3 NHL stars sign contract extensions during Opening Week

Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images

The National Hockey League’s 2026 free agent class was expected to be the most talented of all time. With the league’s cap rising over $25 million during the next three seasons and players like Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov set to hit the open market, all eyes were on next summer.

That was before the four biggest names on the market signed contract extensions with their current teams, now making 2026 free agency an afterthought.

Next year’s free agents were highlighted by McDavid, a three-time Hart Trophy winner (MVP) and seven-time All-Star, Kaprizov, a Calder Trophy winner (Rookie of the Year) and three-time All-Star, along with Stanley Cup Champion and three-time All-Star Jack Eichel, and four-time 40-plus goal scorer Kyle Connor.

The Minnesota Wild got the party started early, re-signing Kaprizov on Sept. 30 on an eight-year deal worth $136 million, making the Russian the highest-paid player in the NHL. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows during extension talks. Reports surfaced that Kaprizov turned down an initial offer from the Wild that would have made him the highest-paid player. Rumors about a potential trade were quickly nullified when the 28-year-old signed a contract extension at the end of September.

Kaprizov is deserving of a large extension, and the Wild are ecstatic about retaining his services. In 319 career games, Kaprizov has 185 goals and 201 assists for 386 points. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2020-21 when he had 51 points and received MVP votes. His next season was the best of his career. Kaprizov would record 47 goals and 108 points. Kaprizov missed 41 games last season after having surgery for a lower-body injury, but he still had 56 points. The Russian has 21 points in 25 career playoff games with the Wild, including nine points in six games last year.

The next domino to fall was the biggest of them all.

Viewed by most as the best player in the league and a perennial top 10 player in league history, McDavid was set to become the biggest name to hit the open market in ages. There was talk all summer about McDavid’s contract situation heading into his final season with the Edmonton Oilers. The last two seasons ended in heartbreak for McDavid and the Oilers, as they lost in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers. Did McDavid want a fresh start, or did he want to continue competing for Lord Stanley with the same group?

He chose the latter.

On Monday, McDavid signed a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $12.5 million. The 28-year-old settled for a team-friendly deal, allowing the Oilers to improve the roster in other areas as they look for that elusive first Stanley Cup with this group of players. It also offers McDavid the opportunity to sign elsewhere in 2028 if things go sideways in Edmonton.

Given McDavid’s production, he should be the highest-paid player in the league by a wide margin. In 713 career games, the forward has 361 goals and 723 assists for 1,084 points. McDavid had 100 points or more in eight of his 10 seasons in the NHL, leading the league in goals once, assists four times, and points five times. The Ontario, Canada, native won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2016-17, 2020-21, and 2022-23. McDavid’s best season came when he won his third MVP award, leading the league in goals (64), assists (89), and points (153). McDavid has 150 points in 96 career playoff games and has appeared in two Stanley Cup Finals.

With the two biggest names off the market, it was time for the Winnipeg Jets to re-sign their star player.

The Jets signed American winger Kyle Connor on Wednesday to an eight-year, $96 million contract extension, the richest in franchise history. This was a massive move for the Jets, as Winnipeg is not a destination for many marquee free agents. Drafted by the Jets in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Connor has repaid the Jets with his production and finally cashes in on a well-earned, long-term extension.

Connor has 284 goals and 298 assists for 582 points in 613 career games. A two-time All-Star, the American has 25 or more goals in eight of his nine NHL seasons. He has scored 30 or more goals seven times and 40 or more goals twice. Last season showed the Jets’ brass all they needed to know about Connor. The winger posted his best season to date, recording 41 goals and career highs in assists (56) and points (97). The 28-year-old finished seventh in league scoring last season and received Hart Trophy votes. Connor has 49 points in 58 playoff games for the Jets, including 17 points in 13 games last year.

Later on Wednesday, another big splash was made by a Western Conference team. The Vegas Golden Knights gave center Jack Eichel an eight-year contract extension with a $13.5 million annual average value. Eichel was the fourth and final big fish in the 2026 free agency pond.

Unlike the three other players on this list, Eichel hasn’t played his whole career for one team. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres second overall in 2015, Eichel spent his first six NHL seasons in Buffalo and was the team’s captain for his final three seasons. A dispute over an injury with the Sabres forced the team to move on from Eichel, sending him to the Golden Knights for forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick. Eichel continued to improve in Vegas and has become one of the league’s premier centers.

In parts of five seasons with the Golden Knights, Eichel has 101 goals, 156 assists, and 257 points in 242 games. Eichel’s best regular-season performance came last year when he set the franchise record for most points (94) in a single season and recorded a career-high 66 assists. The 28-year-old led the Knights to a Stanley Cup Championship in 2022-23. Eichel led the playoffs in assists (20) and points (26). In 11 total NHL seasons, Eichel has 240 goals and 372 assists for 612 points in 617 games.

Eichel made a statement on the ice Wednesday night after signing his long-term extension. He tallied a goal and three assists for four points in the Golden Knights’ season-opening shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

The 2026 free agency class is still strong, but nowhere near what it could have been if even just one of these four big names hadn’t re-signed. Forwards Adrian Kempe (402 career points), Artemi Panarin (870), and Martin Necas (328), along with goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky (.914 career save percentage) and Jacob Markstrom (.908%), highlight the current available free agents in 2026.