{"id":622710,"date":"2026-07-14T23:09:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/622710\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T23:09:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:09:33","slug":"the-largest-nhl-cap-hits-signed-in-the-2026-offseason-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/622710\/","title":{"rendered":"The Largest NHL Cap Hits Signed In The 2026 Offseason \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, with the NHL Salary Cap rising, articles like these will constantly highlight the growth of hockey. Players are looking to make more money, and teams are avoiding sticker shock in the moment of inking the deal.<\/p>\n

As major free agents have put pen to paper, and some remain in play to receive their payday. Most notably, UFA\u2019s Patrick Kane<\/a>, Anthony Mantha<\/a>, and Vladimir Tarasenko<\/a> remain open to veteran NHL contracts, and RFAs Jason Robertson<\/a>, Adam Fantilli<\/a>, and Connor Bedard<\/a> all need new deals too and may even join this list.<\/p>\n

So far, we\u2019ve seen over 200 NHL contracts signed. Today, we will examine this offseason\u2019s largest contracts signed by analyzing which players have the largest cap hit out of the signings made in the summer of 2026. Considering players can (and have) inked extensions ahead of their status for the 2027-28 season, we\u2019ll include those deals in as well.<\/p>\n

1. Leo Carlsson<\/a> \u2014 5 years, $18MM AAV ($90.00MM), Anaheim Ducks<\/p>\n

I think a lot of us expected a large sum of money to head to Carlsson\u2019s bank account; however, I don\u2019t think any of us saw him ending up first on this list. The former No. 2 overall pick in 2023 received a lucrative offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, which the Anaheim Ducks matched. With Verbeek retaining the young Swedish phenom, it\u2019ll be interesting when we look back on the drama from this past week, and the gamble to use 17.3% of Anaheim\u2019s cap hit on the 21-year-old, and how it impacted the Ducks and the NHL.<\/p>\n

2. Bowen Byram<\/a> \u2014 6 years, $12.5MM AAV (75.00MM), Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Blackhawks found their No. 1 defenseman, but it cost them a hefty price to do so, which included trading away the 2026 fourth-overall pick.\u00a0Byram wanted to be the go-to man on the blue line for an NHL club, and this fits for Chicago. The funny way to put this is that in 2027-28, when the contract kicks in, Byram will have the same income as Connor McDavid<\/a> and a higher annual paycheck than his former Sabres teammate, Rasmus Dahlin<\/a>. Last season was the former No. 4 overall pick\u2019s best season offensively, but Chicago is hoping that he\u2019ll elevate that production with the keys to the backend.<\/p>\n

3. Nico Hischier<\/a> \u2014 5 years, $11.7MM AAV ($58.5MM), New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n

The Devils wanted to extend their captain this offseason, and they checked that box. The 2017 first overall pick was entering the final season of a seven-year, $50.75MM deal signed with New Jersey back in 2019. Now, the Devils will keep their 27-year-old top-line center through the 2031-32 season while giving him around an 65% salary increase. Rightfully so for one of three Devils to score over 300 points up to today (1st. Jesper Bratt<\/a>, 418 points and 2nd. Jack Hughes<\/a>, 407 points), that\u2019s an integral piece to retain towards the ultimate goal.<\/p>\n

4. Pavel Dorofeyev<\/a> \u2014 7 years, $11.0MM AAV ($77.00MM), New York Rangers<\/p>\n

The Rangers have lost some key pieces over the course of 2026. Their retool should see a bump from Dorofeyev, who is receiving a lucrative pay raise from his former contracts that paid below $2MM AAV. New York has made him the second-highest earning rostered player for 2026-27, behind fellow countryman Igor Shesterkin<\/a>. They hope that the 25-year-old Russian can build on his two 30+ goal campaigns and seamlessly fit in a new scene. Ideally, considering his deep playoff experience and elite scoring touch, he\u2019s a huge core piece that\u2019ll have to shine on Broadway.<\/p>\n

5. Alex Tuch<\/a> \u2014 8 years, $10.5MM AAV ($84.00MM), Washington Capitals<\/p>\n

It was pretty obvious that Tuch was the biggest UFA name on the market. The consideration of whether to keep the veteran forward was one of the Sabres\u2019 biggest decisions after making the playoffs for the first time in a while. Alas, letting go of a hometown player with the contract Washington is paying is the direction the Sabres went. Tuch will make a lot of money until his age 38 season, but for a tenacious forward who\u2019s proven to perform in previous playoff stints, he\u2019s a key forward Washington could use.<\/p>\n

