Cap Surge Reshapes NHL Contracts | Edmonton Oilers News

The NHL salary cap is skyrocketing, turning even big contracts like Leon Draisaitl’s into bargains—and forcing teams to lock up young stars now or risk losing them later. With cap jumps of $7–10M per season, players like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes could push Draisaitl out of the top 10 by 2027–28. Young stars like Macklin Celebrini are rewriting the script, securing massive 5-year deals that still leave them free to cash in later. But as the cap climbs past $130M, Canadian teams may struggle to keep pace, and more elite players could hit the open market. And for Connor McDavid? The biggest decision of his career looms: commit to a long-term mega-deal or keep cashing in short-term, knowing the cap—and his value—will keep rising. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/4e40ae5d038cebfe