NHL Salary Cap May Increase By Almost $10M Next Season, Could Reach Over $100M in 2021

By Josh Hill | Dec 6, 2013

Dec 5, 2013; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews (19) passes around Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) during the third period at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Blackhawks 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Next week, the NHL Board of Governors will meet and the topic of the NHL salary cap will no doubt be coming up. With a new, historic TV deal in place with Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, NHL writers across two continents are projecting a significantly higher salary cap in 2014-15 and beyond. TSN’s Bob McKenzie believes that the number the Board of Governors is given next week will be a $70 million salary cap, which is a significant bump from this year’s $64.3 million cap.

NHL govs likely to get (14-15) cap projection from league when they meet early next week in California. Sounds like it may be around $70M.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) December 6, 2013

That’s not a small bump and as Globe and Mail writer James Mirtle charted out, the rise in the salary cap next year puts the NHL on an upward trajectory in terms of the cap rising each year. The projections were refuted by Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman, but the chart Mirtle calculated shows the salary cap exceeding $100 million in the 2021-22 season.

projections /

Again, these projections could be off, but if they aren’t this could mean a major shift in the NHL spending culture. Bowman was blasting the projections, but he’s in a position where a raised salary cap benefits him greatly as both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will need new deals after next season and a salary cap of $71.3 million would greatly reduce stress.

Still, even if the numbers aren’t totally right, it’s looking like the NHL is about to see it’s cap numbers take off and we will have to wait and see if that’s a good or bad thing for the league.

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