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Elliotte Friedman Says McDavid and Kaprizov Will Set the Bar for 2026 NHL Free Agent Contracts

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 10:01 AM ET

Elliotte Friedman revealed that Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov's next contracts are expected to set the new standard for all NHL free agents moving forward.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently speculated that in a much more open market, the Edmonton Oilers would be willing to pay Connor McDavid in the neighborhood of $50 million per year.

Elliotte Friedman also revealed that he expected Connor McDavid and the Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov to set the new standard and become the highest-paid players in the NHL after their next contracts.

'Players expect that the two highest salaries after this wave of signings are gonna be McDavid and Kaprizov; once those players sign, I think you'll see...other potential top UFAs [2026] say...it's easier for me to find the sweet spot.'
- Elliotte Friedman

It's an interesting consideration: what would McDavid make if there were no salary cap?

The Maximum Salary McDavid Can Earn Per Year is $19.1 Million

As it stands, with NHL rules, the highest a player can earn is 20% of a team's cap, and that would place McDavid's maximum at around $19.1 million annually on a new contract.

There is little question, however, that McDavid is worth a great deal more. He is the league's face, a generational player, and his worth, both on the ice and off, goes well beyond what the system presently permits.

The issue, naturally, is that maxing out at $19.1 million would decrease the Oilers' flexibility to construct a championship-level roster around him.

That's the cruel compromise elite players make under the cap: pursue the largest check, or make space to win.

Nevertheless, Friedman's $50 million estimate doesn't seem out of line. In a free-spending league or a softened cap, that might be an accurate representation of McDavid's actual market value.