The NHL is losing out on revenue and it’s possible the salary cap decreases to make up for the losses which will impact the Montreal Canadiens.
The general manager’s meeting in Florida gave hockey fans and apologists something to cheer for. After years of minor bump ups, it looked as if the NHL would be on its way to a significant increase with the cap ceiling projected to be between $84 and $88 million. The Montreal Canadiens aren’t one of those teams who are in cap-purgatory, but it would be further opportunity to add players and be rewarded for taking on bad contracts. However, it looks like things are going to change.
There hasn’t been since March 11 as the league announced the season pause the next day on the 12th. More and more plans are being discussed to restart with efforts to increase revenue, but let’s put things into perspective. Over 90 games haven’t been played, and these games are more important as they’re the final stretch until the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The salary cap is dependent on the revenue generated during the year, and with the lack of hockey, that’s sure to take a hit.
Nothing has been announced, but it’s something to keep in mind. What if instead of staying where it is, the salary cap instead drops.
The last time that happened was ahead of the 2012-13 season, where the NHL lost half of its because of the CBA negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA. The salary cap then dropped from $64.3 million to $60 million. Teams did have the option of spending up to $70.2 million (pro-rated), but the NHL also provided organizations with two compliance buyouts to help solve any cap issues.