NHL Salary Cap By Team
| Team | Projected Cap Hit |
Projected Space |
Current Space |
Dead Space |
Active Roster |
Retained Left |
Contracts | Forwards | Defense | Goalies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Atlantic | $97,649,404$97.65M | $-14,149,404$-14.15M |
$547,499$547K |
- | 26/23 |
|
49/50 | 72%
|
36%
|
12%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $93,769,295$93.77M | $-10,269,295$-10.27M |
$32,082$32K |
$1,906,250$1.91M | 24/23 |
|
47/50 | 61%
|
44%
|
12%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $92,222,840$92.22M | $-8,722,840$-8.72M |
$922,516$923K |
- | 24/23 |
|
53/50 | 70%
|
35%
|
13%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $90,952,605$90.95M | $-7,499,272$-7.50M |
$2,857,590$2.86M |
$637,500$638K | 22/23 |
|
47/50 | 67%
|
32%
|
7%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $88,839,001$88.84M | $-5,339,001$-5.34M |
$8,331,667$8.33M |
$8,022,083$8.02M | 23/23 |
|
46/50 | 61%
|
17%
|
15%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $86,570,015$86.57M | $-3,154,598$-3.15M |
$81,667$82K |
$996,667$997K | 24/23 |
|
51/50 | 55%
|
39%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $85,933,276$85.93M | $-2,433,276$-2.43M |
$211,688$212K |
$2,725,000$2.73M | 22/23 |
|
46/50 | 64%
|
32%
|
4%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $85,791,687$85.79M | $-2,682,521$-2.68M |
$7,891,664$7.89M |
$7,645,000$7.65M | 24/23 |
|
45/50 | 55%
|
29%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $85,627,592$85.63M | $-2,478,425$-2.48M |
$5,034,167$5.03M |
$14,743,590$14.74M | 24/23 |
|
50/50 | 49%
|
27%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $85,412,307$85.41M | $-1,912,307$-1.91M |
$1,207,500$1.21M |
$4,833,333$4.83M | 22/23 |
|
49/50 | 51%
|
38%
|
10%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $85,264,451$85.26M | $-1,764,451$-1.76M |
$4,167,500$4.17M |
$3,979,167$3.98M | 23/23 |
|
48/50 | 57%
|
33%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $85,164,751$85.16M | $-1,873,084$-1.87M |
$7,095,001$7.10M |
$7,520,833$7.52M | 23/23 |
|
49/50 | 57%
|
26%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $84,680,763$84.68M | $-1,180,763$-1.18M |
$955,000$955K |
$610,891$611K | 23/23 |
|
48/50 | 64%
|
33%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $84,545,244$84.55M | $-1,045,244$-1.05M |
$981,571$982K |
- | 25/23 |
|
45/50 | 64%
|
31%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $83,714,733$83.71M | $-430,983$-431K |
$7,658,750$7.66M |
$8,200,763$8.20M | 23/23 |
|
49/50 | 53%
|
33%
|
7%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $83,567,763$83.57M | $39,566$40K |
$7,596,694$7.60M |
$4,804,167$4.80M | 26/23 |
|
50/50 | 60%
|
26%
|
13%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $83,548,629$83.55M | $153,290$153K |
$29,431,787$29.43M |
$6,616,667$6.62M | 26/23 |
|
49/50 | 59%
|
33%
|
4%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $83,447,619$83.45M | $268,356$268K |
$51,524,404$51.52M |
$372,829$373K | 23/23 |
|
44/50 | 68%
|
27%
|
6%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $83,380,203$83.38M | $132,144$132K |
$25,371,662$25.37M |
$1,495,000$1.50M | 25/23 |
|
48/50 | 56%
|
35%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $83,272,084$83.27M | $559,918$560K |
$107,504,386$107.50M |
$4,164,167$4.16M | 22/23 |
|
47/50 | 60%
|
27%
|
6%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $83,091,197$83.09M | $408,802$409K |
$78,490,032$78.49M |
$2,750,000$2.75M | 25/23 |
|
50/50 | 55%
|
35%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $82,992,949$82.99M | $507,050$507K |
$97,353,729$97.35M |
$1,487,500$1.49M | 27/23 |
|
44/50 | 60%
|
37%
|
7%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $82,735,767$82.74M | $1,498,235$1.50M |
$287,661,306$287.66M |
$2,425,000$2.43M | 27/23 |
|
47/50 | 62%
|
22%
|
11%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $82,363,514$82.36M | $1,327,393$1.33M |
$254,859,474$254.86M |
$4,729,910$4.73M | 22/23 |
|
51/50 | 51%
|
31%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $80,664,018$80.66M | $2,835,981$2.84M |
$544,508,398$544.51M |
$5,213,889$5.21M | 23/23 |
|
46/50 | 55%
|
26%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $79,877,871$79.88M | $3,622,128$3.62M |
$695,448,686$695.45M |
$10,307,500$10.31M | 28/23 |
|
53/50 | 49%
|
23%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $79,365,905$79.37M | $4,134,094$4.13M |
$793,746,102$793.75M |
$2,891,667$2.89M | 23/23 |
|
48/50 | 44%
|
35%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $78,106,062$78.11M | $5,393,937$5.39M |
$1,035,635,938$1,035.64M |
$1,853,334$1.85M | 23/23 |
|
46/50 | 60%
|
18%
|
6%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $77,295,350$77.30M | $6,204,649$6.20M |
$1,191,292,703$1,191.29M |
$8,805,556$8.81M | 24/23 |
|
50/50 | 44%
|
37%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $75,019,130$75.02M | $8,480,869$8.48M |
$1,628,327,034$1,628.33M |
$200,000$200K | 22/23 |
|
43/50 | 54%
|
28%
|
3%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $74,998,336$75.00M | $8,501,663$8.50M |
$1,632,319,394$1,632.32M |
$9,944,707$9.94M | 24/23 |
|
48/50 | 41%
|
27%
|
6%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $74,674,602$74.67M | $8,825,397$8.83M |
$1,694,476,365$1,694.48M |
$4,712,500$4.71M | 26/23 |
|
50/50 | 55%
|
19%
|
9%
|
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| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlantic Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Metropolitan Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NHL News
Signings
Trades
The Ottawa Senators acquired Jamieson Rees from the Carolina Hurricanes for 2024 6th round pick
The Ottawa Senators acquired Wyatt Bongiovanni from the Winnipeg Jets for future considerations
The New Jersey Devils acquired Nathan Legare from the Montreal Canadiens for Arnaud Durandeau
The Vegas Golden Knights acquired Tomas Hertl, a 2025 3rd round pick, and 2027 3rd round pick from the San Jose Sharks for David Edstrom and 2025 1st round pick
Transactions
St. Ivany was moved to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.
