NHL Salary Cap Questions > Can teams be over the cap
Can teams be over the cap
Asked Aug 8, 2022 by Andrew S
If a team goes over the cap, is the "punishment" that that team's next-year cap is reduced by the amount they went over the previous season?
Answer
Aug 31, 2022
A team cannot be over the cap and out of compliance with the salary cap. There is no punishment, the NHL would not allow a transaction (trade, contract, signing, etc) that would put the team over the cap and out of compliance. If a team exceeds the cap through the use of LTIR, they can finish the season over the salary cap. In that case, if any performance bonuses are earned, they are carried forward as a cap hit to the following year as a performance bonus carryover overage.
