Elliotte Friedman Throws a Curveball Regarding the NHL Salary Cap
The salary cap is hated by money, but it is a key element to keeping the game competitive in smaller markets. It has stayed flat for years, but that could change.
While it was expected that the salary cap would go up a now-routine $1-million, Elliotte Friedman has now suggested that it could go up by up to double that amount.
Salary Cap Could Feasibly Rise Up to $2-Million
The pandemic was a major hit to all professional sports, but none more than the NHL. With a major part of its identity revolving around Canadian markets, the league has a lot more to catch up on.
Thus, players are paying a negotiated escrow amount to pay back the leagues' debt.
Because of this fragile agreement between the league and its players, it is hard to raise the salary cap much higher, but supposedly some people that are really smart at math think that it could go up somewhere over $1-million.
Any flexibility is good news.
While this difference seems marginal, with the amount of teams that came within mere dollars of the $82.5-million cap this season, $2-million in flexibility would be a game changer.
The only question now is if the NHLPA can come to an agreement that works for everybody.
| POLL | ||
MAI 24 | 248 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman Throws a Curveball Regarding the NHL Salary Cap Are you a fan of the NHL salary cap? | ||
| Yes | 108 | 43.5 % |
| No | 140 | 56.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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APRIL 27, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Elmer Soderblom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Anthony Mantha | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Parker Wotherspoon | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noel Acciari | - | - | - | |
| Emil Andrae | - | - | - | |
| Denver Barkey | - | - | - | |
| Alex Bump | - | - | - | |
| Noah Cates | - | - | - | |
| Yegor Chinakhov | - | - | - | |
| Sean Couturier | - | - | - | |
| Sidney Crosby | - | - | - | |
| Connor Dewar | - | - | - | |
| Jamie Drysdale | - | - | - | |
| Christian Dvorak | - | - | - | |
| Tyson Foerster | - | - | - | |
| Samuel Girard | - | - | - | |
| Luke Glendening | - | - | - | |
| Garnet Hathaway | - | - | - | |
| Erik Karlsson | - | - | - | |
| Benjamin Kindel | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||