Alex Ovechkin is a pending unrestricted free agent on July 28 and weeks away from another huge payday. But before he puts pen to paper on a new deal, CapFriendly put into perspective just how well-compensated Ovechkin’s been in his career already.
According to the site, Alex Ovechkin has the third-highest estimated career earnings in NHL history and could end his career in the top spot depending on how much longer he plays.
| Rank | Player | Estimated Career Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sidney Crosby | $129,340,243 |
| 2 | Jaromir Jagr | $128,139,753 |
| 3 | Alex Ovechkin | $123,220,892 |
| 4 | Shea Weber | $120,011,365 |
| 5 | Vincent Lecavalier | $112,242,798 |
As of Tuesday, June 8, 2021
The full list can be seen here.
Sidney Crosby now has the highest career earnings in NHL history with $129M in earnings*
*According to our estimated career earnings tracker, at the conclusion of this season Crosby overtook Jaromir Jágr as the player with the most earningshttps://t.co/YgCDXeaoKA pic.twitter.com/h2d0HldHwH
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 7, 2021
Here were a few caveats from CapFriendly:
– Estimated earnings are calculated based on the players time spent in the majors, minors and juniors in relation to their respective salary at those playing levels:
– Prior to 2016: percentage of the season spent in the minors, majors and juniors is estimated based on the players games played between leagues
– 2016 and later: our daily tracker is used to determine time spent in the minors, majors and juniors, and therefore is significantly more accurate
– Estimated career earnings do not include performance bonuses earned
– Estimates are only based on the contracts in the CapFriendly database
– These estimates do not account for player expenses such as: agent fees, escrow, income tax, etc.
Ovechkin ($123.2 million) trails first-place Sidney Crosby by $6.12 million and second-place Jaromir Jagr by $4.19 million. Crosby, 33, is signed through the 2024-25 season with a $8.7 million average annual salary. If Ovechkin, 35, earns a raise from his $9.53 million AAV he made in his last contract, which seems possible if not likely, he could end up overtaking Crosby as the highest-grossing player of all time over the next few seasons.
Other takeaways from this list include:
- Nicklas Backstrom is the 42nd highest grossing player ever in NHL history ($79,062,195)
- The Capitals have had under contract six of the most-grossing 42 players in NHL history: Jagr, Ovechkin, Lundqvist, Chara, Fedorov, and Backstrom
What do you think of the list?
