Overview

• USA TODAY, citing PuckPedia, lists Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl as the highest-paid player for 2025–26 at a $14 million cap hit from his 2024 eight-year, $112 million extension.
• Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov has an eight-year, $136 million contract set to begin in 2026–27 with a reported $17 million cap hit, which would be the league’s new benchmark.
• The highest-paid designation has changed in each of the past three seasons, shifting from Connor McDavid to Nathan MacKinnon in 2023–24, to Auston Matthews last season, and now to Draisaitl.
• Connor McDavid signed a two-year extension that keeps his cap hit at $12.5 million, leaving him below the newly established top figures.
• Projected upper limits for the NHL salary cap are $95.5 million in 2025–26, $104 million in 2026–27, and $113.5 million in 2027–28, supporting larger average annual values across star contracts.