The National Hockey League is set for a $2 million increase in the salary cap ceiling for next season.
Several of the reporters who cover the league reported this morning that the ceiling for the salary cap is expected to be $75 million, an increase of 2.7 percent from last season. Dating back to the first full season since the 2013 lockout, the salary cap has increased steadily each season. The salary cap floor is expected to be $55.4 million, giving a plethora of clubs in both conferences a chance to bolster their roster before the season starts.
The increase in the cap ceiling expected to positively impact many teams, giving them some breathing room to make additional signings going forward. Clubs who have under $5 million in cap space with the current $73 million cap include Columbus ($2.037 million), New York Islanders ($2.040), Anaheim ($3.452) and St. Louis ($4.458). Detroit ($5,902) and Los Angeles ($6.983) aren’t too far behind.
NHL Salary Cap by Season:
2013-14 $64.3 M
2014-15 $69.0 M
2015-16 $71.4 M
2016-17 $73.0 M
2017-18 $75.0 M
The team that still is in the hole even with the increase in salary cap space is Chicago. They currently sit at -$4,520,628 over the salary cap. Factoring the increase in the ceiling, they still sit $3.5 million over the cap. Players who left unprotected in the Expansion Draft (2017-18 salaries provided) include Marcus Kruger ($3,083,333), Dennis Rasmussen (RFA), Jordin Tootoo ($700,000), Viktor Svedberg ($650,000), Trevor van Riemsdyk ($825,000), and Jeff Glass ($612,500). Only one player per team can be selected by Vegas, hopefully they want a bottom-six forward in Kruger who scored five goals along with 12 assists last season.
