The 2011 NHL Draft saw Ryan Nugent-Hopkins go #1. The first round featured Gabriel Landeskog (#2), Jonathan Huberdeau (#3), and Mika Zibanejad (#6). High-end skill was the theme, with Mark Scheifele (#7) and Sean Couturier (#8) becoming franchise centers. The draft's true superstars were found much later: Nikita Kucherov (58th) and Johnny Gaudreau (104th). Ondrej Palat went 208th. Overall, 2011 was a draft that proved elite talent wasn't always at the top. It produced some of the league's most creative scorers, many of whom were initially overlooked due to concerns about their size.
Career earnings of players picked in the first round of the 2011 NHL entry draft.
| Player | Pos. | Pick # | Drafted by | Career Earnings |
Rank | Career Earnings In today's $ |
Rank |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | C | 1 | Edmonton Oilers | $73,141,463 | 114 | $89,135,738 | 160 |
| Gabriel Landeskog | LW | 2 | Colorado Avalanche | $80,391,463 | 84 | $95,906,245 | 129 |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | C | 3 | Florida Panthers | $75,698,963 | 102 | $87,995,179 | 164 |
| Adam Larsson | D | 4 | New Jersey Devils | $49,366,463 | 293 | $58,866,634 | 358 |
| Ryan Strome | C | 5 | New York Islanders | $42,406,463 | 387 | $49,399,916 | 478 |
| Mika Zibanejad | C | 6 | Ottawa Senators | $73,723,963 | 109 | $85,512,743 | 175 |
| Mark Scheifele | C | 7 | Winnipeg Jets | $71,590,000 | 120 | $83,862,058 | 183 |
| Sean Couturier | C | 8 | Philadelphia Flyers | $66,641,463 | 147 | $77,414,934 | 222 |
| Dougie Hamilton | D | 9 | Boston Bruins | $86,148,963 | 66 | $100,267,512 | 117 |
| Jonas Brodin | D | 10 | Minnesota Wild | $59,798,963 | 199 | $70,032,339 | 272 |
| Duncan Siemens | D | 11 | Colorado Avalanche | $1,500,000 | 3352 | $1,948,776 | 3646 |
| Ryan Murphy | D | 12 | Carolina Hurricanes | $4,657,500 | 2050 | $6,125,038 | 2227 |
| Sven Baertschi | LW | 13 | Calgary Flames | $10,723,963 | 1313 | $14,055,879 | 1409 |
| Jamie Oleksiak | D | 14 | Dallas Stars | $33,003,438 | 548 | $37,505,355 | 690 |
| J.T. Miller | C | 15 | New York Rangers | $60,665,463 | 190 | $69,550,129 | 276 |
| Joel Armia | RW | 16 | Buffalo Sabres | $25,000,000 | 719 | $28,513,603 | 871 |
| Nathan Beaulieu | D | 17 | Montreal Canadiens | $13,541,463 | 1134 | $17,474,702 | 1244 |
| Oscar Klefbom | D | 19 | Edmonton Oilers | $31,467,963 | 578 | $39,236,738 | 653 |
| Connor Murphy | D | 20 | Phoenix Coyotes | $43,290,000 | 377 | $51,306,620 | 453 |
| Stefan Noesen | RW | 21 | Ottawa Senators | $12,926,463 | 1163 | $14,795,075 | 1375 |
| Joe Morrow | D | 23 | Pittsburgh Penguins | $4,115,000 | 2172 | $5,477,860 | 2345 |
| Matt Puempel | LW | 24 | Ottawa Senators | $2,273,963 | 2838 | $3,100,719 | 3048 |
| Phillip Danault | LW | 26 | Chicago Blackhawks | $40,657,500 | 417 | $45,874,408 | 532 |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | C | 27 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $27,174,125 | 663 | $32,537,339 | 780 |
| Zack Phillips | C | 28 | Minnesota Wild | $541,463 | 4587 | $760,110 | 5002 |
| Nicklas Jensen | LW/RW | 29 | Vancouver Canucks | $2,067,963 | 2962 | $2,718,857 | 3224 |
| Rickard Rakell | RW | 30 | Anaheim Ducks | $47,898,963 | 311 | $56,088,157 | 398 |