

2) Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins, $8.7 million cap hit

There is no doubt that when healthy, Pittsburgh Penguins' captain and superstar Sidney Crosby is more than likely the best player in the NHL.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case since January of 2011 when he suffered a concussion. In that time, Crosby has played in just 8 games.

With all the missed time, the Penguins are paying Crosby $4.35 million a goal. Again, when Crosby is healthy, he is worth the price but when he is hurt, what kind of return are the Penguins really getting?

3) Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins, $8.7 million cap hit

The Penguins have the luxury of having two of the best hockey players in the world on their club.

Unfortunately, this also means both of these guys need to get paid lots of dough. While Crosby is not exactly paying off because of his injuries, Evgeni Malkin has stepped up in his place and is proving his $8.7 million cap hit to be worth it for the franchise.

At 29 goals this season, Malkin is being paid $300,000 a goal this season. While it may seem like a lot of cash, just remember that there is still two months of the season left to be played and that Malkin is playing above and beyond expectations this season.

4) Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes, $8.25 million cap hit

The captain of the Carolina Hurricanes has had an off-year so far in 2011-12.

Maybe it's because the whole team has been struggling or maybe it was because he injured his own brother but it's clear Staal has not been the same player so far this season.

While the eldest Staal has definitely picked up his play as of late, he has only had 12 goals on the season. He has cost the Hurricanes $687,500 per goal. Certainly not what the team was hoping to pay what is usually a 30-to 40-goal scorer.

5) Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets, $7.8 million cap hit

Speaking of struggling hockey clubs, the Columbus Blue Jackets have had an absolutely horrible 2011-12 campaign so far.

The team's franchise player, Rick Nash, has also struggled this season. In eight seasons in Columbus, Nash has averaged between 32 and 33 goals a season.

In 52 games this season, Nash has 17 goals, a total that the Blue Jackets thought would be higher with the additions of Vaclav Prospal and of course, Jeff Carter. Right now, the Jackets are paying their struggling franchise player $458,823 per goal, a pretty high price for someone that should be scoring a lot more goals.

6) Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning, $7.7 million cap hit

After losing to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, many hockey pundits and fans alike expected big things from the Tampa Bay Lightning this season.

Unfortunately for the Lightning and their fans, things have not turned out the way they have wanted them to as the team currently finds themselves out of the top eight in the East. The team's highest paid player, captain Vincent Lecavalier, has also had a somewhat down year for his hockey club.

Currently, Lecavalier has 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points. While those are not terrible numbers, the Lightning are paying him a lot of cash to produce a lot more than he currently is.

At 20 goals this season, the Lightning are paying their team captain $385,000 per goal. On this list, this is another bargain for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With that said, this is a player that should be in the 30-45 goal range each and every season with the offensive talent and hands that he has.

7) Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, $7.5 million cap hit

The best bang for your buck player this season has been Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos.

After scoring 45 goals last season, Stamkos is in line to either tie or break that mark this season as he currently has 34 goals. At a $7.5 million cap hit, Stamkos has been worth every penny to the Lightning as the team is currently paying him only $220,588 per goal.

At just 22 years of age, Stamkos has an extremely bright future and with his play, will make his contract worth it for his hockey club.

8) Dany Heatley, Minnesota Wild, $7.5 million cap hit

The Minnesota Wild made one of the biggest splashes in the off-season when they acquired Devon Setoguchi and Dany Heatley.

Heatley is known for being able to score at a rapid pace and did so with both the Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers. In his first season with the Sharks, he hit the 39-goal mark.

Unfortunately, Heatley's goal-scoring touch is not what it used to be and with his 17 goals so far this season, it is costing the Wild $441,176 per goal. The Wild better hope he starts putting the puck in the net more consistently or else the trade will never be looked as a good one.

9) Shea Weber, Nashville Predators, $7.5 million cap hit

The Nashville Predators will be one of the most active teams in the NHL come this off-season.

The reason: the re-signing of both defencemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Both are going to be expensive but should be worth the amount of dough the Predators are willing to pay.

Right now, Weber, the Predators' captain, has the club's highest cap hit at $7.5 million. While it is costing the team $750,000 per goal, Weber is making the cap hit stand in every other way with his strong defensive play, physical play and his 35 points in 48 games.

10) Marian Gaborik, New York Rangers, $7.5 million cap hit

While New York Rangers' general manager Glen Sather was known for making a lot of bad deals and signings at the beginning of his tenure in the Big Apple, he certainly acquired an absolute steal in Marian Gaborik.

Gaborik leads the team in both goals and points this season and looks every bit like he did in his first season with the Rangers in 2009-10 when scored 42 goals and had 86 points.

Believe it or not, Gaborik is the second best bargain on this list. At 26 goals, the Blueshirts are currently paying Gaborik just $288,461 per goal.

11) Scott Gomez, Montreal Canadiens, $7.357 million cap hit

By far and away, the biggest bust on this list is Montreal Canadiens' forward Scott Gomez.

The Canadiens acquired Gomez in the 2009 offseason when they traded away defensive prospect Ryan McDonagh and forward Christopher Higgins to the New York Rangers to acquire the Anchorage, Alaska native. To say he has been a disappointment would be quite the understatement.

Gomez has scored zero goals this season in 21 games and has just 7 assists. The team is paying him over $7-million dollars to NOT produce. Makes a lot of sense, right?