OFFICIAL: The salary cap will rise to $104 million for next season

Marc-Olivier Cook
OFFICIAL: The salary cap will rise to $104 million for next season
Credit: Capture d'écran / X

For the 2025–26 season, the National Hockey League's salary cap stood at $95.5 million.

We've seen the cap rise in recent years… and that will also be the case in the coming seasons.

For example? In 2026-27, the cap will be $104 million in the NHL. That's an increase of $8.5 million compared to last season.

Obviously, this is great news for teams planning to spend a lot of money this summer. It will give general managers even more flexibility with their payrolls and should also allow some clubs to make a big move.

It's interesting. 

For the Canadiens, in particular, this news is especially intriguing.

Reminder: Patrik Laine's contract ($8.7M) is set to expire this summer, freeing up cap space for Kent Hughes.

At the same time, Lane Hutson's contract ($8.85 million) kicks in on July 1, and there are other players like Ivan Demidov and Zachary Bolduc who will be eligible to sign contract extensions (which wouldn't start until the summer of 2027)…

Regardless, Kent Hughes should have some room under the salary cap to have a little fun. 

(Credit: Getty Images)

He'll have some wiggle room to complete a trade or sign a player on the free-agent market. That gives him even more flexibility to make a big move… and knowing him, we can expect him to take advantage of it.

Finally, it's worth noting that this could help break the deadlock in some NHL contract negotiations. Players have one more argument on their side to get more money… but still.

This news is likely to break the deadlock on certain issues in the coming days and weeks. 


In a nutshell

– Interesting.

– Heads up:

– Sick.

– News from MLB.

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