Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are considered the two best players in the Maple Leafs.

And according to Forbes’ annual list of the highest paid NHL players released Wednesday, that status is reflected in their earnings.

Matthews, the reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top scorer last season, earns $ 12.2 million (all figures are in US dollars) this season, a figure that Forbes says combines his cap, bonuses and off-ice income.

That puts Matthews second behind Connor McDavid, who leads the NHL list with $ 16.4 million, according to the magazine.

Marner, according to Forbes, is the fifth highest-paid player, earning $ 11.6 million for this season.

San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson and Montreal goalie Carey Price are also in the top five.

Rangers forward Artemi Panarin, Dallas center Tyler Seguin, Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, Tampa superstar Nikita Kucherov and Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky round out the top 10.

None of the top 10 earn less than $ 10.1 million, according to Forbes.

McDavid was also No. 1 on the list for two of the past three seasons. Matthews dethroned him as the best player last season, while Marner was third.

According to Forbes calculations, the top 10 highest paid players in the NHL total $ 117 million in earnings, which would be “a paltry sum compared to.” . . the NBA ($ 714 million), the NFL ($ 418 million) and the MLB ($ 357 million).

Forbes also said the value of $ 117 million for the top 10 NHL players was down 6% from a year ago, and well below the 2019-20 record of $ 159 million. . This year’s total for the top 10 is the lowest since 2013-14 ($ 116 million), with COVID playing a big role.

With the pandemic disrupting the NHL’s revenue stream, players must put 17.2% of their salaries on deposit this season. Some or all of this money will be returned to the players – or shared with the owners – depending on the league’s income for that season.

Matthews, meanwhile, is one of the NHL’s most marketable players, according to Forbes. The 24-year-old, who is interested in fashion and is developing his Mexican-American roots, has signed sponsorship deals with CCM, Nike and Verizon, says Forbes, as well as cover appearances on the EA Sports NHL video game. for this season.