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11 Teams To Carry Bonus Overage Cap Penalties In 2025-26

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The end of the regular season also means the end of daily salary cap calculations across the NHL. With no more cap-related transactions left in the year, 11 teams have officially finished over the salary cap because players on entry-level or 35+ contracts earned performance bonuses that put them above the upper limit. They’ll carry bonus overage penalties in 2025-26 as a result. Those teams break down as follows, per PuckPedia:

Carolina Hurricanes: $33K – $1.076MM

Carolina’s numbers vary wildly here because of the $1.0375MM bonus rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin will incur if he wins the Conn Smythe. Their guaranteed $33K penalty comes from Logan Stankoven’s post-acquisition games-played bonuses. There’s the potential for an additional $5K penalty if rookie Juha Jaaska plays at least two playoff games. Carolina ends the year in LTIR, so they can’t afford any bonuses. They don’t have any other cap charges next year.

Dallas Stars: $368K

The Stars ended the year in LTIR, so all of Wyatt Johnston’s $319K in Schedule A bonuses and Logan Stankoven’s $49.5K games-played bonus, which they paid out before he was traded to the Hurricanes, count as penalties next year. Their total dead cap charges will total $1.801MM with another year of Ryan Suter’s buyout on the books.

Detroit Red Wings: $871K

Detroit ended the year with a comfortable $2.02MM in cap space but had $2.888MM in performance bonuses to dole out, so they’ll get hit with a six-figure penalty next year. Patrick Kane hit $1.75MM in games played bonuses this year as part of his 35+ contract, while Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper each hit multiple Schedule A bonus categories for $638K and $500K in respective bonuses. They also have a $1.056MM cap charge next season for the final year of Justin Abdelkader’s buyout, bringing their total dead cap next season to $1.927MM.

Edmonton Oilers: $150K – $250K

All of the Oilers’ penalties stem from Corey Perry’s 35+ contract after ending the season in LTIR. He’s already earned $150K in games played bonuses and could earn up to $100K in playoff bonuses – $50K if the Oilers win two rounds and Perry plays in either half of the second-round games or half of the total first and second-round games, and another $50K if they win three rounds and Perry plays in either half of the Western Conference Final games or half the total games through the WCF. That’s on top of the $2.3MM cap charge Edmonton faces from buying out Jack Campbell.

Los Angeles Kings: $213K

It’s simple here – the Kings couldn’t fit the performance bonus earned by Brandt Clarke for hitting 25 assists. That gives them $813K in dead cap next year, combined with the Mike Richards buyout.

Minnesota Wild: $1.1MM – $1.15MM

The Wild ended the year with just $36K in cap space, so virtually all of the performance bonuses earned by Marco Rossi and Brock Faber hitting their full complement of Schedule A targets ($850K and $250K, respectively) will count as a penalty. The number could increase slightly if rookie defenseman Zeev Buium plays five playoff games or wins the Conn Smythe, each landing him a $25K bonus. Minnesota’s total dead cap charges will be at least $2.767MM with Zach Parise’s and Ryan Suter’s buyouts still on the books, albeit at a drastically reduced cost from the last few years.

Montreal Canadiens: $1.728MM – $2.308MM

All of the Canadiens’ performance bonuses awarded this season will count toward their overage because they ended the year with Carey Price on long-term injured reserve to remain cap-compliant. Star rookie Lane Hutson maxed out his Schedule A bonuses for $750K, Juraj Slafkovsky earned $500K in A bonuses for finishing top-six among Montreal forwards in average time on ice and top-three in plus-minus rating, defenseman Kaiden Guhle maxed out his $420K in A bonuses, and rearguard Jayden Struble earned his $57.5K games played bonus. Their penalty will increase based on the performance bonuses rookie Ivan Demidov incurs in the postseason. He’ll earn $25K for five playoff appearances, $30K for 10, and a whopping $525K bonus if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Habs don’t have any other dead cap charges next year, but still have to contend with the final year of Price’s deal.

New Jersey Devils: $1MM

The Devils ended the season in long-term injured reserve and thus can’t afford reigning Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes’ $1MM in Schedule A bonuses. At present, it’s the only dead cap charge New Jersey will have next year.

