NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly’s recent projection of a salary cap between $84 million and $88 million for 2020-21 was good news for several cap-strapped clubs like the Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The higher the cap, the more room to re-sign key players and bolster their lineups for next season.
For budget-conscious clubs, however, a significant cap increase presents a different challenge. They must spend to reach the cap minimum, usually set between $16 million and $18 million below the upper limit. In other words, if the cap reaches $88 million, a team could find themselves spending as much as $70 million to become cap compliant.