Who are highest-paid NHL players for 2026-27 season? See top 50 list

NHL salaries are rising rapidly for the 2026-27 season, with Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks taking the top spot after signing a five-year extension announced on July 29. He surpassed Philadelphia Flyers' Leo Carlsson, who had held the top cap hit at $18 million per year on a five-year, $90 million offer sheet that the Anaheim Ducks matched. Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov, who signed an eight-year, $136 million extension in 2025 with a $17 million cap hit, never held the top-paid title, while Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby has dropped out of the top 50 entirely.