New York Islanders: $600K – $850K

Mathew Barzal’s and Semyon Varlamov’s LTIR placements kept the Isles cap-compliant at season’s end, so the entirety of Matt Martin’s $100K in games played bonuses and Maxim Tsyplakov’s $500K in Schedule A bonuses (plus-minus and ice time). If Tsyplakov makes the NHL’s All-Rookie Team, he’ll incur an additional $250K bonus. New York doesn’t have any other dead cap charges next year.

St. Louis Blues: $2.153MM

The Blues are currently set to incur the most significant bonus overage penalty of any team next year. Most of that comes from the $2.225MM in performance bonuses awarded to veteran Ryan Suter in his 35+ contract last summer. He earned all of them, while sophomore Zachary Bolduc earned a $212.5K bonus for finishing in the top three in plus-minus rating among St. Louis forwards. Those, less the Blues’ $284K in season-ending cap space, give them a bonus overage carryover penalty of $2.153MM. Barring any buyouts this summer, that will comprise their entire dead cap hit for 2025-26.

Toronto Maple Leafs: $626K

Since they ended the season in LTIR, the performance bonuses Max Pacioretty earned for playing 37 games on his 35+ contract will count against the Leafs’ cap next year. As things stand, they could begin the year with an additional $300K in dead cap if Ryan Reaves and Matt Benning are buried in the minors as they were to end 2024-25.

The Capitals could find themselves added to this list if rookie Ryan Leonard wins the Conn Smythe. He’s owed $275K if he does, which the Caps can’t accommodate after ending the year in LTIR.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Capitals Sign Nic Dowd To Two-Year Extension

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The Capitals announced they’ve re-signed center Nic Dowd to a two-year, $6MM contract. He’ll remain in Washington through the 2026-27 campaign and carry a $3MM cap hit for the next two seasons.

A crucial part of Washington’s bottom-six forward group since his arrival in 2018, the 34-year-old will forego free agency on the heels of a career-best season offensively. Dowd has 14-13–27 in 81 games. While that’s a slightly lower points per game pace than he’s put up over the last few years, this is his first fully healthy season since the shortened 2020-21 campaign.

That production comes despite Dowd being used almost exclusively as a shutdown center at even strength. The Alabama native has started over 80% of his even-strength shifts in the defensive zone, and his 5-on-5 oZS% ranks lowest in the NHL among qualified forwards. He’s also averaging north of 15 minutes per game for the second year in a row, including 2:35 per game shorthanded.

One of the league’s premier fourth-line centers, Dowd has been remarkably consistent over his seven years in Washington. He’s scored 75-75–150 in 450 games as a Cap with a +47 rating. He’s currently on his fourth contract with Washington, joining on a one-year, $650K pact for 2018-19. He landed a three-year, $2.25MM extension the following year and then signed a three-year, $3.9MM deal in November 2021, which is wrapping up this season. He would have been in high command on the open market, potentially even landing a deal north of $3.5MM per season, but instead chooses to stay with what’s been a perfect fit over the last decade-plus as Washington returns to being a playoff and championship contender.

A seventh-round pick of the Kings back in 2009, Dowd is the first NHL player in history from Alabama and will easily play north of 700 career games when all is said and done – high value for such a late-round selection. With the extension, the Caps are now down to $8.6MM in cap space for next season, but only have two roster spots to fill. They’ve been fervent in keeping their pending UFAs off the market, also coming to terms on extensions with Jakob Chychrun, Charlie Lindgren, and Logan Thompson throughout the year. Their only remaining pending UFAs are all depth forwards – Lars Eller, Anthony Beauvillier, Taylor Raddysh, and Andrew Mangiapane. The contracts of LTIR-bound forwards Nicklas Bäckström and T.J. Oshie are also coming off the books.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Capitals Prospect Cole Hutson Likely To Return To School

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Star Washington Capitals defense prospect Cole Hutson is leaning towards returning to Boston University for his sophomore season, per Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff and sources available to ProHockeyRumors. Hutson won the Hockey East ’Rookie of the Year’ award this season, after leading all freshmen in scoring with 14 goals and 46 points in 37 games this season. Hutson’s BU Terriers lost the National Championship game to Western Michigan University this weekend. He had no points in the championship game.

