Who are the NHL highest-paid players 2026-27? List of Top 50 hockey stars salaries rankings.
The NHL once again has a new highest-paid player this season.
The NHL's rising salary cap has reshaped player contracts for the 2026 to 2027 season, with several superstars signing record breaking deals. The league's salary cap has increased to $104 million, allowing franchises to commit larger contracts to elite talent.
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson tops the list as the highest paid NHL player by cap hit at $18 million and also leads the league in actual salary at $20.8 million. Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov ranks second, while Chicago Blackhawks franchise center Connor Bedard rounds out the top three.
Below is a complete breakdown of the highest paid NHL players for the 2026 to 2027 season.
Top 50 Highest Paid NHL Players by Cap Hit (2026 to 2027)
| Rank | Player | Team | Position | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo Carlsson | Anaheim Ducks | C | $18,000,000 |
| 2 | Kirill Kaprizov | Minnesota Wild | LW | $17,000,000 |
| 3 | Connor Bedard | Chicago Blackhawks | C | $15,000,000 |
| 4 | Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers | C | $14,000,000 |
| 5 | Jack Eichel | Vegas Golden Knights | C | $13,500,000 |
| 6 | Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs | C | $13,250,000 |
| 7 | Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche | C | $12,604,000 |
| 8 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | C | $12,500,000 |
| 9 | Jason Robertson | Dallas Stars | LW | $12,000,000 |
| 10 | Mitch Marner | Vegas Golden Knights | RW | $12,000,000 |
| 11 | Mikko Rantanen | Dallas Stars | RW | $12,000,000 |
| 12 | Kyle Connor | Winnipeg Jets | LW | $12,000,000 |
| 13 | Elias Pettersson | Vancouver Canucks | C | $11,600,000 |
| 14 | William Nylander | Toronto Maple Leafs | C/RW | $11,500,000 |
| 15 | Martin Necas | Colorado Avalanche | C | $11,500,000 |
| 16 | Erik Karlsson | Pittsburgh Penguins | D | $11,500,000 |
| 17 | David Pastrnak | Boston Bruins | RW | $11,250,000 |
| 18 | Rasmus Dahlin | Buffalo Sabres | D | $11,000,000 |
| 19 | Drew Doughty | Los Angeles Kings | D | $11,000,000 |
| 20 | Artemi Panarin | Los Angeles Kings | LW | $11,000,000 |
| 21 | Pavel Dorofeyev | New York Rangers | LW | $11,000,000 |
| 22 | Adrian Kempe | Los Angeles Kings | C | $10,625,000 |
| 23 | Thomas Harley | Dallas Stars | D | $10,587,000 |
| 24 | Evan Bouchard | Edmonton Oilers | D | $10,500,000 |
| 25 | Alex Tuch | Washington Capitals | RW | $10,500,000 |
| 26 | Jonathan Huberdeau | Calgary Flames | LW | $10,500,000 |
| 27 | Logan Cooley | Utah Mammoth | C | $10,000,000 |
| 28 | Tyler Seguin | Dallas Stars | C | $9,850,000 |
| 29 | Sebastian Aho | Carolina Hurricanes | C | $9,750,000 |
| 30 | Zach Werenski | Columbus Blue Jackets | D | $9,583,334 |
| 31 | Seth Jones | Florida Panthers | D | $9,500,000 |
| 32 | Noah Dobson | Montreal Canadiens | D | $9,500,000 |
| 33 | Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning | RW | $9,500,000 |
| 34 | Brayden Point | Tampa Bay Lightning | C | $9,500,000 |
| 35 | Adam Fox | New York Rangers | D | $9,500,000 |
| 36 | Mark Stone | Vegas Golden Knights | RW | $9,500,000 |
| 37 | Charlie McAvoy | Boston Bruins | D | $9,500,000 |
| 38 | Matthew Tkachuk | Florida Panthers | LW | $9,500,000 |
| 39 | Darnell Nurse | San Jose Sharks | D | $9,250,000 |
| 40 | Mathew Barzal | New York Islanders | C | $9,150,000 |
| 41 | Trevor Zegras | Philadelphia Flyers | C | $9,125,000 |
| 42 | Roman Josi | Nashville Predators | D | $9,059,000 |
| 43 | Jake Guentzel | Tampa Bay Lightning | LW | $9,000,000 |
| 44 | Dougie Hamilton | New Jersey Devils | D | $9,000,000 |
| 45 | Cale Makar | Colorado Avalanche | D | $9,000,000 |
| 46 | Jakob Chychrun | Washington Capitals | D | $9,000,000 |
| 47 | Luke Hughes | New Jersey Devils | D | $9,000,000 |
| 48 | Jackson LaCombe | Anaheim Ducks | D | $9,000,000 |
| 49 | Lane Hutson | Montreal Canadiens | D | $8,850,000 |
| 50 | Timo Meier | New Jersey Devils | RW | $8,800,000 |
Note: Sidney Crosby ranks 52nd with a cap hit of $8.7 million.
Highest Paid NHL Players by Actual Salary
| Rank | Player | Team | Actual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo Carlsson | Anaheim Ducks | $20,800,000 |
| 2 | Kirill Kaprizov | Minnesota Wild | $19,100,000 |
| 3 | Jack Eichel | Vegas Golden Knights | $17,700,000 |
| 4 | Connor Bedard | Chicago Blackhawks | $17,000,000 |
| 5 | Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers | $16,500,000 |
| 6 | Alex Tuch | Washington Capitals | $15,700,000 |
| 7 | Kyle Connor | Winnipeg Jets | $15,000,000 |
| 8 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | $14,250,000 |
| 9 | Martin Necas | Colorado Avalanche | $14,000,000 |
| 10 | Mitch Marner | Vegas Golden Knights | $14,000,000 |
Highest Paid NHL Defensemen
| Rank | Player | Team | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erik Karlsson | Pittsburgh Penguins | $11,500,000 |
| 2 | Drew Doughty | Los Angeles Kings | $11,000,000 |
| 3 | Rasmus Dahlin | Buffalo Sabres | $11,000,000 |
| 4 | Thomas Harley | Dallas Stars | $10,587,000 |
| 5 | Evan Bouchard | Edmonton Oilers | $10,500,000 |
| 6 | Zach Werenski | Columbus Blue Jackets | $9,583,334 |
| 7 | Seth Jones | Florida Panthers | $9,500,000 |
| 8 | Charlie McAvoy | Boston Bruins | $9,500,000 |
| 9 | Adam Fox | New York Rangers | $9,500,000 |
| 10 | Noah Dobson | Montreal Canadiens | $9,500,000 |
Highest Paid NHL Goaltenders
| Rank | Goaltender | Team | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Igor Shesterkin | New York Rangers | $11,567,857 |
| 2 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | $9,500,000 |
| 3 | Thatcher Demko | Vancouver Canucks | $8,500,000 |
| 4 | Connor Hellebuyck | Winnipeg Jets | $8,500,000 |
| 5 | Jake Oettinger | Dallas Stars | $8,250,000 |
| 6 | Jeremy Swayman | Boston Bruins | $8,250,000 |
| 7 | Linus Ullmark | Ottawa Senators | $8,250,000 |
| 8 | Ilya Sorokin | New York Islanders | $8,250,000 |
What is the NHL salary cap for 2026-27 and beyond?
The 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons could have minor adjustments up or down based on revenues:
2026-27 -- Upper limit: $104 million - Lower limit: $76.9 million
2027-28 -- Upper limit: $113.5 million - Lower limit: $83.9 million
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