The Largest NHL Cap Hits Signed In The 2026 Offseason

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.

As major free agents have put pen to paper, and some remain in play to receive their payday. Most notably, UFAs like Vladimir Tarasenko remain open to veteran NHL contracts, and RFAs like Adam Fantilli need new deals too and may even join this list.

So far, we’ve seen over 200 NHL contracts signed. Today, we will examine this offseason’s 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’ll include those deals in as well.

1. Macklin Celebrini — 5 years, $18.8MM AAV ($94.00MM), San Jose Sharks

Celebrini secured a treasure of a contract after a monumental second season in the NHL. At just the mere age of 20 years old, he has the world of hockey in front of him. In 2025-26, he did it all this year, carrying the San Jose Sharks, scoring 115 points in a full 82-game campaign. His 5 goals (the most of the tournament) for 10 points at the Olympics for Canada, and captained his native country at the IIHF World Championships. There was never any doubt that when the market was reset by his Swedish neighbor in Anaheim, this payment was more than warranted. It should be noted that he could’ve waited and signed for more next offseason. His contract now makes the Sharks’ checklist a little lighter and locks him into their plans as a guaranteed 1C.

2. Leo Carlsson — 5 years, $18MM AAV ($90.00MM), Anaheim Ducks

I think a lot of us expected a large sum of money to head to Carlsson’s bank account; however, I don’t think any of us saw him ending up first on this list and holding that position for a long time before Celebrini swooped in. 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’ll be interesting when we look back on the drama from this past week, and the gamble to use 17.3% of Anaheim’s cap hit on the 21-year-old, and how it impacted the Ducks and the NHL.

3. Connor Bedard — 5 years, $15MM AAV ($75.00MM), Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago had to open its checkbooks this offseason but paid less money than Anaheim did for the player taken after his No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NHL draft. One of the NHL’s brightest young superstars and the poster boy of the next generation of Blackhawks will make less money than Carlsson despite scoring around 60 more points than him. Nonetheless, Bedard is third in the NHL among the highest-paid players and will be a free agent again just before his prime at age 26. It should make the Hawks happy that situationally, their star man is committed to the Windy City.

4. Bowen Byram — 6 years, $12.5MM AAV ($75.00MM), Chicago Blackhawks

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. Byram 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 and a higher annual paycheck than his former Sabres teammate, Rasmus Dahlin. Last season was the former No. 4 overall pick’s best season offensively, but Chicago is hoping that he’ll elevate that production with the keys to the backend.

5. Jason Robertson — 1 year, $12MM AAV ($12.00MM), Dallas Stars

It was expected by many that the situation of Robertson would be a major storyline. However, this deal ensures that Robertson is still a Star and both sides ultimately ‘kick the tires’ into next season when Robertson will officially become a UFA entering his 28-year-old season, which is surely to be the peak of his prime. He’s proven to be a 100-point player, and Dallas can hope he continues that production into next year, when they’ll have $41MM in cap space, more than enough room to give a worthy extension to their American scoring machine. The question is, what does that deal look like with how the rest of the league is going, a higher AAV with less term? We’ll see.

6. Nico Hischier — 5 years, $11.7MM AAV ($58.5MM), New Jersey Devils

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, 418 points and 2nd. Jack Hughes, 407 points), that’s an integral piece to retain towards the ultimate goal.

7. Pavel Dorofeyev — 7 years, $11.0MM AAV ($77.00MM), New York Rangers

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. 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’s a huge core piece that’ll have to shine on Broadway.

8. Alex Tuch — 8 years, $10.5MM AAV ($84.00MM), Washington Capitals

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’ 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’s proven to perform in previous playoff stints, he’s a key forward Washington could use.

9. Ivan Demidov — 8 years, 9.15MM AAV ($73.2MM), Montreal Canadiens

The youngest player on this list will be a Hab for a long time. The 20-year-old Russian winger won’t need another contract until 2035, and at the cap hit he signed for, GM Kent Hughes 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.

10. Trevor Zegras — 4 years, 9.125MM AAV ($36.5MM), Philadelphia Flyers

The former No. 9 overall pick in 2019 just became the Flyers highest paid-player this offseason, beating Travis Konecny‘s $8.75MM AAV. After filing for arbitration, the 25-year-old extends his time in Philadelphia after being traded there by the Anaheim Ducks in the summer of 2025. His 26 goals for 67 points in 81 games elevated the Flyers into a playoff position, all of which were career-high tallies in his first year in a different shade of orange. The young American star is locked down until 2030 as part of Philadelphia’s build-up into what they hope to be an extension and growth of contending with a young group for the playoffs within the East.

Previously listed in Top 10:

• 11. John Carlson — 2 years, 8.5MM AAV ($17.00MM), Tampa Bay Lightning
• 12. Rasmus Andersson — 7 years, $8.5MM AAV ($59.5MM), Vegas Golden Knights
• 13. Darren Raddysh — 8 years, $8.5MM AAV ($68.00MM), Toronto Maple Leafs
• 14. Jacob Trouba — 4 years, $8.25MM AAV ($33.00MM), San Jose Sharks

Accurate as of July 29, 12:00 PM ET, (h/t Puckpedia.com Player Dashboard: signings filtered since June 10, 2026)

Photo Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports, B/R Open Ice on X