This news will see Hutson look to right that wrong and carry Boston University back to a National bid next season. He’s defiantly a star prospect and already seems to have outperformed his second-round, 43rd-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hutson has earned that acclaim on the back of a season filled with highlight-reel plays, using nifty head-fakes and quick cuts to dance defenders out of their skates and open clear lanes to the net. They’re the same traits that earned him first-round acclaim from many last season, after he scored 51 points in 51 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP).

Hutson is the younger brother of star Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson, who is making a valiant push for the NHL’s Calder Trophy and record for most points from a rookie defenseman this season. The two play an unmistakably similar style, each using elusive skating and flashy dekes to draw opponents in and beat them clean. Like Lane, Cole has struggled at times to translate his dominant impact to his play away from the puck – struggling to match physicality and clear opponents out of the danger areas in the defensive zone. But Lane has come along well in all regards over the course of his rookie season, and continues to shed many of the concerns surrounding his defensive game. Cole could go through the same arc soon – but first, like his older brother, he’ll return for a sophomore season at BU.

Hutson will be set up for a clear path towards star minutes with the Terriers next season. He became the third-straight Terrier to win Hockey East’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award this season – alongside brother Lane and star center Macklin Celebrini over the last two years. With a return for year two, Cole will get a chance to chase the Hockey East MVP title as well, stealing it away from rival Boston College after Ryan Leonard won the award this season. Should he continue his phenomenal scoring, he’ll be an early-season favorite for the Hobey Baker Award as well. That momentum and a return to the National Championship should go far in giving Hutson the momentum needed to make a strong impact on the Capitals lineup at the end of next season.

Capitals Recall Clay Stevenson

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The Capitals announced they’ve recalled goaltender Clay Stevenson from AHL Hershey. Fellow netminder Hunter Shepard is headed back to the minors in a corresponding move.

The transaction amounts to a temporary backup swap for Washington over the season’s final two games while Logan Thompson nears a return from his upper-body injury. Shepard was recalled as Charlie Lindgren’s temporary No. 2 option and has been rostered for the Caps’ last five games. He only made one start, a fateful 7-0 loss against the Blue Jackets in which he stopped 19 of 26 shots for a subpar .731 SV%.

That was the 29-year-old Shepard’s fifth career NHL start. The other four came last season with Washington, posting a 2-1-1 record with a .894 SV% and 3.19 GAA. The spot start against Columbus was emblematic of a disappointing season for the Minnesota native in the minors. Coming off back-to-back Calder Cup championships with Hershey and AHL Best Goaltender honors in 2023-24, he’s floundered with a .891 SV% and 2.81 GAA in 37 appearances for the Bears. That’s still good enough for a 22-11-3 record behind one of the league’s strongest skater corps, but a disappointing result nonetheless on an individual level.

Now, the 26-year-old Stevenson gets a chance to start one of Washington’s final two games to allow Lindgren some rest in case he’s needed for Game 1 of their first-round series against either the Canadiens or Blue Jackets. While he was rostered briefly last season, he didn’t get into a game, so a start would mean his NHL debut. Like Shepard, his 2024-25 campaign with Hershey has been marred by individual regression. He’s posted a .888 SV% in 33 games after logging a .922 mark in his first full AHL season last year, adding a 2.94 GAA and two shutouts with an 18-8-5 record.

Shepard is a pending unrestricted free agent, although Stevenson is under contract for another two years after signing a three-year, $2.33MM extension midway through the 2023-24 campaign. He earns a one-way salary of $775K next year and in 2026-27, indicating the Caps had high hopes for him to assume an NHL roster spot. This year’s numbers plus extensions for Lindgren and Thompson have thrown a wrench into that plan, though, so he’ll instead serve as an expensive AHL option for the remainder of his deal.

Capitals Loan Terik Parascak to Hershey Bears

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The Washington Capitals have loaned forward Terik Parascak to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the team announced today. One of the team’s top prospects, Parascak was selected 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, and has been on a tear in the WHL this season.

Parascak, 18, has 82 points in 59 games for the Prince George Cougars, which is second on the team behind Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt (90). Despite his lofty numbers, he actually put up more points with the Cougars last season, when he posted 43 goals and 105 points in 68 games. He has added 24 points in 19 playoff games in the WHL, including 10 points in seven games this season. The Cougars’ season ended after a first-round exit, opening the door for Parascak to join the Caps’ AHL-affiliate. At 6’0, 180, the right-handed winger is known for his ability to set up and finish plays.

