Gary Bettman and the NHL Announce Salary Cap Estimates for the Next 3 Seasons: The League is About to Change
There are major changes coming to the NHL salary cap over the next three seasons, as Gary Bettman has made an absolutely shocking announcement today.
According to estimates the league and the NHLPA put out Friday, the NHL salary cap is on pace to take quite the leap over the next three seasons.
The cap is expected to get as high as nearly $115 million in 2027
In 2025-26, it is expected to jump up by $7.5 million to $95.5 million, up to $104 million in 2026-27, and then all the way up to $113.5 million in 2027-28.
"It's not 'absolute certainty,' but maybe it's the next best thing.''
That projection comes as several high-profile players are set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, including newly acquired Carolina Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen.
Toronto Maple Leafs stars Mitch Marner and John Tavares are also in the final year of their contracts, as are Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers and Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand.
For the current season, the salary cap is at $88 million, after a leap of $4.5 million from the prior $83.5 million cap.
For the 2022-23 season, the cap was $82.5 million. This represented the first increase in three years. The cap did not budge from $81.5 million from 2019-20 to 2021-22 as a result of the pandemic.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Matthew Coronato | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Josh Norris | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Alexander Ovechkin | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Chandler Stephenson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brandon Montour | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mark Scheifele | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Dylan Strome | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Thomas Chabot | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Blake Coleman | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Elias Lindholm | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Connor McMichael | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shane Pinto | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marco Rossi | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Sanderson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Eeli Tolvanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 53 | 36 | 14 | 3 | 75 | |
Capitals | 51 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 74 | |
Oilers | 51 | 32 | 15 | 4 | 68 | |
Hurricanes | 52 | 32 | 16 | 4 | 68 | |
Golden Knights | 52 | 31 | 15 | 6 | 68 | |
Wild | 52 | 31 | 17 | 4 | 66 | |
Stars | 50 | 32 | 17 | 1 | 65 | |
Devils | 53 | 29 | 18 | 6 | 64 | |
Panthers | 52 | 30 | 19 | 3 | 63 | |
Maple Leafs | 51 | 30 | 19 | 2 | 62 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||