NHL salaries are rising so quickly that Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby has dropped out of the top 50 and Minnesota Wild standout Kirill Kaprizov didn’t get a chance to earn a paycheck with the title of top-paid player.
Kaprizov signed an eight-year, $136 million extension in 2025 that gave him the top cap hit at $17 million heading into the season. But he was surpassed when the Philadelphia Flyers signed Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet ($18 million), which the Anaheim Ducks matched.
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Carlsson’s status was also surpassed when the San Jose Sharks announced on Tuesday, July 29, that Macklin Celebrini signed a five-year extension with an $18.8 million average. His deal won’t kick in until the 2027-28 season.
Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard signed a five-year deal with a $15 million cap hit that makes him No. 3 overall in 2026-27 behind Carlsson and Kaprizov. Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier and Columbus’ Adam Fantilli, restricted free agents without arbitration rights, have yet to sign for the upcoming season.
The NHL salary cap, which was stagnant after the pandemic, rose to $95.5 million last season and $104 million this season.
Crosby, whose $8.7 million cap hit is derived from his 87 jersey number, is now ranked 52nd in average annual value.
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Here are the top 50 players in the league in cap hits, plus the top salaries and the top defensemen and goaltenders (money figures are from puckpedia.com):
Highest-paid NHL players by cap hit
Note: Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will average $18.8 million, starting in 2027-28
Top 50 plus ties
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LW Kirill Kaprizov, Wild, $17,000,000
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C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $11,600,000
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D Jackson LaCombe, Ducks, $9,000,000
Highest-paid players by 2026-27 salary
Top 30, plus ties
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C Leo Carlsson, Ducks, $20,800,000
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LW Kirill Kaprizov, Wild, $19,100,000
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C Jack Eichel, Golden Knights, $17,700,000
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C Connor Bedard, Blackhawks, $17,000,000
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C Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, $16,500,000
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RW Alex Tuch, Capitals, $15,700,000
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LW Kyle Connor, Jets, $15,000,000
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C Connor McDavid, Oilers, $14,250,000
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C Martin Necas, Avalanche, $14,000,000
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RW Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, $14,000,000
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LW Pavel Dorofeyev, Rangers, $14,000,000
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C Logan Cooley, Mammoth, $13,000,000
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D Thomas Harley, Stars, $13,000,000
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C/RW William Nylander, Maple Leafs, $12,500,000
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C Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, $12,150,000
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D Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $12,000,000
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D Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $12,000,000
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C Adrian Kempe, Kings, $12,000,000
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LW Jason Robertson, Stars, $12,000,000
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LW Artemi Panarin, Kings, $12,000,000
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D Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $12,000,000
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RW David Pastrnak, Bruins, $11,250,000
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RW Mikko Rantanen, Stars, $11,250,000
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C Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, $11,080,000
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D Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000
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D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000
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C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $11,000,000
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LW Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames, $10,500,000
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C Trevor Zegras, Flyers, $10,500,000
Highest-paid defenseman by cap hit
Note: Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram will have a $12.5 million cap hit, starting in 2027-28.
Top 30 plus ties
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Erik Karlsson, Penguins, $11,500,000
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Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000
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Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000
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Thomas Harley, Stars, $10,587,000
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Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $10,500,000
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Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, $9,583,334
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Seth Jones, Panthers, $9,500,000
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Charlie McAvoy, Bruins, $9,500,000
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Adam Fox, Rangers, $9,500,000
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Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $9,500,000
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Darnell Nurse, Sharks, $9,250,000
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Roman Josi, Predators, $9,059,000
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Dougie Hamilton, Devils, $9,000,000
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Jakob Chychrun, Capitals, $9,000,000
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Cale Makar, Avalanche, $9,000,000
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Jackson LaCombe, Ducks, $9,000,000
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Luke Hughes, Devils, $9,000,000
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Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $8,850,000
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Darren Raddysh, Maple Leafs, $8,500,000
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Rasmus Andersson, Golden Knights, $8,500,000
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Jacob Trouba, Sharks, $8,250,000
Highest-paid goaltenders by cap hit
Top 30
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Thatcher Demko, Canucks, $8,500,000
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Kevin Lankinen, Canucks, $4,500,000
What is the NHL salary cap for 2026-27 and beyond?
2026-27
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Upper limit: $104 million
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Lower limit: $76.9 million
2027-28
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Upper limit: $113.5 million
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Lower limit: $83.9 million
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are highest-paid NHL players for 2026-27 season? See top 50 list
