Is it time for the NHL to make a massive change to their salary cap system?

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Jon McIntyre
August 14, 2024 (8:44 PM)

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Does the NHL and Gary Bettman need to work on a complete overhaul of the salary cap system?

It is hard for an NHL fan not to hear about salary cap complaints. Whether it's about players wanting to live in the sun and taking pay cuts to do so or high-tax markets having to pay extra to get a player, the fact is that the NHL has the strictest salary cap rules of all the major North American sports.

Yesterday, we saw the Blues try to take advantage of the Oilers, who are up against the salary cap ceiling. They overpaid for two young players within the Oilers organization who showed tremendous upside in the playoffs in hopes that the Oilers would have no chance of matching these salaries.

Let's take a brief look at the other leagues' cap systems.

NBA

The NBA uses a highly soft cap system. The salary cap is $140,588,000, yet only one team is under that number (Detroit). The Minnesota Timberwolves are $101,238,711 over the salary cap. The NBA uses a complex tiered apron system that allows different options for how much a team is over the cap. For example, the Timberwolves can't sign a free agent (unless for the league minimum) while that much over the cap, but if their superstar Anthony Edwards was up for a new contract, they could sign him and go even more over the cap.

NFL

The NFL salary cap is highly complex, as the contracts are not guaranteed, and the cap hit of the contracts can be deferred to make cap space. I need a master's degree in the salary cap to come somewhat close to understanding the NFL cap system. However, teams have more freedom and options to make signings and moves than an NHL team.

MLB

The MLB still does not have a salary cap. All they have is a luxury tax enforced on a team with a payroll over $237,000,000. The New York Mets have a payroll of $342,648,303, which they then have to pay a tax on top of that of $91,613,133. The MLB also has a cap floor, leading to considerable spending variations for the big markets compared to the small market teams. The Oakland Athletics have a payroll of $84,463,603.

So, what is the move for the NHL?

Most fans are fed up with the NHL's complex cap system. The NBA system rewards drafting well and being able to re-sign players while being over the salary cap. There is nothing more frustrating as an NHL fan than having to get rid of your players because the team is too good. The Golden State Warriors were able to keep their core team together for ten years; you would never see that in the NHL because the cap wouldn't allow it.

As an NHL fan, I believe a change needs to be made, and I think it's just a matter of time before it happens.

Source:
Spotrac