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Wednesday, January 7, 2026

The 25 Highest-Paid NHL Goaltenders

  • The highest-paid NHL goaltender ranks as the eighth top-earner among all NHL players.
  • Seven of the top ten highest-paid goaltenders play in the Eastern Conference.
Apr 12, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) comes off the ice after warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Despite their undisputed value on the ice, NHL goaltenders earn a limited piece of the economic pie. Only five goaltenders rank among the 60 highest-paid players overall in the NHL.

The Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin is the highest-paid goaltender, earning $11.5 million annually. The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner signed an eight-year, $92 million contract during the 2024–25 season. The man he replaced, the Canadiens’ Carey Price, is a seven-time NHL All-Star who makes $10.5 million per year and is set to become a free agent in 2026.

The Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky and Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy hold the third and fourth positions, making $10 million and $9.5 million per year, respectively.

The Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck rounds out the top 5 with a cool $8.5 million. In 2023, Hellebuyck signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension to remain in Winnipeg.

Two of the goaltenders on the most-paid list are backups who earn more than some teams’ starters. Vancouver backup Kevin Lankinen comes in at 25th, with a $4.5 million average annual salary—just $500,000 less than teammate Thatcher Demko. Meanwhile, Kraken starting goaltender Joey Daccord’s 2024 contract pays him $5 million a year—$900,000 less than the man he beat out for the job, Philipp Grubauer.

The market for goaltenders will shift, with the salary cap exploding from $88 million in 2024–25 to $113.5 million by 2027–28.

The Highest-Paid Goaltenders

Here is the full list of the 25 highest-paid goaltenders by the annual average value of their salary. The list was compiled using data from Spotrac.

  • Updated: July 16, 2025
RankPlayerTeamCompensation
1Igor ShesterkinNew York Rangers$11.5 million
2Carey PriceMontreal Canadiens$10.5 million
3Sergei BobrovskyFlorida Panthers$10 million
4Andrei VasilevskiyTampa Bay Lightning$9.5 million
5Connor HellebuyckWinnipeg Jets$8.5 million
T-6Jake OettingerDallas Stars$8.25 million
T-6Ilya SorokinNew York Islanders$8.25 million
T-6Jeremy SwaymanBoston Bruins$8.25 million
T-6Linus UllmarkOttawa Senators$8.25 million
10Juuse SarosNashville Predators$7.74 million
11John GibsonAnaheim Ducks$6.4 million
12Adin HillVegas Golden Knights$6.25 million
T-13Jordan BinningtonSt. Louis Blues$6 million
T-13Jacob MarkstromNew Jersey Devils$6 million
15Phillip GrubauerSeattle Kraken$5.9 million
16Logan ThompsonWashington Capitals$5.85 million
17Elvis MerzlikinsColumbus Blue Jackets$5.4 million
18Tristan JarryPittsburgh Penguins$5.38 million
T-19MacKenzie BlackwoodColorado Avalanche$5.25 million
T-19Darcy KuemperLos Angeles Kings$5.25 million
T-21Joey DaccordSeattle Kraken$5 million
T-21Thatcher DemkoVancouver Canucks$5 million
T-23Ukko-Pekka LuukkonenBuffalo Sabres$4.75 million
T-23Karel VejmelkaUtah Mammoth$4.75 million
T-25Spencer KnightChicago Blackhawks$4.5 million
T-25Kevin LankinenVancouver Canucks$4.5 million

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