2025 NHL storylines include Panthers, Ovechkin and Olympic hockey
The 2025-26 NHL season gets under way on Oct. 7. Sam Cardona-Norberg shares some key storylines.
The NHL once again has a new highest-paid player this season.
And once again, his reign will be short-lived.
The top-paid player for 2025-26 is Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl, who will average $14 million in the eight-year, $112 million contract extension he signed in 2024.
But he will be passed next season by Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov, whose eight-year, $136 million extension kicks in during 2026-27. The total amount and $17 million cap hit are NHL records.
The highest-paid player title has changed for three seasons in a row. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million) topped Edmonton’s Connor McDavid ($12.5 million) in 2023-24. Toronto’s Auston Matthews ($13.25 million) passed MacKinnon last season, and Draisaitl topped Matthews.
Kaprizov could remain at top for a while. McDavid was expected to regain the title, but he signed a two-year extension with a team-friendly $12.5 million cap hit, his current average.
Here’s a look at the highest-paid players for the 2025-26 season (figures are from puckpedia.com):
Highest-paid NHL players by cap hit
Top 50 plus ties
C Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, $14,000,000C Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, $13,250,000C Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, $12,600,000C Connor McDavid, Oilers, $12,500,000RW Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, $12,000,000RW Mikko Rantanen, Stars, $12,000,000LW Artemi Panarin, Rangers, $11,642,857C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $11,600,000D Erik Karlsson, Penguins, $11,500,000C William Nylander, Maple Leafs, $11,500,000G Igor Shesterkin, Rangers, $11,500,000RW David Pastrnak, Bruins, $11,250,000D Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000D Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $10,500,000LW Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames, $10,500,000C Aleksander Barkov, Panthers, $10,000,000 (currently injured)C Jack Eichel, Golden Knights, $10,000,000G Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers, $10,000,000C Tyler Seguin, Stars, $9,850,000C Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes, $9,750,000D Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, $9,583,333LW Alex Ovechkin, Capitals, $9,500,000RW Mark Stone, Golden Knights, $9,500,000RW Nikita Kucherov, Lightning, $9,500,000D Seth Jones, Panthers, $9,500,000C Brayden Point, Lightning, $9,500,000LW Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers, $9,500,000D Charlie McAvoy, Bruins, $9,500,000D Adam Fox, Rangers, $9,500,000D Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $9,500,000G Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning, $9,500,000D Darnell Nurse, Oilers, $9,250,000C Mathew Barzal, Islanders, $9,150,000D Roman Josi, Predators, $9,059,000D Dougie Hamilton, Devils, $9,000,000LW Jake Guentzel, Lightning, $9,000,000LW Kirill Kaprizov, Wild, $9,000,000D Jakob Chychrun, Capitals, $9,000,000D Cale Makar, Avalanche, $9,000,000D Luke Hughes, Devils, $9,000,000D Alex Pietrangelo, Golden Knights, $8,800,000 (currently injured)RW Timo Meier, Devils, $8,800,000RW Travis Konecny, Flyers, $8,750,000C Sidney Crosby, Penguins, $8,700,000C Dylan Larkin, Red Wings, $8,700,000LW Patrik Laine, Canadiens, $8,700,000C Sam Reinhart, Panthers, $8,625,000D Moritz Seider, Red Wings, $8,550,000D Brock Faber, Wild, $8,500,000C Mika Zibanejad, Rangers, $8,500,000C Mark Scheifele, Jets, $8,500,000C Filip Forsberg, Predators, $8,500,000C Bo Horvat, Islanders, $8,500,000LW Nikolaj Ehlers, Hurricanes, $8,500,000D Ivan Provorov, Blue Jackets, $8,500,000C Pierre-Luc Dubois, Capitals, $8,500,000D Mikhail Sergachev, Mammoth, $8,500,000G Connor Hellebuyck, Jets, $8,500,000
Highest-paid NHL players by salary
Top 30 plus ties
C Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, $16,500,000C Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, $16,050,000G Igor Shesterkin, Rangers, $15,825,000C Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, $15,200,000RW Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, $15,000,000RW Mikko Rantanen, Stars, $15,000,000C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $14,500,000C William Nylander, Maple Leafs, $13,500,000RW David Pastrnak, Bruins, $12,500,000D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $12,000,000D Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $12,000,000C Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes, $12,000,000C Brayden Point, Lightning, $12,000,000D Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $12,000,000C Aleksander Barkov, Panthers, $11,600,000D Dougie Hamilton, Devils, $11,550,000D Charlie McAvoy, Bruins, $11,500,000C Pierre-Luc Dubois, Capitals, $11,350,000LW Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers, $11,250,000D Mikhail Sergachev, Mammoth, $11,050,000D Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000D Jakob Chychrun, Capitals, $11,000,000RW Travis Konecny, Flyers, $11,000,000D Miro Heiskanen, Stars, $11,000,000C Seth Jarvis, Hurricanes, $10,950,000RW Timo Meier, Devils, $10,750,000LW Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames, $10,500,000D Seth Jones, Panthers, $10,500,000L Brady Tkachuk, Senators, $10,500,000C Jordan Kyrou, Blues, $10,500,000C Robert Thomas, Blues, $10,500,000Highest-paid NHL defensemen by cap hitErik Karlsson, Penguins, $11,500,000Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $10,500,000Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, $9,583,333Seth Jones, Panthers, $9,500,000Charlie McAvoy, Bruins, $9,500,000Adam Fox, Rangers, $9,500,000Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $9,500,000Darnell Nurse, Oilers, $9,250,000Roman Josi, Predators, $9,059,000Dougie Hamilton, Devils, $9,000,000Jakob Chychrun, Capitals, $9,000,000Cale Makar, Avalanche, $9,000,000Luke Hughes, Devils, $9,000,000Alex Pietrangelo, Golden Knights, $8,800,000Moritz Seider, Red Wings, $8,550,000Ivan Provorov, Blue Jackets, $8,500,000Mikhail Sergachev, Mammoth, $8,500,000Brock Faber, Wild, $8,500,000Miro Heiskanen, Stars, $8,450,000Owen Power, Sabres, $8,350,000Jake Sanderson, Senators, $8,050,000John Carlson, Capitals, $8,000,000Victor Hedman, Lightning, $8,000,000Jacob Trouba, Ducks, $8,000,000Thomas Chabot, Senators, $8,000,000Quinn Hughes, Canucks, $7,850,000Jared Spurgeon, Wild, $7,575,000Morgan Rielly, Maple Leafs, $7,500,000K’Andre Miller, Hurricanes, $7,500,000
Highest-paid NHL goaltenders by cap hitIgor Shesterkin, Rangers, $11,500,000Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers, $10,000,000Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning, $9,500,000Connor Hellebuyck, Jets, $8,500,000Jeremy Swayman, Bruins, $8,250,000Jake Oettinger, Stars, $8,250,000Ilya Sorokin, Islanders, $8,250,000Linus Ullmark, Senators, $8,250,000Juuse Saros, Predators, $7,740,000Lukas Dostal, Ducks, $6,500,000John Gibson, Red Wings, $6,400,000Adin Hill, Golden Knights, $6,250,000Jacob Markstrom, Devils, $6,000,000Jordan Binnington, Blues, $6,000,000Philipp Grubauer, Kraken, $5,900,000Logan Thompson, Capitals, $5,850,000Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets, $5,400,000Tristan Jarry, Penguins, $5,375,000MacKenzie Blackwood, Avalanche, $5,250,000Darcy Kuemper, Kings, $5,250,000Joey Daccord, Kraken, $5,000,000Thatcher Demko, Canucks, $5,000,000Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Sabres, $4,750,000Karel Vejmelka, Mammoth, $4,750,000Kevin Lankinen, Canucks, $4,500,000Spencer Knight, Blackhawks, $4,500,000Petr Mrazek, Ducks, $4,250,000Joonas Korpisalo, Bruins, $4,000,000Filip Gustavsson, Wild, $3,750,000Joseph Woll, Maple Leafs, $3,666,667What is the NHL salary cap for 2025-26 and beyond?
The 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons could have minor adjustments up or down based on revenues:
2025-26
Upper limit: $95.5 millionLower limit: $70.6 million
2026-27
Upper limit: $104 millionLower limit: $76.9 million
2027-28
Upper limit: $113.5 millionLower limit: $83.9 million