6. Ivan Demidov<\/a> \u2014 8 years, 9.15MM AAV ($73.2MM), Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

The youngest player on this list will be a Hab for a long time. The 20-year-old Russian winger won\u2019t need another contract until 2035, and at the cap hit he signed for, GM Kent Hughes<\/a> was probably ecstatic knowing he inked Demidov to this deal after the Flyers went ahead and reset the market entirely. When this contract takes effect in 2027-28, as of this writing, the former fifth-overall pick will be around the 40th-highest-paid player in the NHL. Chances are, if his sophomore season saw above 60 points in production, who knows what Demidov will produce in his prime based on that trajectory.<\/p>\n

7. John Carlson<\/a> \u2014 2 years, 8.5MM AAV ($17.00MM), Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n

The veteran is headed to a sure playoff contender, an environment he\u2019s been in his whole career. Carlson wanted to remain out east after being dealt to the Ducks, and given the Lightning\u2019s unwillingness to pay Raddysh on their right side for the long term, they opted for the more sure bet of an established former Stanley Cup winner. Having J.J. Moser<\/a> and Erik Cernak<\/a> on the right side as well will round out one of the league\u2019s more formidable blue lines with Carlson in the fold. Don\u2019t forget he\u2019s one of three 35+ aged defensemen, along with Victor Hedman<\/a> and Ryan McDonagh<\/a>.<\/p>\n

8. Rasmus Andersson<\/a> \u2014 7 years, $8.5MM AAV\u00a0($59.5MM), Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights are probably very happy bringing Andersson back into the fold, especially after dealing away two top-64 draft picks and Zach Whitecloud<\/a> to Calgary at the deadline. As the top right defenseman UFA available, with Darren Raddysh<\/a> signed and traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Andersson cashed in. What the Golden Knights can hope for is a bounce back from what many considered a lackluster playoff performance, registering six assists en route to a Stanley Cup Runner-up finish. Right defensemen with an offensive touch are available on the market once in a blue moon, and for a player who has provided 10+ goals and 50 points, it\u2019s a reasonable payment until 2033.<\/p>\n

9. Darren Raddysh<\/a> \u2014 8 years, $8.5MM AAV ($68.00MM), Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Having never earned above $1MM in average annual value in his various stints across the league, Raddysh officially cashed in after what was a payday-worthy campaign. Considered this year\u2019s top blue-line option on the UFA market as a right-shot, he finished this season 11th in Norris Trophy voting for the league\u2019s best all-around defenseman. Raddysh, while viewed as a risky bet to make, had seen just two +30-point campaigns in his age 27 and 28 years. Immediately he\u2019ll be top dog on the Leafs blue line. He has one of the league\u2019s hardest shots, according to NHL EDGE<\/a>, which should boost the Leafs\u2019 scoring. Along with that, his poise in transition and power-play presence profile make him an all-around premier acquisition for Toronto.<\/p>\n

10. Jacob Trouba<\/a> \u2014 4 years, $8.25MM AAV ($33.00MM), San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n

The Sharks made an abundance of veteran additions to their 2026-27 lineup; the blue line was a major focus in that regard. Adding Michael Kesselring<\/a> and Darnell Nurse<\/a> in trade were headliners, and now Trouba is the second righty on San Jose\u2019s blue line, along with Kesselring. Trouba has seen big-time playoff games and provides physicality, which will help the goaltending. Everything they\u2019ve done this offseason, they see themselves making a push for the dance next season. Trouba\u2019s contract might sting a little when the youth is due for their paydays, but it\u2019s a bet they\u2019re willing to make.<\/p>\n

Accurate as of July 14, 11:47 AM ET, (h\/t Puckpedia.com Player Dashboard: signings filtered since June 4, 2026)<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images, Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every year, with the NHL Salary Cap rising, articles like these will constantly highlight the growth of hockey.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":622711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[377],"tags":[6452,233,2031,96,2580,5,638,3124,281,3040,21,151,35,4,1602,2880,3327,5367,3926,168,92,31,2125,39,109],"class_list":["post-622710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hockey","tag-alex-tuch","tag-anaheim-ducks","tag-bowen-byram","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-darren-raddysh","tag-hockey","tag-ivan-demidov","tag-jacob-trouba","tag-john-carlson","tag-leo-carlsson","tag-montreal-canadiens","tag-new-jersey-devils","tag-new-york-rangers","tag-nhl","tag-nico-hischier","tag-pavel-dorofeyev","tag-rasmus-andersson","tag-rfa","tag-salary-cap","tag-san-jose-sharks","tag-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-uncategorized","tag-vegas-golden-knights","tag-washington-capitals"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116920855309832010","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}