Zohorna was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.
Puustinen was sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.
Kessel was reassigned to AHL Springfield on Thursday.
Dean was moved to AHL Springfield on Thursday.
Bolduc was reassigned to AHL Springfield on Thursday.
Malone will hang up his skates following the conclusion of AHL Bakersfield's 2023-24 campaign.
Injuries
Nikita Zaitsev | Zaitsev is questionable for Thursday's tilt against the Los Angeles Kings because of an illness, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Connor Murphy | Murphy (undisclosed) will miss the season finale against LA on Thursday because he tweaked something during Tuesday's 3-1 loss to Vegas, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Josh Morrissey | Morrissey will sit out the season finale versus Vancouver on Thursday, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.
Brenden Dillon | Dillon (rest) will sit out Thursday's regular-season finale at home against the Vancouver Canucks, per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.
Ian Cole | Cole (rest) will not play Thursday in Winnipeg, according to John Lu of TSN.
Filip Hronek | Per John Lu of TSN, Hronek (rest) will miss the final game of the regular season versus Winnipeg on Thursday.
J.T. Miller | Miller (rest) will be out of the lineup versus Winnipeg on Thursday, according to John Lu of TSN.
Insights and Insiders
What Is the NHL Salary Cap?
The NHL salary cap is the total amount that NHL teams may pay for players. The amount set as the salary cap each year depends on the league’s revenue for the previous season. As it is a 'hard cap,' there are no exemptions. However, if a player is injured and it's thought that they will miss at least 10 NHL games and 24 days in the season, their team can put them on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). By doing so, they can surpass the salary cap.
The salary cap was introduced to prevent teams with the most revenue signing all the top players, which was becoming a problem in the '90s and early 2000s. For instance, by signing a number of top-performing players and significantly spending more than the majority of other teams, the Detroit Red Wings were able to win three Stanley Cups in that time.
This led to the 2004-05 CBA negotiations, during which the entire season was cancelled — the first time a labor dispute has ever caused a cancellation in a major sports league in North America. At the time of the negotiations, teams were spending around 75 percent of their revenues on salaries — much higher than any other North American sports league. Eventually, they agreed to the general structure that remain today, including the mandatory payment to players in US dollars.
The concept of a salary cap is not new to the NHL. One was first introduced during the Great Depression, at which time the salary cap per team was $62,500 and $7,000 per player.
Salary Cap History
Since its reintroduction in the 2005-06 season, the NHL salary cap had risen every year until the pandemic shortened 2020-2021 season:
| 2005-2006 | $39.0 million |
| 2006-2007 | $44.0 million |
| 2007-2008 | $50.3 million |
| 2008-2009 | $56.7 million |
| 2009-2010 | $56.8 million |
| 2010-2011 | $59.4 million |
| 2011-2012 | $64.3 million |
| 2012-2013 | $60.0 million * |
| 2013-2014 | $64.3 million |
| 2014-2015 | $69.0 million |
| 2015-2016 | $71.4 million |
| 2016-2017 | $73.0 million |
| 2017-2018 | $75.0 million |
| 2018-2019 | $79.5 million |
| 2019-2020 | $81.5 million |
| 2020-2021 | $81.5 million |
| 2021-2022 | $81.5 million |
| 2022-2023 | $82.5 million |
* During the 2012-13 season, there was a lockout. The salary cap was set to $60 million, but NHL hockey teams were allowed to spend a pro-rated $70.2 million for the shortened season.
The salary floor (the minimum that a team must spend as a whole) is 85 percent of the salary midpoint. For the 2021-22 season, the cap floor is $60.2 million.
History of the Teams
Originally, there were just six NHL teams, called the Original Six. In the 1967-68 season, six new teams were added. The Original Six formed the East Division and the new six formed the West Division.
In 1974, six more NHL hockey teams joined the league, creating 18 in total. The league then took four teams from the World Hockey Association when it ceased to exist in 1979. With the Cleveland Barons gone in 1978, this brought the total to 21 teams.
There was no further expansion to the league until the '90s. The next new NHL team was the San Jose Sharks in 1991. Another eight were added in the subsequent decade to reach 30 teams by 2000. Finally, in 2016, Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, announced that another new NHL team — the Vegas Golden Knights — would join the List of NHL Teams, making 31 teams for the 2017-18 season.
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