The NHL salary cap has frustrated hockey fans for many years now. The cap has failed to increase at the rates of other sports in North America. The new American tv deal was supposed to be a massive boost to the Salary Cap but has yet to impact it. Now an NHL insider is reporting that this is expected to change.
Friedman Speaks About The NHL Salary Cap
Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek were part of the recent 32 Thoughts Podcast. During one segment the salary cap became a focal point of the conversation. Friedman gave insight that the cap could increase significantly soon.
F: The Hagel deal..
M: is a pretty good indication that the cap is going up
F: They're expecting the cap to go up 4 million next year and 5 million the year after.
In this segment, Friedman admits that NHL teams are expecting the Cap to rise 9 million dollars over the next 2 years. This would be some of the biggest increases in Salary Cap in recent memory.
What Does This Mean For Current Contracts?
When taking into account the projected increases some NHL team's moves make more sense. The previously mentioned Hagel deal will look significantly cheaper under this new cap structure. Adding to the mega-deal that Auston Matthews signed in the last week will look like a normal deal for a superstar as far as the percentage of cap taken up.
Other deals like Tage Thompson and Nathan MacKinnon will look like certified steals by the time they come to an end as well.