Ask any Maple Leafs fan about the team’s salary cap and you’ll likely get a sigh, a shrug, or a detailed spreadsheet. The Leafs have been skating on the financial edge for years, and the 2025-26 season is no different.

4 related posts

Current cap space (2025-26): $1,766,369 · Projected cap hit (2025-26): $93,954,514 · NHL cap maximum (2026-27): $104,000,000 · Estimated cap space 2026-27: $22,154,284 · Highest paid player: Auston Matthews ($13.25M AAV) · Team valuation rank: 2nd most valuable

Quick snapshot

1Current Cap Space
22026-27 Cap Outlook
3Highest Paid Player
  • Auston Matthews: $13.25M AAV (PuckPedia contract tracker)
  • Second: Mitch Marner ~$10.9M AAV (PuckPedia contract tracker)
  • Third: John Tavares $11M AAV (PuckPedia contract tracker)
4Team Valuation

The snapshot shows a team with minimal breathing room in 2025-26 but a projected cap jump that could transform its roster flexibility in a single off-season.

Key cap figures at a glance
Metric Value
Current cap space (2025-26) $1,766,369 (PuckPedia)
Projected cap hit (2025-26) $93,954,514
NHL cap maximum 2026-27 $104,000,000 (Sportsnet)
Estimated cap space 2026-27 $22,154,284 (Spotrac)
Highest paid player (AAV) Auston Matthews ($13.25M)
NHL team valuation rank 2nd (Forbes)

How much cap space do Toronto Maple Leafs have?

Current cap space and projected cap hit

  • As of March 2026, PuckPedia projects the Leafs’ cap space at $1,766,369, with a cap hit of $93,954,514.
  • The NHL upper limit for 2025-26 is $95.5 million (NHL.com league announcement). The Leafs operate roughly $1.5 million below that ceiling.
  • During the offseason, teams can exceed the cap by up to 10% (CBC Sports cap explainer). The Leafs used that flexibility last summer to carry extra bodies.
  • Looking ahead, Pro Hockey Rumors cap deep-dive projects the Leafs will have around $20 million in cap space for the 2026 summer, depending on which free agents they re-sign.

Key contracts affecting the cap

Six players account for more than 60% of the cap hit. Auston Matthews ($13.25M), John Tavares ($11M), Mitch Marner ($10.903M), William Nylander ($11.5M), Morgan Rielly ($7.5M), and Chris Tanev ($4.5M) form the core. Pro Hockey Rumors cap table notes that Philadelphia retains $1.5 million of Scott Laughton’s salary, and Boston retains $615,000 on Brandon Carlo’s deal—subtle savings that add up.

The implication: the Leafs have minimal flexibility this season but a much clearer runway once the cap jumps in 2026-27 and some expensive contracts expire.

Who is the highest-paid player on the Leafs?

Auston Matthews contract details

  • Auston Matthews signed a four-year, $53 million extension in 2023, carrying a $13.25 million average annual value (PuckPedia player contract). That makes him the highest-paid Leaf and among the top five cap hits in the NHL.
  • The deal runs through 2027-28, covering the cap boom years ahead.

Top Leafs cap hits

Five players earn $10 million AAV or more: Matthews ($13.25M), Nylander ($11.5M), Tavares ($11M), Marner ($10.903M), and Morgan Rielly ($7.5M). Tavares’s contract ends after 2025-26, which will free $11 million in cap space (Pro Hockey Rumors).

The pattern: the Leafs have concentrated star power at the top, but several of those deals expire before the cap ceiling rises steeply—giving them a rare chance to reload.

What is the NHL cap limit for 2026?

Official NHL cap figures for 2026-27

In early 2026, the NHL informed teams that the salary cap upper limit for 2026-27 would be $104 million, up from $95.5 million (Sportsnet league source). The lower limit is set at $77.6 million, with a midpoint of $90.8 million.

Historical cap increases

The cap has risen from $81.5 million in 2020-21 to $95.5 million in 2025-26, a 17% increase. The jump to $104 million in one season is the largest since the 2018-19 increase. NHL.com official announcement attributed the growth to record hockey-related revenue.

The implication: the Leafs are entering a window where the cap grows faster than their core contracts, which may ease past constraints.

Is Toronto Maple Leafs the richest team?

Forbes NHL team valuations

Forbes ranks the Maple Leafs as the second most valuable NHL franchise, worth approximately $2.8 billion (Forbes via Wikipedia valuation list). Only the New York Rangers, valued at around $3.3 billion, sit higher.

Most valuable NHL teams

The top five, per Forbes: Rangers, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Kings, and Bruins. The Leafs’ valuation is driven by a massive local market, high ticket prices, and lucrative TV deals.