Last season, he was named to the 2024 CHL All-Rookie Team and the WHL B.C. Division Second All-Star Team, led CHL rookies in goals and points and finished eighth overall in WHL scoring. Parascak’s 105 points were the most by a CHL rookie since Patrick Kane (145 points) and Sam Gagner (118 points) in 2006-07 and the fourth most since 2000-01, trailing only Kane, Gagner and Sidney Crosby (2003-04: 135 points), per the release.

Parascak, a native of Alberta, joins the Atlantic Division-leading Bears as they gear up for a deep run toward the Calder Cup. The team currently sits at 43-16-6-1, and adding a playmaker like Parascak should only support their efforts. He joins fellow Caps’ forward prospects in Hersey like Pierrick Dube and Ivan Miroshnichenko.

 

 

 

Logan Thompson, Aliaksei Protas Beginning On-Ice Rehab

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Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson began on-ice recovery today as he nears a return from an upper-body injury, Emily Kaplan of ESPN said on today’s broadcast of Washington’s loss in Columbus (via Tom Gulitti of NHL.com). He skated today along with the NHL’s new all-time goals leader, Alex Ovechkin, who stayed home to rest with the Caps’ place atop the Eastern Conference clinched. The presumptive Vezina Trophy finalist has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury and remains questionable for the beginning of Washington’s first-round playoff series against whichever team ends up in the second wild-card spot. Backup Charlie Lindgren hasn’t been particularly inspiring in his absence, posting a .866 SV% since taking over for Thompson when the latter left an April 2 loss to the Hurricanes. Lindgren was not in the crease today for the Caps’ 7-0 defeat; third-stringer Hunter Shepard was. Winger Aliaksei Protas is also expected to skate Monday for the first time since sustaining a laceration from a skate on his left foot on April 4, Kaplan said. “There is some concern about how the location of the skate cut (under skate tongue) will impact the rest of Protas’ foot, but they’re hopeful he’ll be ready for the start of the playoffs,” Gulitti relayed. The 24-year-old remains an invaluable part of the Caps’ league-best offense, erupting for a career-best 30-36–66 scoring line in 76 showings.

Capitals Sign Patrick Thomas To Entry-Level Contract

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The Washington Capitals have signed forward Patrick Thomas to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. The contract is slated to begin next season.

The team’s fourth round selection in the 2023 draft, Thomas, 20, spent the last four seasons in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs. This past season he served as team captain and lit up the stat sheets to the tune of 27 goals and 104 points in 66 games. His 104 points placed him fifth in league scoring, while his 77 assists placed first overall. The six-foot, 178-pound forward finishes his OHL career averaging exactly a point-per-game (253/253). Thomas, a left-shooting center, added 28 points in 36-career playoff contests in the OHL, including seven points this season. He finishes his time with the Bulldogs with a plus-61 rating (including playoffs).

Thomas’ contract carries an average annual value of $878,333 at the NHL level and $82,500 in the AHL. It will be interesting to see where Thomas starts the 2025-26 season. If he builds upon his success from his last year in junior hockey and perform well during training camp, he could make a push for a spot in Washington. However, a start in the AHL seems like a logical landing spot to start his professional career.

Lauded for his high hockey IQ and passing abilities, Thomas joins former Boston College forward and fellow Caps prospect Ryan Leonard in recently signing with the team. Selected eighth overall by Washington in 2023, Leonard spent the last two seasons in the NCAA before agreeing to a three-year, entry-level deal with Washington on March 31. However, Leonard, also 20, has already started his career in the NHL, appearing in four games and registering his first career goal since signing his deal just nine days ago.

Capitals’ Aliaksei Protas Out Week-To-Week

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While Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are still on cloud nine, not all news was good news today for the team. Forward Aliaksei Protas will be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, per a team announcement. Protas was injured in Friday night’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks after sustaining a cut to his foot on a collision in front of the net.

