TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told the media that the early ballpark projections for the salary cap next season have pegged the number at $92.5MM. The $4.5MM increase would be sizable in comparison to previous summers but Bettman cautioned that the number was very preliminary.
The NHL salary cap for this season is set at $88MM and with hockey-related revenues rising once again, it could lead to a significant salary cap increase when the NHL and NHLPA renegotiate the next collective bargaining agreement. Until that time the salary cap will likely keep climbing by a few million dollars each year, which should help some of the teams who have struggled with salary cap issues in recent years.
In other evening notes:
- Bettman spoke about those upcoming collective bargaining agreement talks telling the media that the NHL plans to begin those conversations with the NHLPA in the new year (as per Pierre LeBrun of TSN). One of the items on the docket will be reducing the number of pre-season games to four and potentially adding two regular-season games to the schedule (as per LeBrun). The news isn’t overly surprising given the recent run of injuries during the pre-season, and the fact that fans appear to be largely disinterested in the preseason games this week.
- Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter was injured in last night’s preseason game and is being evaluated by the team’s medical staff (as per Canucks play-by-play voice Brendan Batchelor). Suter was banged up in a scrum with Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry after Perry dropped his gloves following a hit on teammate Connor McDavid. Suter tried to avoid the confrontation, which didn’t look all that physical but caused some discomfort for the 28-year-old. Suter is entering the final season of a two-year $3.2MM contract that he signed last summer and is expected to center the Canucks fourth line this season.
“… which should help some of the teams who have struggled with salary cap issues in recent years.”
Not a chance. The teams that spend to the last possible dime now will spend to the last possible dime no matter the increase.
Why wouldn’t they? Can’t spend that extra cap space after you get fired.
If it’s why *shouldn’t* they, that’s easy. Every single season, there’s all manner of gymnastics because teams spend to the cap … going with short rosters, sending down better players and keeping the cheaper ones, not being able to make deals at the trade deadline without bribing teams to retain salary, not being able to take a player off of LTIR without jettisoning valuable pieces.
One of my aphorisms is that a team’s success in the cap era is tied to its stars taking hometown discounts so they can afford complementary pieces. Another is like to be that a team’s success is strongly influenced by keeping a couple million free, no matter what, so that they have room to maneuver.
They did 84 games one year so it’s not crazy. I wouldn’t mind extra real games and fewer preseason games. And I don’t even mind that it’s a cash grab.
But I still don’t like it.
It waters everything down. Makes 50 goal seasons less impressive, 100 points, 40 wins, etc. etc.
Also…is the difference revenue between Arizona and Utah accounting for most of that big cap jump? It really might be.