Salary Cap Report: Central Division

As the hockey world takes its collective breath before the World Cup, training camps, and the regular season, most teams have checked off their boxes and marked their ledgers. Some teams are not finished building their rosters, with RFAs still to sign and trades to explore. Some teams have plenty of space to maneuver with; other teams will need to get creative to stay under the cap.

We’ll complete our Salary Cap Reports by taking a look at the Central Division. Of note:

• The Central Division has the two highest paid players in the NHL in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks captain and leading scorer signed matching eight-year, $84MM extensions in the summer of 2014.
• After June’s blockbuster trade, the NHL’s highest paid defenseman is now in the Central: P.K. Subban and his $9MM cap hit are now members of the Nashville Predators. The Predators also have the highest paid goalie in the division, with Pekka Rinne making $7MM per season.
• With Dallas captain Jamie Benn signed to a long-term extension already, there aren’t any superstar pending-UFAs in the Central, but veteran scoring wingers Patrick Sharp and Alex Steen are both up at the end of this season. Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin and Ryan Johansen headline next summer’s RFAs.

By the numbers:

• Chicago Blackhawks
  Cap Space Remaining: $2,490,705
  Greatest Cap Hit: Jonathan Toews/ Patrick Kane: $10.5MM 
• Colorado Avalanche
  Cap Space Remaining:  $1,534,405
  Greatest Cap Hit: Nathan MacKinnon: $6.3MM
• Dallas Stars
  Cap Space Remaining: $7,984,167
  Greatest Cap Hit: Jason Spezza: $7.5MM (Jamie Benn’s $9.5MM per year extension doesn’t begin until 2017-18)
• Minnesota Wild
  Cap Space Remaining: $2,168,909
  Greatest Cap Hit: Zach Parise/ Ryan Suter: $7.54MM
• Nashville Predators
  Cap Space Remaining: $5,414,166
  Greatest Cap Hit: P.K. Subban: $9MM
• St. Louis Blues
  Cap Space Remaining: $3,957,083
  Greatest Cap Hit: Vladimir Tarasenko: $7.5MM
• Winnipeg Jets
  Cap Space Remaining: $10,018,333
  Greatest Cap Hit: Dustin Byfuglien: $7.6MM

Also in the Salary Cap Report series: Atlantic Division, Metropolitan Division, and Pacific Division.