These Are the Highest-Paid NHL Players Right Now (2026-27)

The ice beneath NHL players’ skates isn’t the only thing that’s cold and hard — so is the cash they take home from their often-lucrative contracts.

It definitely pays to be an NHL player at any level, but who makes the most money playing hockey, and which teams shell out the most cash in their quests for a Stanley Cup title? Let’s take a look.

Don’t forget: You can watch all of your favorite NHL stars earn their dough live on TV all throughout the 2026-2027 NHL season on DIRECTV!

Who Are the Highest-Paid NHL Players in 2026-27?

When it comes to big contracts, the NHL’s highest-paid players are a mix of established superstars and young talent cashing in on their potential. Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson enters the 2026–27 season at the top of the list with an $18 million annual cap hit after Anaheim matched a five-year, $90 million offer sheet to keep him in July 2026. The Ducks thrived under head coach Joel Quenneville, and Carlsson was a big factor in the team punching its first ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017-18. Their Round 2 exit was their deepest push since 2016-17.

Carlsson’s $18 million annual figure even puts him ahead of Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov, whose record-setting eight-year, $136 million extension kicks in this season. Kaprizov’s $17 million annual cap hit gives him the richer contract overall, while Carlsson takes the crown for the NHL’s highest annual salary.

Young stars are making their mark near the top of the list, too. Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard checks in at $15 million per year, while Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli earns $13.75 million. They join established stars like Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who carries a $14 million cap hit, among the league’s biggest earners.

Connor McDavid also remains near the top of the list at $12.5 million per year. His two-year extension begins in 2026–27, keeping the same annual cap hit as his previous deal and giving Edmonton one of the league’s most accomplished superstar duos in McDavid and Draisaitl.

Here’s the complete list of the highest-paid players in the NHL right now by cap hit for the 2026-2027 season.

What Is the NHL Salary Cap?

Like many other professional sports leagues, the NHL uses a salary cap system to attempt to maintain a level playing field between the teams. That’s to say, each team has a limit on the amount of money they can put towards paying players and attracting talent each season. The upper limit for the 2026–27 season is $104 million per team, up from $95.5 million in 2025–26. The league also sets a lower limit, which is $76.9 million this season.

How Does the NHL Salary Cap Work?

The NHL’s salary cap works similarly to those in other sports leagues, like the NFL and the WNBA. The amount of salary each player is paid each season that contributes to their team’s salary cap maximum is known as the team’s “cap hit.” This is calculated by taking the player’s contract and bonus values, adding them together, then dividing it that number by the number of years their contract is for. The resulting number is the player’s cap hit for the season.

Adding up the full roster’s cap hits gives us the team’s total cap hit. The cap hit is not necessarily a proxy for a team’s payroll, but it does give a good sense of how much per year a team is paying its players and how much wiggle room it has to add new talent.

A team needs to be at or under its salary cap maximum by the end of the year. That means teams can go over the salary cap throughout the year, as long as the total doesn’t exceed the limit by year’s end. Confusing, we know.

Watch NHL Hockey on DIRECTV

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