The NHL is in preseason mode, as teams are preparing for another long year in hopes of being the last one standing to hold the Stanley Cup. With teams looking to add talent to bolster their rosters, they also need to know what the salary cap will be, and it's expected to hit a record high in a few years, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
“The NHL gave its first estimate for the 2028-29 salary cap at this week’s Board of Governors meeting, and according to multiple sources, it’s a whopper — $127.5 million. (All figures in U.S. dollars.),” Friedman wrote. “The league and NHLPA are in the second of a three-season agreement that sent to the ceiling to record levels. This year’s number is $104 million and next year’s is $113.5 million.”
The salary cap is based on the league's new CBA, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly noted that it doesn't account for the possibility that the NHL Players' Association and the league could negotiate a different number.
“Please keep in mind that the cap going up at the rate it’s going up is still a function of recapturing where we’re supposed to be after years of the flat cap,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “So that number continues to be inflated as we try to create a smooth increase in caps and not drive everybody crazy by who happened to be a free agent in a year when the cap took a huge jump.
“Once we recapture, which will take probably two more years, give or take, then it will go up at the same rate as revenues grow. But we’re still in the recapture mode.”
The increases for the salary cap should be big for the players, and the trends of contract values should continue to go up.