Volkswacht Bodensee - NHL and union agree on three years of salary cap boosts

The deal, contingent upon a full collective bargaining agreement being completed, boosts the upper limit of team salary caps by $7.5 million in the 2025-26 season, $8.5 million in the 2026-27 campaign and $9.5 million for the 2027-28 season.

Those are the biggest jumps since the cap system was inaugurated in 2005 and follow years of low growth in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Team payroll ranges for the next three seasons will be an upper limit of $95.5 million and a minimum level of $70.6 million in the 2025-26 season.

That would rise to a top level of $104 million and floor of $76.9 million in 2026-27 and a ceiling of $113.5 million with a lowest level of $83.9 million in 2027-28 -- both seasons with possible minor tweaks.

This season, the NHL salary cap is at $88 million with a minimum of $65 million following a record $6.2 billion in NHL revenue last season.

Having salary certainty will help NHL teams plan their future payrolls ahead of a March 7 trade deadline and off-season free agency.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says he hopes to finalize a complete new union deal this year, possibly before the Stanley Cup Final in June. The current agreement expires in September 2026.

P.Staeheli--VB