NHL salary limit to increase by $25.5M in span of 3 years
The National Hockey League (NHL) and the NHL Players' Association have come to an agreement on a proposal that will increase the salary cap to $113.5 million for the 2027-28 season, as announced by both parties on Friday.
Currently, the cap sits at $88 million and will rise to $95.5 million in 2025-26, $104 million in 2026-27, and ultimately reach $113.5 million. This marks a significant increase of $25.5 million over the course of the agreement.
These numbers represent the maximum amount teams can spend on player salaries, but the NHL also has minimum limits that teams must adhere to. These limits will be set at $70.6 million in 2025-26, $76.9 million in 2026-27, and $83.9 million in the final season of the agreement.
Currently, the minimum limit is set at $65 million.
The league has stated that these figures may be subject to slight changes in the last two seasons of the deal.
The salary cap is just one aspect of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hopes will be finalized this year, potentially as early as June.
"I don't want to make any predictions about collective bargaining," Bettman stated. "We have a very positive and productive relationship with the Players' Association at the moment. I find working with NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh and assistant executive director Ron Hainsey to be very constructive, professional, and cordial. So we will not get ahead of ourselves and make any predictions about what will happen, although we do hope to reach an agreement as quickly and smoothly as possible."
Whenever the new agreement is put into effect, it will greatly benefit top NHL players as they enter free agency. Defensemen Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, Mikko Rantanen of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs are all set to become free agents this summer, with superstar captain Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers leading a star-studded free agent class in 2026.
