Top ten highest-paid NHL players of 2021-22, ranked

T-9. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

2021-22 total cash: $11 million
Contract: 8 years, $88 million

Doughty is beginning the third season of his eight-year deal, one that has the fifth highest total value in the NHL. A two-time Stanley Cup champion and a member of two All-Star first teams and two All-Star second teams, Doughty's finest season came when he brought home the Norris Trophy in the 2015-16 campaign.

Doughty will become a free agent in 2027 under his current contract.

T-9. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning

2021-22 total cash: $11 million
Contract: 8 years, $76 million

Vasilevskiy was rewarded after three straight seasons in the top-three for Vezina Trophy voting, taking home the hardware after the 2018-19 season with a stellar .925 save percentage. His reward came in the form of the $76 million contract listed above, which gives him the third highest average salary ($9.5 million) among all goaltenders.

T-6. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Nights

2021-22 total cash: $12 million
Contract: 8 years, $76 million

Stone takes home $12 million this season, the same that he made in the 2019-20 season, both of which are the highest figures that he'll make in yearly cash throughout the duration of his eight-year deal with Vegas. His $9.5 million average salary is tied for third highest among all right wings, trailing two players not on this list: Mitchell Marner and Patrick Kane, both of whom had contracts that were loaded more heavily in the front ends.

Stone recently suffered a lower-body injury but will not require surgery in order to return to the ice.

Mark Stone slowly heading down the tunnel after this play pic.twitter.com/sIXKsdyZnB

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) October 15, 2021

T-6. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers

2021-22 total cash: $12 million
Contract: 7 years, $70 million

How's that for an undrafted player? Bobrovsky has won the Vezina Trophy twice — for the 2012-13 and 2016-17 Blue Jackets — and now finds himself manning the goal for the Panthers. However, despite his hefty contract, he has not performed well at all since arriving in Florida, ranked by Stephen Ground of The Hockey Writers as the third worst starting goalie in the NHL right now.

T-6. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

2021-22 total cash: $12 million
Contract: 8 years, $76 million

Kucherov missed the entire 2020-21 regular season but returned in time for the playoffs, leading the Lightning to their second Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons. He's now out again, landing on long-term injured reserve, though he's expected to return from his lower-body injury at some point this season. When healthy, he has to be thought of as a top ten or top 15 player that the league.

T-3. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

2021-22 total cash: $13 million
Contract: 8 years, $84 million

Price has had a tough offseason, undergoing and recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He also entered the league's player assistance program, with his wife posting a message on Instagram saying that they wanted to stress "the importance of putting your mental health first not just by saying it, but by showing up and doing the work to get better."

When on the ice, Price is as talented and beloved a goalie as there is.

T-3. Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars

2021-22 total cash: $13 million
Contract: 8 years, $78 million

The 2010 No. 2 overall pick had had a very consistent career prior to the 2020-21 season, missing the majority of the year with a hip injury. Before that point, he had finished with 70 or more points in six of the last seven campaigns, making him one of only eleven players with at least 500 points from 2013-14 to 2019-20.

T-3. Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

2021-22 total cash: $13 million
Contract: 7 years, $81.5 million

Panarin's $11.6 million average salary ranks second in the NHL regardless of position, and he's certainly earned it. A player with a real argument to belong in the top ten players in the league, Panarin finished second in assists (63) and third in points (95) in his awesome 2019-20 season, and his first goal of this season was certainly a memorable one.

2. Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks

2021-22 total cash: $14.5 million
Contracts: 8 years, $92 million

The Sharks sacrificed a lot to acquire from the Senators and extend Karlsson, and so far it hasn't been the most profitable venture. However, with a goal and three assists right off the bat in the first two games of the season, the hope is that a return to elite-level play is in store for the 31-year-old defenseman.

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

2021-22 total cash: $15 million
Contract: 8 years, $100 million

This should come as no surprise. It didn't take long for McDavid — who is still just 24 years old — to establish himself as one of the best players in the league, and he took home the Hart Trophy for the second time last season. He's the leader of the pack again this season, with a massive lead in the odds to win, sitting at +190 while runner-up candidate Nathan MacKinnon is at +650.

The Oilers are paying a large price for him, but it's one that is well worth every penny.