Highest-Paid NHL Players in 2026-27: Top 10

Kirill Kaprizov is the highest-paid NHL player in 2026-27 by cap hit, at a record $17 million. Leon Draisaitl ranks second at $14 million, while Jack Eichel’s new $13.5 million cap hit puts him third.

“Highest paid” can mean three different things in hockey: cap hit, cash received this season or total contract value. We use cap hit (average annual value, or AAV) because it is the cleanest league-wide comparison and the number each team must fit under the salary cap.

Highest-paid NHL players in 2026-27

Rank	Player	Team	Position	Cap hit / AAV	Share of $104m cap
1	Kirill Kaprizov	Minnesota Wild	LW	$17.0m	16.35%
2	Leon Draisaitl	Edmonton Oilers	C	$14.0m	13.46%
3	Jack Eichel	Vegas Golden Knights	C	$13.5m	12.98%
4	Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	C	$13.25m	12.74%
5	Nathan MacKinnon	Colorado Avalanche	C	$12.604m	12.12%
6	Connor McDavid	Edmonton Oilers	C	$12.5m	12.02%
T-7	Mitch Marner	Vegas Golden Knights	RW	$12.0m	11.54%
T-7	Kyle Connor	Winnipeg Jets	LW	$12.0m	11.54%
T-7	Mikko Rantanen	Dallas Stars	RW	$12.0m	11.54%
10	Elias Pettersson	Vancouver Canucks	C	$11.6m	11.15%

The ranking is checked to 18 August 2026. It covers active 2026-27 contracts and preserves the three-way tie at $12 million rather than inventing an order.

1. Kirill Kaprizov — $17 million

Kaprizov’s eight-year, $136 million extension begins in 2026-27 and runs through 2033-34. Its $17 million AAV is the highest in NHL history at the start of the season and $3 million above Draisaitl in second place.

Minnesota paid to keep a franchise winger from approaching unrestricted free agency. That leverage mattered. An elite scorer entering the open market would have been almost impossible for the Wild to replace, and several cap-rich teams could have competed for him.

The figure is huge but legal: $17 million is 16.35% of the $104 million cap, below the individual limit of 20%.

2. Leon Draisaitl — $14 million

Draisaitl’s eight-year, $112 million extension started in 2025-26. It briefly made him the NHL’s AAV leader before Kaprizov’s new deal took effect.

Edmonton is unusual because it carries two of the league’s six largest cap hits. Draisaitl at $14 million and McDavid at $12.5 million combine for $26.5 million—more than a quarter of the club’s 2026-27 limit.

That is a rational price for two generational offensive players, but it puts pressure on drafting, depth contracts and goaltending decisions. Every expensive star creates a roster opportunity cost.

3. Jack Eichel — $13.5 million

Eichel’s eight-year, $108 million extension begins in 2026-27. The Vegas center moves from his previous $10 million cap hit into third place league-wide.

The deal rewards a first-line center who helped deliver the franchise’s first Stanley Cup and then continued producing at an elite level. It also joins Mitch Marner’s $12 million hit near the top of the Vegas payroll.

Eichel’s contract shows why a ranking must specify season. A page using his old $10 million number can describe 2025-26 accurately while being wrong for 2026-27.

4. Auston Matthews — $13.25 million

Matthews carries a $13.25 million AAV on a four-year, $53 million contract. The shorter term helped him secure a premium annual value while retaining another chance to negotiate during his prime.

Toronto pays for rare goal-scoring ability and the commercial weight of its franchise center. Matthews’ cap hit uses 12.74% of the new ceiling, a smaller percentage than it did when the contract began because the league cap has risen.

That percentage effect is important. A fixed contract can become easier to build around even though the player’s dollar salary does not fall.

5. Nathan MacKinnon — $12.604 million

MacKinnon’s eight-year, $100.8 million contract averages $12.604 million for cap purposes. It was the league’s highest AAV when it started in 2023-24; three seasons later, four players sit above it.

Colorado still receives elite production from a player signed through 2030-31. Long terms can age badly, but locking in a superstar before another cap surge can also create value in the middle years.

We retain the precise published cap figure in the table rather than rounding MacKinnon down to $12.6 million when comparing close contracts.

6. Connor McDavid — $12.5 million

The player widely regarded as hockey’s best ranks only sixth by cap hit. McDavid’s $12.5 million AAV reflects a shorter extension and a deliberate choice not to chase the maximum possible number.

That does not mean he earns exactly $12.5 million in cash every season. Signing bonuses and salary structure can change when money arrives while leaving the cap hit unchanged.