The loss of the 6’6, 225-pound Protas is a tough blow for the top-seeded Capitals as they look ahead to the playoffs. The 24-year-old has burst onto the scene this season, shattering his previous career-highs in goals, assists, points, plus/minus rating, and shooting percentage. On the season, he has recorded 30 goals, 66 points, and a plus-40 rating, all while averaging just 16:27 of ice time per game. What’s more, he’s accomplished all these lofty totals while only registering one point on the power play. His 60 even-strength points tie him with Mitch Marner for eighth place in the NHL this season. Prior to this season, Protas recorded 53 career points in 169 games, and his evolution has played a large factor in the team’s success.

With Protas on the shelf, head coach Spencer Carbery said prior to today’s afternoon matchup with the Islanders that recently acquired Anthony Beauvillier would return to the lineup. Sent over to the Capitals in a trade-deadline deal with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, Beauvillier has scored 15 goals in 75 games on the season, including two with Washington in 12 games. The 27-year-old has registered 131 goals and 271 points in 625 career games, providing the Capitals with a solid depth piece as they head into the playoffs. He has added 16 goals and 31 points in 55 career postseason contests. Carbery noted how well the veteran has fit into the culture of the organization, adding that Beauvillier “complements the locker room.” He added that Beauvillier is a bit of a “Swiss army knife” that can be used up and down the lineup. After sitting out as a healthy scratch, Beauvillier was slotted on the fourth line alongside Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd during today’s 4-1 loss to the Islanders, receiving 17 shifts and 12:49 of ice time.

Alex Ovechkin Breaks All-Time Goals Record

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With his 895th career goal today against the New York Islanders, Alex Ovechkin has surpassed Wayne Gretzky and is now the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer. It was Ovechkin’s first goal against Islanders star goalie Ilya Sorokin, coming on Ovechkin’s first shot of Washington’s first power-play. In classic fashion, he beat Sorokin with a hard wrist-shot from the tops of the circles.

So ends ’The Gr8 Chase,’ a storyline most thought would never come to fruition after Gretzky retired 26 years ago. Many of his records are still considered and will likely stand as unbreakable. Still, Ovechkin’s excellence as a pure goal-scorer has him passing The Great One for one of the league’s most prestigious stat-based records.

While Ovechkin’s chances of breaking the record truly became realistic a couple of years ago after a resurgent 50-goal campaign in 2021-22, it’s his performance this season that will stand out. Now 39 years old, Ovechkin’s scoring goals at his highest rate per game this season since 2019-20. He’s managed to do so despite missing over a month with a fractured left fibula earlier in the year – by far the most extended injury-related absence of his incredibly durable 20-year career.

Of course, his success has done more than serve as a nice story for Washington this season. He’s helped the Caps’ team offense along to a league-best 3.60 goals per game, positioning them to finish atop the Eastern Conference after barely squeaking into the postseason picture last year with the league’s 28th-ranked offense.

Ovechkin’s career resume needs no introduction. He holds the record for most 30-goal (19) and 40-goal (13) seasons and is tied with Gretzky and Mike Bossy with nine 50-goal campaigns, a record his injury will prevent him from taking outright. He’s won the Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal-scorer nine times and the Hart Trophy on three occasions. The 12-time All-Star won his only Stanley Cup championship (to date) with Washington in 2018 and took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after scoring a league-leading 15 goals in 24 games.

The all-time goals record is now the fourth offensive record Ovechkin holds. He’s also the all-time leader in power-play goals (323), game-winning goals (135), and shots on goal (6,844). It’s also not the only notable Gretzky record to fall this season. Penguins captain and longtime rival Sidney Crosby has clinched a 20th straight point-per-game season in 2024-25, breaking Gretzky’s record of 19.

Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.

Capitals Reassign Leon Muggli To AHL

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  • The Washington Capitals have re-assigned defender Leon Muggli of the Swiss National League to their AHL affiliate, per a team announcement. Muggli, the team’s 2024 second round selection, is not expected to play for Hershey tonight or on Sunday. The 18-year-old, left-handed defenseman has registered 11 points in 40 games for the EV Zug. The Switzerland native represented his country at the 2025 World Junior Championship, serving as an alternate captain and recording three assists in five games. Last season, Muffli’s 12 points were the most ever by a defenseman age 17 or younger in Swiss National League history.

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