Islanders: Salary cap increase reduced pressure on Isles

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daily indicated that the cap could be going up nearly $6.7 million in 2020-21, much to the relief of the New York Islanders impending cap crunch.

By trading for and then signing Jean-Gabriel Pageau to a six-year deal with a $5 million AAV, the New York Islanders cap hit jumped to $78.223 million on the season. That left them with $3.276 million in cap space.

That's not a huge issue right now. The issue is next season when the Islanders still have to sign RFA's Mathew Barzal, Ryan Pulock, and Devon Toews. It was already going to be difficult to get all three signed without Pageau's deal, adding the third line centers contract to the mix further complicated the…