The NHL released their salary cap projection for next season and it’s higher than most analysts anticipated.
TSN’s Frank Servalli is reporting that the NHL believes the salary cap maximum will be between $84 to $88.2 million. The salary cap maximium this season is $81.5 million. Of course, the number is dependent on negotiations with the NHLPA later in the season.
#NHL cap projection for 2020-21: $84 to $88.2 million, up from current $81.5 million, but it’s dependent on negotiations with NHLPA.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 4, 2020
If the salary cap ends up increasing this much, which is not guaranteed, it could make it more possible for Capitals’ general manager Brian MacLellan to retain some of the team’s free agents over the summer. Braden Holtby ($6.1M AAV), the Capitals’ Stanley Cup and Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender, will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end as well as Brenden Dillon ($3.27M), Radko Gudas ($2.35M), and Ilya Kovalchuk ($700k). The team’s captain, Alex Ovechkin, will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season and the team can start negotiating with him after July 1.
Last season, the NHL projected the salary cap would rise to $83 million but only ticked up about half that to $81.5 million after negotiations with the NHLPA.
