Highest Paid NHL Goaltenders: Andrei Vasilevskiy Tops The List

The most important position in the NHL is the goaltender position. He usually determines how far a team can go in the postseason. Goaltenders can get hot in the playoffs and take over a series.

Despite the goaltending position being the most critical for a team, they are paid less than forwards and defensemen. The highest-paid goaltender would not be listed in the top 10 highest-paid forwards or defensemen.

Three goaltenders earn $10,000,000 in total cash in the 2024-25 NHL season. This is the highest total cash for a netminder this season. Compared to the highest-paid forwards in the NHL, those three netminders would rank 25th. Compared to the highest-paid defensemen in the NHL, the three goaltenders would rank 14th.

Goaltenders are underpaid compared to forwards and defensemen, despite being the most important position in the NHL.

We take a look at the top-10 highest paid goaltenders in the NHL for the 2024-25 NHL season.

Top 10 Highest Paid Goaltenders In The NHL For The 2024-25 NHL Season

Goaltenders salaries are lower than forwards and defensemen salaries. Below are the top 10 highest paid goaltenders for the 2024-25 NHL season, based on total cash and using cap hit as a tiebreaker.

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning ($10,000,000)

Andrei Vasilevskiy, nicknamed Vasy or “Big Cat” is considered one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. He won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender in the 2018-19 NHL season.

Vasilevskiy has led the league in wins for five consecutive seasons (2017-18 to 2021-22). He was also one of the main reasons the Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2020 and 2021, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2021 playoffs, while also holding the NHL record for most wins in a single postseason (18 in 2020).

He will earn $10 million in the 2024-25 NHL season and has a cap hit of $9,500,000, which is the third-highest cap hit among goaltenders and the highest among the three netminders who will earn $10 million this season.

Vasilevskiy has earned his salary as the league’s highest paid goaltender.

2. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets ($10,000,000)

Connor Hellebuyck will earn $10 million in total cash and has a cap hit of $8,500,000 for the 2024-25 NHL season. He is tied with Vasilevskiy in total cash but has the fourth-highest cap hit among goalies this season.

Hellebuyck was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round, 130th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. He is coming off back-to-back impressive seasons, recording 37 wins in each of the last two NHL seasons. His GAA last year was 2.39, ranking fourth among all netminders in the league. Hellebuyck ranked second last year in save percentage and was tied for second with five shutouts last year. His 37 wins were second in the league last year, trailing only Avalanche goalie Alexander Georgiev.

Hellebuyck has been well worth his salary and is one of the league’s top goalies.

3. Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins ($10,000,000)

Jeremy Swayman is the third NHL goaltender to earn $10 million in total cash. He is tied with Vasilevskiy and Hellebuyck in total cash but is fifth among netminders in cap hit ($8,250,000) this season.

Swayman was sharing duties with Linus Ullmark each of the last three seasons for the Bruins. The Bruins went with Swayman and Ullmark is with the Ottawa Senators now. Swayman is only 25 years old, compared to Ullmark being 31. Swayman has started in 33 or more games in three straight years and has never had a GAA over 2.55. Last year was his highest GAA (2.53) in his NHL career. Swayman ranked eighth among goalies in GAA last year. He ranked fifth in save percentage last season.

Swayman was impressive in the postseason last year, starting in 12 games and posting a 2.15 GAA. With Swayman only being 25 years old, the Bruins have a star netminder for the foreseeable future.

4. Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders ($8,250,000)

Ilya Sorokin is the fourth highest paid NHL goalie and ranks fifth in cap hit ($8,250,000).

Sorokin is 29 years old and has started in over 50 games in each of the last three seasons. Last year was the worst year of his career. In the 2021-22 season, he had a 2.40 GAA. Two years ago, he posted a 2.34 GAA. However, last year, his GAA was a poor 3.01 GAA. Sorokin is a talented goalie and will bounce back this season.

5. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens ($7,500,000)

Carey Price is the fifth highest-paid netminder and has the highest cap hit ($10,500,000). His cap hit is the highest because he is still under contract. Price has not officially retired. His contract runs through the 2025-26 season. The Canadiens are eligible to have him on long-term injured reserve while he is injured. He says he’d waive his no-move clause if his team found a taker for his contract.

