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 |
|
50/50 | 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 | $92,222,841$92.22M | $-8,722,841$-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%
|
26%
|
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 | $85,251,912$85.25M | $-1,751,912$-1.75M |
$6,575,000$6.58M |
$3,979,167$3.98M | 20/23 |
|
48/50 | 56%
|
32%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $85,160,714$85.16M | $-1,869,047$-1.87M |
$7,870,001$7.87M |
$7,520,833$7.52M | 22/23 |
|
49/50 | 56%
|
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 |
$39,566$40K |
$4,804,167$4.80M | 26/23 |
|
50/50 | 60%
|
26%
|
13%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $83,548,629$83.55M | $153,290$153K |
$153,290$153K |
$6,616,667$6.62M | 26/23 |
|
49/50 | 59%
|
33%
|
4%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $83,456,100$83.46M | $259,875$260K |
$259,875$260K |
$372,829$373K | 23/23 |
|
44/50 | 68%
|
27%
|
6%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $83,366,664$83.37M | $145,683$146K |
$145,683$146K |
$1,495,000$1.50M | 22/23 |
|
48/50 | 54%
|
34%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $83,272,084$83.27M | $559,918$560K |
$559,918$560K |
$4,164,167$4.16M | 22/23 |
|
47/50 | 60%
|
27%
|
6%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $83,109,097$83.11M | $390,902$391K |
$390,902$391K |
$2,750,000$2.75M | 29/23 |
|
50/50 | 59%
|
35%
|
10%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $82,992,949$82.99M | $507,050$507K |
$507,050$507K |
$1,487,500$1.49M | 27/23 |
|
44/50 | 60%
|
37%
|
7%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $82,735,766$82.74M | $1,498,236$1.50M |
$1,498,236$1.50M |
$2,425,000$2.43M | 27/23 |
|
47/50 | 62%
|
22%
|
11%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $82,363,514$82.36M | $1,327,393$1.33M |
$1,327,393$1.33M |
$4,729,910$4.73M | 22/23 |
|
51/50 | 51%
|
31%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $80,660,047$80.66M | $2,839,952$2.84M |
$2,839,952$2.84M |
$5,213,889$5.21M | 22/23 |
|
46/50 | 54%
|
26%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $79,877,871$79.88M | $3,622,128$3.62M |
$3,622,128$3.62M |
$10,307,500$10.31M | 28/23 |
|
53/50 | 49%
|
23%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Metropolitan | $79,365,905$79.37M | $4,134,094$4.13M |
$4,134,094$4.13M |
$2,891,667$2.89M | 23/23 |
|
48/50 | 44%
|
35%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $78,106,062$78.11M | $5,393,937$5.39M |
$5,393,937$5.39M |
$1,853,334$1.85M | 23/23 |
|
46/50 | 60%
|
18%
|
6%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $77,295,350$77.30M | $6,204,649$6.20M |
$6,204,649$6.20M |
$8,805,556$8.81M | 24/23 |
|
50/50 | 44%
|
37%
|
8%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | Atlantic | $75,019,130$75.02M | $8,480,869$8.48M |
$8,480,869$8.48M |
$200,000$200K | 22/23 |
|
43/50 | 54%
|
28%
|
3%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Central | $74,998,336$75.00M | $8,501,663$8.50M |
$8,501,663$8.50M |
$9,944,707$9.94M | 24/23 |
|
48/50 | 41%
|
27%
|
6%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western | Pacific | $74,674,602$74.67M | $8,825,397$8.83M |
$8,825,397$8.83M |
$4,712,500$4.71M | 26/23 |
|
50/50 | 55%
|
19%
|
9%
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlantic Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Metropolitan Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NHL News
Signings
Mark Gandler & Todd Diamond | International Sports Advisors Co., Inc.
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
Holm was reassigned to AHL Colorado on Monday.
Prosvetov was recalled from AHL Colorado on Monday.
Grundstrom (lower body) will be activated from long-term injured reserve ahead of his return to the lineup Monday in Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers, per Zach Dooley of the Los Angeles Kings' official site.
Carrier (upper body) will be activated off long-term injured reserve and return to the lineup for Monday's Game 1, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Stone (abdomen) will be in action against the Dallas Stars for Game 1 on Monday, Gary Lawless of the Vegas Golden Knights' official site reports.
Fanti was promoted from ECHL Fort Wayne on Monday.
Forbort (undisclosed) was called up from his conditioning stint with AHL Providence on Monday, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports.
Injuries
Brett Pesce | Pesce (lower body) will not return to Monday's game against the New York Islanders.
Justus Annunen | Annunen (illness) was not at practice Monday, John Lu of TSN reports, raising doubts regarding his availability against the Winnipeg Jets for Game 2 on Tuesday.
Vincent Iorio | Iorio (upper body) is considered day-to-day, according to Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network.
William Nylander | Nylander (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision against the Boston Bruins for Game 2 on Monday. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, "We'll see how he feels here the rest of the day here and make a decision," Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.
Jonathan Drouin | Drouin (lower body) will miss Colorado's first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets.
Kris Letang | Letang will get a second opinion to determine whether he'll need surgery to address his undisclosed injuries, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Ryan Johansen | Johansen (undisclosed) doesn't believe he's medically fit to play hockey, and GM Daniel Briere doesn't expect to get the 31-year-old forward back, Jon Bailey of Philly Hockey Now reports Friday.
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.
Tune in to learn about developments in the league, your favorite NHL teams and players. PuckPedia brings you up to speed on the latest news and other exciting developments in the world of NHL hockey. Bookmark PuckPedia now!