What this means: being rich does not mean being cap-rich. The Leafs have the resources to spend to the cap every year, but salary cap rules limit how much they can outspend rivals.

Who is the richest player in the NHL?

Highest-paid NHL players list

For the 2025-26 season, the highest cap hit belongs to Connor McDavid ($13.5M AAV), followed by Auston Matthews ($13.25M) and Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6M) (Wikipedia highest-paid list). Career earnings are a different story.

Career earnings leaders

Wayne Gretzky earned more than $44 million in salary over his career, plus endorsements that pushed his total past $100 million (Scribd career earnings breakdown). Current stars like Crosby and Ovechkin have earned $100M+ in salary alone due to longer careers and salary cap growth.

The trade-off: short-term cap space now may limit the Leafs’ ability to add depth, but the payoff could come when the cap jumps and their core is still in prime years.

Why this matters

The Leafs’ front office faces a clear choice: use the coming $20 million in summer cap space to extend key players like Marner and Tavares, or restructure the roster for a deeper run. Every dollar spent now delays the flexibility of 2026-27.

Timeline signal: key dates in the Leafs’ cap story

  • : Current season underway; Leafs projected cap space $1,766,369 (PuckPedia).
  • : Pro Hockey Rumors publishes its cap deep-dive, noting ~$20M in projected summer space.
  • : Free agency opens; Leafs have ~$20M to work with. Tavares’s $11M contract expires, creating additional room.
  • : NHL cap limit rises to $104M. Leafs estimated to have $22-25M in flexible cap space.
  • : Potential cap savings from moving Rielly or Carlo (retained salary deals) could add further flexibility, per Reddit fan discussion.
The catch

The Leafs’ cap picture looks brighter in 2026-27, but only if they avoid long-term commitments that offset the cap jump. Locking up Marner or Nylander to eight-year deals could eat up the new space before it is even used.

Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear

Confirmed facts

  • Current projected cap space: $1,766,369 (PuckPedia)
  • NHL cap maximum 2026-27: $104,000,000 (Sportsnet)
  • Auston Matthews is highest-paid Leaf at $13.25M AAV (PuckPedia)
  • Leafs are 2nd most valuable NHL team (Forbes via Wikipedia)

What’s unclear

  • Exact cap space after 2026 free agency moves
  • Potential trades involving Rielly or Carlo, and their retained salary impact
  • Final roster composition for 2026-27 season
  • Whether Marner or Tavares will take a discount to stay
  • Whether the Leafs will use LTIR relief for any cap-related maneuvers

“The Leafs have around $20 million in cap space this summer depending on which UFAs they re-sign. That’s a lot of flexibility, but they need to use it wisely.”

— Pro Hockey Rumors (cap analysis), March 2026

“The NHL’s announcement of a $104 million cap for 2026-27 changes the outlook for teams like Toronto that have been squeezed.”

— Sportsnet (NHL source), January 2026

The Leafs’ cap situation is a story of two timelines: a tight 2025-26 season with minimal room, followed by a much more flexible 2026-27. The front office’s decisions this summer—whether to re-sign aging stars or pivot to younger depth—will determine if that flexibility translates into a deeper playoff run. For Leafs fans, the next 12 months will either validate the “cap crunch” narrative or finally prove that money, properly managed, can buy success.

Additional sources

thehockeynews.com, capwages.com, theleafsnation.com

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Frequently asked questions

How much cap space do the Maple Leafs have right now?

As of March 2026, PuckPedia projects cap space at $1,766,369 with a cap hit of $93,954,514 against a $95.5 million upper limit. Pro Hockey Rumors estimates ~$20 million available for the summer free agency period (Pro Hockey Rumors).

Who is the highest paid player on the Leafs?

Auston Matthews, with a $13.25 million average annual value (PuckPedia).

What is the NHL salary cap for the 2026-27 season?

The upper limit is set at $104 million, as announced by the league (Sportsnet).

Are the Maple Leafs the richest team in the NHL?

No, they are the second most valuable franchise, behind the New York Rangers (Forbes via Wikipedia).

Who is the richest player in NHL history?

Wayne Gretzky earned over $100 million including endorsements, but in terms of career salary, players like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have surpassed him due to longer careers in a high-cap era (Scribd).

What are the main cap problems for the Maple Leafs?

Their cap problem is a concentration of high-value contracts that leave little room for depth. The 2026-27 cap jump is expected to ease that, but long-term extensions could recreate the crunch.

How much cap space will the Leafs have in 2026-27?

Spotrac estimates around $22,154,284 in cap space, thanks to the increase to $104 million and the expiration of John Tavares’s $11M contract. Pro Hockey Rumors projects ~$20M flexibility.

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