Carey Price is considered one of the great goaltenders in NHL history. He is the winningest netminder in Canadiens history as of the 2023-24 season, with 361 career wins. In 2015, Price won the Ted Lindsay Award, the William M. Jennings Trophy, the Vezina Trophy, and the Hart Trophy. He became the first goalie in NHL history to win all four awards in the same season.

Price was the main reason the Montreal Canadiens made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021 for the first time since 1993 before ultimately losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Carey Price will go down as one of the best goalies in NHL history.

6. Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues ($7,500,000)

Jordan Binnington is the sixth highest paid NHL netminder and ranks eighth in cap hit ($6,000,000).

Despite being the sixth highest-paid goalie, Binnington’s numbers are not overly impressive. His GAA has been over 2.80 in each of the last three seasons. In 2021-22, his GAA was 3.13 and in the 2022-23 season, it was 3.31. The last time Binnington recorded 30 or more wins was the 2019-20 NHL season. The Blues are not getting their money’s worth with Binnington. He needs to have a strong 2024-25 NHL season. Among the top six highest-paid goaltenders on this list, he is the least deserving of his contract.

7. Phillip Grubauer, Seattle Kraken ($6,800,000)

Phillip Grubauer is the seventh highest-paid NHL goalie and ranks ninth in cap hit ($5,900,000).

Grubauer won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Washington Capitals in 2018. He got a big contract after starting in 39 games for the Avalanche in the 2020-21 season and recorded a 1.95 GAA. Unfortunately for the Kraken, he has not played nearly as well since joining the organization. He posted a 3.16 GAA in the 2021-22 NHL season while starting 54 games. Grubauer has posted a 2.85 GAA in each of the last two seasons. Seattle has not gotten their money’s worth with Grubauer.

8. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers ($6,666,667)

Igor Shesterkin is the eighth-highest paid netminder and ranks 10th in cap hit ($5,666,667).

Shesterkin is one of the league’s top goaltenders. He will be 29 years old in December. Shesterkin has started in over 50 games in each of the last three seasons. He recorded a 2.07 GAA in 2021-22, a 2.48 GAA in 2022-23, and a 2.58 GAA last season. Shesterkin has won 36 or more games in three straight years. He became a full-time starter in the 2021-22 season and won the Vezina Trophy that year.

Shesterkin is not just playing well during the season but is also performing well in the postseason. The Rangers have made the playoffs in three straight years. In 2021-22, Shesterkin started in 20 playoff games and posted a 2.59 GAA. Two years ago, the Rangers played in seven postseason contests and he recorded a 1.96 GAA. Last year, New York played in 16 playoff games and Shesterkin recorded a 2.34 GAA. Shesterkin started in every playoff game for the Rangers in each of the last three years.

Shesterkin is one of the best goaltenders in the league.

9. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers ($6,500,000)

Sergei Bobrovsky is the ninth-highest paid netminder but ranks second in cap hit ($10,000,000).

Last year, the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup and Bobrovsky was one of the main reasons. He started in 58 games last year and posted a 2.37 GAA. This ranked third in the league. Bobrovsky ranked eighth in save percentage and tied for first in shutouts (6).

Bobrovsky continued to dominate in the postseason last year. He started in all 24 games in the playoffs and posted a 2.32 GAA.

Bobrovsky is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner (2012-13 & 2016-17) while playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. In February 2023, he became the winningest Russian goaltender in NHL history.

Bobrovsky is one of the best goalies in NHL history and deserves to be paid among the highest paid goaltenders in the NHL. 

10. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks ($6,400,000)

John Gibson is the 10th-highest paid goalie and ranks seventh in cap hit ($6,400,000).

Gibson will begin the 2024-25 NHL season on IR. He is dealing with a shoulder injury that is expected to sideline him for 3-6 weeks.

Gibson has not seen any success over the last five years with the Anaheim Ducks as the organization has struggled over the last few years. His GAA has been 2.95 or more in each of the last five years. Gibson has not won more than 20 games since the 2018-19 NHL season.

The Ducks have not helped Gibson at all in recent years and the goaltender and team have struggled over the last five years. Gibson does not deserve to be paid in the top-10 highest paid goaltenders in the league.