The NHL informed its general managers that the salary cap will increase by $1 million to a total of $82.5 million beginning next season, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The league has operated with a cap ceiling of $81.5 million since 2019-20.
This would be the first increase and first change to the NHL's salary cap since it rose by $2 million for that same campaign.
When the league and the NHLPA renegotiated the CBA in June 2020, it was reported that part of the agreement called for the cap to remain close to $81.5 million for three seasons. Ultimately, it didn't fluctuate from that figure at all.
The cap ceiling rose every season from 2013-14 until the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign.
Here's a look at the changes since the league reinstituted the cap in 2005-06:
| Season | Salary-cap ceiling ($M) |
|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 82.5 |
| 2021-22 | 81.5 |
| 2021 | 81.5 |
| 2019-20 | 81.5 |
| 2018-19 | 79.5 |
| 2017-18 | 75 |
| 2016-17 | 73 |
| 2015-16 | 71.4 |
| 2014-15 | 69 |
| 2013-14 | 64.3 |
| 2013 | 60 |
| 2011-12 | 64.3 |
| 2010-11 | 59.4 |
| 2009-10 | 56.8 |
| 2008-09 | 56.7 |
| 2007-08 | 50.3 |
| 2006-07 | 44 |
| 2005-06 | 39 |
(Source: PuckPedia)
The NHL first installed a salary cap during the Great Depression, when teams were allowed to spend a maximum of $62,500 on rosters and $7,000 per player.