McDavid’s rank is the clearest proof that salary is not a player-quality table. Contract timing, leverage, term preference and willingness to leave room for teammates all affect AAV.

7. Mitch Marner — $12 million

Marner carries a $12 million cap hit with Vegas. His combination of playmaking, penalty killing and two-way minutes made him one of the market’s most valuable wingers.

He ties Kyle Connor and Mikko Rantanen in this ranking. Listing one seventh, another eighth and another ninth would imply a salary difference that does not exist.

With Eichel and Marner, Vegas allocates $25.5 million of cap space to two forwards. The roster logic resembles Edmonton’s: concentrate spending on elite talent and find efficiency elsewhere.

7. Kyle Connor — $12 million

Connor’s eight-year, $96 million Winnipeg extension starts this season, a substantial rise from his previous $7.14 million AAV.

The Jets retained a consistent goal-scoring winger rather than risk losing him. For a market that cannot assume every major free agent will sign there, keeping a homegrown star can justify a full-market contract.

An eight-year term also spreads the risk. Winnipeg gets cost certainty through Connor’s prime and beyond, while accepting that later seasons may not match his peak production.

7. Mikko Rantanen — $12 million

Rantanen’s eight-year, $96 million Dallas deal produces the same $12 million AAV. His contract followed a turbulent movement period but secured one of the league’s premier power forwards for the Stars.

Total contract value alone cannot separate him from Connor—both are $96 million over eight years. Cash structure and clauses can differ, but their cap charge is identical.

Rantanen gives Dallas an elite scoring piece while leaving the front office to manage other large veteran deals around him.

10. Elias Pettersson — $11.6 million

Pettersson takes the final top-10 spot at $11.6 million on an eight-year, $92.8 million contract. He narrowly leads Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, whose cap hit is about $11.568 million.

The small gap is why accurate decimals matter. Pettersson ranks tenth by roughly $32,000—tiny relative to an NHL payroll, but enough to determine the order.

Nine of the ten leaders are forwards. No defenseman or goaltender reaches the top 10, reflecting how the market currently rewards top-line scoring.

Cap hit, cash salary and contract value are not the same

These terms answer different questions:

• Cap hit/AAV: total contract value divided according to CBA accounting rules; the primary ranking measure here.
• Cash salary: base salary plus signing bonus actually scheduled for one league year.
• Contract value: all scheduled compensation across the full term.
• Career earnings: cash accumulated across past seasons and teams.

A front-loaded contract can pay far more cash in year one than its cap hit. A signing bonus can also shift the timing and protection of compensation without changing AAV.

Kaprizov leads both current AAV and active total contract value, but that overlap is not guaranteed. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin lead historical career-earnings lists despite ranking well below the current AAV top 10.

The 2026-27 NHL salary cap

The NHL and NHLPA set the 2026-27 upper limit at $104 million and the lower limit at $76.9 million. The ceiling rose $8.5 million from 2025-26, giving teams more room and helping reset the market for elite contracts.

The league minimum rises from $775,000 to $850,000. That means Kaprizov’s cap hit equals 20 minimum-salary roster spots, though a real team could not fill an entire roster that way without accounting for position, availability and other rules.

An individual standard player contract can carry a maximum AAV of 20% of the upper limit when signed. At a $104 million ceiling, that theoretical limit is $20.8 million. Kaprizov remains $3.8 million below it.

Why the highest-paid player is not always the best

Contract rankings are snapshots of negotiation, not objective player rankings. Age, free-agent status, position, injuries, cap forecasts and comparable deals all influence the result.

Timing explains much of the 2026 table. Kaprizov, Eichel and Connor begin extensions negotiated in a rising-cap market. MacKinnon and McDavid agreed to their underlying figures under different league economics.

A championship contender may prefer a superstar on a below-market deal; a player may prefer maximum security or shorter term. Neither choice alone proves who is better on the ice.

How we built the ranking

We started with the official NHL/NHLPA payroll range and NHL.com’s CBA explanation. We then cross-checked 2026-27 cap hits and contract totals across Spotrac and current salary tables.

We excluded retired players, historical career earnings and extensions that do not begin until a later season. Ties are preserved, teams reflect the 18 August snapshot, and the main table uses cap hit rather than estimated endorsement income.

For physical context, the world’s biggest indoor arenas guide includes major hockey venues such as SKA Arena and Bell Centre. Compare pay across leagues in our highest-paid WNBA players explainer, or browse the SportsLook earnings hub.

The 2026-27 answer is Kirill Kaprizov at $17 million, the first NHL player to carry an AAV that high.