*Note: Cale Makar's record-setting eight-year, $163.2 million deal doesn't kick in until next year.
Also check out who we ranked as the best player at each position heading into the new season!
10. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Connor McDavid is tied to a two-year, $25 million contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers that carries an average annual value (AAV) and salary cap hit of $12.5 million per season. McDavid extended the contract in October 2025, right before his previous eight-year contract was set to expire.
McDavid devoted his immediate future to the club, and thanks to the deal, McDavid gave the Oilers' front office maximum salary cap flexibility to build and keep a championship-caliber roster around him.
9. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Nathan MacKinnon agreed to an eight-year, $100.8 million contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche earlier this month. The contract extension runs through the 2030–31 season and lands him at No. 9 on this list of highest-paid players for the 2026-27 season with an AAV of $12.604 million.
When the deal was signed, it made him the highest-paid player in the NHL's salary cap era. Despite the outrageous amount, the contract has increasingly transitioned into a highly favorable bargain for Colorado with a surging salary cap.
8. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Matthews intentionally decided to opt for a shorter four-year term rather than a max eight-year extension, which offers him a perfect opportunity to negotiate another massive contract in 2028 when the NHL salary cap is projected to spike significantly.
The contract utilizes signing bonuses for 93.7% of the total cash value ($49.65 million of the $53 million). He comes in at No. 7 on this list as he's set to make $13.25 million for the 2026-27 season.
7. Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim Ducks)
The Ducks signed Gauthier to a six-year, $81 million deal back on September 9th. Now he lands in the top 10 highest-paid players heading into this season. The 22-year-old led the Ducks last season with 41 goals and was tied for fifth-most in assists (28) through 78 games.
He'll earn $13.5 million this upcoming season, pulling out just slightly ahead of Matthews and will be tied with the next player on the list...
6. Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights)
Jack Eichel is currently enjoying an eight-year, $108 million contract extension with the Vegas Golden Knights, which entitles him to a cap hit of $13.5 million per season.
Vegas prioritized ensuring their elite offensive core by securing the services of Eichel alongside newly acquired winger Mitch Marner, who remains on long contracts as the salary cap continues to rise.
5. Adam Fantilli (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Fantilli joined the list just last week on September 24th after inking a six-year, $82.5 million contract extension with the Blue Jackets that ended his restricted free agent holdout.
He'll earn $13.75 million this upcoming season after putting up 24 goals and 35 assists last year. His new deal is the largest contract in Blue Jackets history in both average annual value and total value.
It's also worth noting that Fantilli has played in all 82 games in each of the past two seasons.
4. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
The German international hockey ace is locked under a historic eight-year, $112 million contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Draisaitl signed in September 2024, and the agreement came into effect for the 2025–26 NHL season and keeps Draisaitl with the Oilers through 2032–33.
The contract is almost entirely structured in signing bonuses ($104 million out of the $112 million total). Draisaitl receives a low base salary of just $1 million each year but will still make $14 million this upcoming season.
3. Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks)
Not only is Bedard heading into the 2026-27 season as the third-highest-paid player in the league, but he will also be the second-youngest captain in Blackhawks history, falling just less than a year short of Jonathan Toews.
His five-year, $75 million deal is the third largest in franchise history behind Toews and Patrick Kane, who both signed eight-year, $84 million deal. But Bedard holds the edge in AAV after coming off a personal best 75-point season that included a career high 30 goals.
Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, he'll miss the start of the 2026-27 season after undergoing shoulder surgery back on July 8th.
2. Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)
Kirill Kaprizov has devoted his future to the Minnesota Wild through the 2033-34 season thanks to a record-breaking eight-year, $136 million contract extension.
The deal was signed in September last year and carries an average annual value (AAV) and salary cap hit of $17 million per season. This has turned Kaprizov into one of the highest-paid players in NHL history, surpassing Alex Ovechkin's historic $124 million deal from 2008.
1. Leo Carlsson (Anaheim Ducks)
Leo Carlsson is signed to a record-breaking five-year, $90 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks, carrying a league-high $18 million salary heading into this season.
The deal was put together following a highly dramatic restricted free agency string of events. On July 3rd, the Philadelphia Flyers signed Carlsson to a massive $90 million offer, but just six days later, the Ducks chose to match the offer and accept four first-round draft picks as compensation.
He joins both Bedard and Fantilli as the former top three picks in the 2023 NHL Draft are now three of the top-five highest-paid players in the league.