The 1998–99 NHL season ended in one of the most debated moments in hockey history. The Dallas Stars won their first Stanley Cup after Brett Hull scored the winning goal in triple overtime against Buffalo while his foot was in the crease—a move that was technically illegal at the time. This season marked the final farewell for Wayne Gretzky, who retired with 61 league records. Scoring continued to drop league-wide, but Jaromir Jagr remained dominant, winning the Art Ross Trophy with 127 points, 20 points ahead of the nearest skater.
| vs previous season | ||||||
| Rank | Player | NHL Salary ($US) | In today's $ | +/- ($) | +/- (%) | |
| 1 | Paul Kariya | $8,500,000 | $16,806,024 | $3,000,000 | 55% | |
| 1 | Eric Lindros | $8,500,000 | $16,806,024 | $1,000,000 | 13% | |
| 3 | Dominik Hasek | $8,000,000 | $15,817,435 | $4,000,000 | 100% | |
| 4 | Mats Sundin | $6,347,164 | $12,549,481 | $4,547,164 | 253% | |
| 5 | Mark Messier | $6,015,000 | $11,892,734 | |||
| 6 | Peter Forsberg | $6,000,000 | $11,863,076 | $2,000,000 | 50% | |
| 6 | Wayne Gretzky | $6,000,000 | $11,863,076 | -$500,000 | -8% | |
| 6 | Doug Gilmour | $6,000,000 | $11,863,076 | $2,450,000 | 69% | |
| 9 | Curtis Joseph | $5,500,000 | $10,874,486 | $3,200,000 | 139% | |
| 10 | Rob Blake | $5,267,500 | $10,414,792 | $2,117,500 | 67% | |
| 11 | Patrick Roy | $5,113,260 | $10,109,832 | $650,000 | 15% | |
| 12 | Mike Richter | $5,100,000 | $10,083,615 | $1,200,000 | 31% | |
| 13 | Mike Modano | $5,000,000 | $9,885,897 | $1,500,000 | 43% | |
| 13 | Ron Francis | $5,000,000 | $9,885,897 | $3,100,000 | 163% | |
| 15 | Jaromir Jagr | $4,988,491 | $9,863,141 | -$111,509 | -2% | |
| 16 | Steve Yzerman | $4,800,000 | $9,490,461 | -$279,063 | -5% | |
| 16 | Pat LaFontaine | $4,800,000 | $9,490,461 | |||
| 18 | Teemu Selanne | $4,750,000 | $9,391,602 | $1,350,000 | 40% | |
| 19 | Pierre Turgeon | $4,650,000 | $9,193,884 | $1,650,000 | 55% | |
| 20 | Brett Hull | $4,500,000 | $8,897,307 | -$200,000 | -4% | |
| 20 | Al MacInnis | $4,500,000 | $8,897,307 | $1,000,000 | 29% | |
| 20 | Mark Recchi | $4,500,000 | $8,897,307 | $1,750,000 | 64% | |
| 23 | Alexander Mogilny | $4,200,000 | $8,304,153 | $600,000 | 17% | |
| 24 | Scott Stevens | $4,152,579 | $8,210,393 | -$159,921 | -4% | |
| 25 | Keith Tkachuk | $4,100,000 | $8,106,435 | $1,300,000 | 46% | |
| 25 | Uwe Krupp | $4,100,000 | $8,106,435 | $2,600,000 | 173% | |