Jets’ 8th-Overall 2026 Pick Has New Importance in Context of Spiking Salary Cap

The Winnipeg Jets’ 8th-overall pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft will be among the most important selections the organization has ever had, and not just because it’s an opportunity to get a potential top player after a disappointing season or because Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has had more misses than hits over the past number of years.

This time, it’s also important because of what’s said to make the world go ’round: money.

Spiking Cap Creates New Challenges

It won’t be to the extent of Major League Baseball, where there is no salary cap and there’s a $254 million gap between the #1 and #30 spending teams, but an era of bigger disparities between NHL team spending appears to be looming.

While True North Sports & Entertainment has spent up to the cap ceiling over the past number of seasons through what they perceived as their championship window, they may simply not be able to afford to do so going forward.

A cap that was $83.5 million just three seasons ago in 2023-24 has spiked all the way to $104 million for next season and will balloon to $113.5 million for 2027-28. A near 36 per cent increase over just five years for a small-market Canadian team that does not sell out consistently, is not in a jurisdiction with no income tax, and has to spend USD when the CAD is worth only 71 cents USD, may not be possible to keep up with.

As of this writing, the Jets have a little more than $21 million in cap space to work with. Cheveldayoff has enough improvements to make that he could easily spend every cent if allowed to.

Contributions for Cheap Will Matter More Than Ever

For teams like the Jets who may set an internal cap lower than the NHL’s by potentially $10-plus million and won’t be dishing out Kirill Kaprizov-type deals, the importance of having players who can make sizeable impacts while on cheap entry-level contracts (ELCs) will be more important than ever.

The Jets got next to no ELC production this season. Just six skaters on ELCs suited up for them — Nikita Chibrikov, Brad Lambert, Elias Salomonsson, Isak Rosen, Brayden Yager, and Danny Zhilkin — and they combined for only 98 games and 15 points.

Salomonsson played the most games at 32, while Lambert had the most points with six; the Jets deployed a number of underperforming veterans instead and regressed by 21 wins and 34 points from their Presidents’ Trophy-winning 2024-25 to miss the playoffs.

NHL Readiness Must Be a Key Factor in Cheveldayoff’s Pick

Cheveldayoff must prioritize NHL readiness when he’s on the clock Friday in Buffalo. While there may not be a player available at eighth overall who will be ready to jump right into the Jets’ lineup this fall, he needs to take the player he feels will be able to be a viable NHLer without another year in juniors followed by multiple seasons in the American Hockey League. Considering the bevy of defensemen in the pipeline, it’s most likely that player is a forward.

The Jets have not had a first rounder who was immediately able jump into their NHL lineup and dominate since Patrik Laine, who they selected second overall in 2016; the Finn potted 110 goals over his first three seasons with Winnipeg while costing just $2.775 million total on his ELC. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele were also top-six NHLers before their ELCs expired.

For better or for worse, everything in pro sports ultimately comes down to cold, hard cash. In this case, the eight-overall pick is not even about what the player might eventually be able to do in his prime. In an era where opponents may soon be outspending the Jets, it’s about what he might be able to do while he still makes less than $1 million per year.

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is almost here. Check out The Hockey Writers’ Draft Guide for much more information.