2026-27: Almost all of the NHL’s highest-paid players are in the West

Vincent Larue
2026-27: Almost all of the NHL’s highest-paid players are in the West
Credit: Robert Binder/NHLI via Getty Images

You only have to take a quick look at the list of the NHL's highest-paid players for next season to notice something quite striking.

The Western Conference completely dominates.

Leo Carlsson now tops the list with an annual salary of $18 million. Behind him are Kirill Kaprizov ($17M), Leon Draisaitl ($14M), Jack Eichel ($13.5M), Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Kyle Connor, Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner, and Elias Pettersson.

The only player from the Eastern Conference to make the list of the highest-paid players is Auston Matthews, with an annual salary of $13.3 million.

Looking at this list, it quickly becomes clear just how much the NHL's biggest paychecks are now concentrated in the West.

A few years ago, however, the picture was different. Star players like Auston Matthews, Artemi Panarin, and John Tavares tipped the scales slightly in the other direction.

Today, it's practically the opposite.

Is this just a coincidence?

Perhaps.

One thing is certain: this trend has intensified over the past year. Mitch Marner left Toronto to sign with the Golden Knights, Kirill Kaprizov signed a new long-term deal last September, and, just recently, Leo Carlsson became the highest-paid player in the NHL thanks to his $18 million-per-season contract.

As a result, nearly all of the league's biggest contracts are now in the West.

Of course, the East still has several star players. No one questions the talent of players like Matthews, Nikita Kucherov, or David Pastrnak.

But when it comes solely to salaries, the difference is striking.

For the Habs, this reality is also interesting to observe.

Noah Dobson is the Habs player who will have the highest salary impact next season at $9.5 million.

As is well known, the Canadiens' core players signed their contracts at a “discount.” Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, and Ivan Demidov are all locked in long-term at salaries that seem quite reasonable when compared to the new NHL standards.

This gives Kent Hughes plenty of wiggle room for years to come.


In a nutshell

– Stay tuned.

– A nice gesture.

– Where will LeBron James play?

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