Along with its annual ranking of the NHL’s most valuable teams, Forbes on Tuesday unveiled its list of highest-paid NHL players, combining their on-ice salaries with their off-ice endorsements.
For the second straight season, Chicago Blackhawks centre and captain Jonathan Toews came out on top with total earnings of $16 million. Toews will make $13.8 million in actual salary this season and Forbes calculated his total endorsements at $2.2 million.
Toews’ reign at the top of this list continues after he dethroned Sidney Crosby from his run of eight straight years on top in 2016. Crosby, who makes $10.9 million in salary this season on a contract that kicked in for the 2013-14 season, is second on the list with $15.7 million in total earnings.
Forbes said it did not deduct income taxes or escrow from a player’s total and that endorsement estimates include sponsors, appearances, licensing and memorabilia.
Here are a few other takeaways from the top 10:
• The New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs are the highest-valued teams according to Forbes, but none of their players crack the top 10 highest-earners list.
• Connor McDavid didn’t come close to cracking the top 10 this season, but figures to be at or near the top next season. Accounting for only his on-ice earnings in his first post-entry-level contract that kicks in next season, McDavid’s $15-million actual salary would rank third behind Toews and Crosby on this year’s list.
• Shea Weber is the only player on a Canadian NHL team to crack this year’s list, ranking eighth with $12.1 million in total earnings ($12 million salary, $500,000 in endorsements). P.K. Subban, for whom Weber was traded to the Canadiens, is seventh on the list with $12.5 million in earnings ($11 million salary, $1.5 million in endorsements).
• Corey Perry is 10th on the list, but may not be back next season. That’s because he makes $10 million in salary this season, but that total declines by $1 million in each of the final three years of his contract.
• As for the future of this list, while we expect McDavid to crack the top 10 next season, UFA-to-be John Tavares is also a good bet to make it next season after he signs a big deal somewhere. Two years from now, Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty — who made their UFA thoughts very public last week — are a couple of other players to watch, as is Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews. Another factor that could influence this list in coming years is the salary cap, which currently sits at $75 million, but could reportedly rise to as high as $80 million next season. That, in turn, will bring up player costs.
• As Forbes noted, the total earnings of the top 10 NHLers ($133 million) is virtually the same as it was in 2016. Meanwhile, NHL team values are up 15 per cent over last season, which is the biggest increase in three years.
You can check out the full list here.
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