New NHL salary cap of $71.4 million will force teams to make moves
The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 to win the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the United Center on June 15, 2015 in Chicago. Credit: Getty Images / Jonathan Daniel
The NHL's salary ceiling, and the floor that each team must reach, keeps rising. The league and the NHL Players Association announced Tuesday that based on revenues, the salary cap for the 2015-16 season will be $71.4 million, up $2.4 million from $69 million last season. But that is less than the $4.7-million jump from the 2013-14 season, and teams with already high payrolls will be forced to shed some salaries via trades or not extending contracts.
Nine teams, including the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks, Rangers, Flyers, Canadiens and Bruins, are already above $59 million, with players to add. The floor was set at $52.8 million, up slightly from $51 million and far higher than $44 million in 2013-14.
