Blackhawks: Toews, Kane among highest paid NHL players in 2015-16

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Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane signed matching eight-year, $84 million deals that kicked in this season, and their off-the-ice endorsement deals have also helped the Blackhawks duo become two of the highest paid NHL players in 2015-16.

According to Forbes, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is the top-earning NHL player at $16.5 million, which includes $4.5 million in endorsement deals with CCM and Gatorade among others.

While his cap hit is $8.7 million until 2024-25, Crosby's base salary this season is $12 million and will drop to $10.9 million next year.

[MORE: Forbes ranks Blackhawks fourth most valuable NHL franchise]

Toews comes in at No. 2, collecting a total of $16 million, with $7.8 million of that coming from his base salary, another $6 million in signing bonuses, and the rest off endorsements, which includes Bauer, Chevrolet and EA Sports, where he's a two-time cover athlete (NHL 11 and NHL 16), among several others.

Kane is right behind his teammate at No. 3 with earnings of $14.7 million, which includes $900,000 off the ice, according to Forbes.

[NBC SHOP: Buy a Patrick Kane jersey and/or a Jonathan Toews jersey here!]

Like Toews, Kane carries a cap hit of $10.5 million over the next eight years, but has a base salary of $6.8 million, another $7 million in signing bonuses, and the remaining off his endorsement deals with Bauer, Gatorade and Chevrolet among others. 

Kane also ranked No. 1 in NHL jersey sales last year.

Nashville's Shea Weber ($14 million) and Washington's Alex Ovechkin ($13.3 million) round out the top five.

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