NHL Salary Cap By Team, NHL Cap Space

2022-2023 NHL Salary Cap Space

NHL Salary Cap Limit: $82,500,000

NHL Salary Cap Floor: $61,000,000

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Projected Cap Space
Contracts

Atlantic Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Boston Bruins	$83,189,222	$-689,222	21/23	100.0%
Buffalo Sabres	$64,219,220	$18,280,780	23/23	0.0%
Detroit Red Wings	$75,994,314	$6,505,686	22/23	0.0%
Florida Panthers	$87,460,582	$-4,960,582	22/23	100.0%
Montreal Canadiens	$95,155,144	$-12,932,644	22/23	0.0%
Ottawa Senators	$79,245,089	$3,254,911	23/23	0.0%
Tampa Bay Lightning	$89,574,031	$-7,074,031	22/23	100.0%
Toronto Maple Leafs	$88,409,546	$-5,909,546	23/23	100.0%

Metropolitan Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Carolina Hurricanes	$85,657,777	$-3,157,777	21/23	100.0%
Columbus Blue Jackets	$84,525,381	$-1,719,210	23/23	0.0%
New Jersey Devils	$83,471,486	$-971,486	22/23	0.0%
New York Islanders	$79,907,752	$2,592,248	20/23	0.0%
New York Rangers	$80,960,662	$1,539,338	22/23	100.0%
Philadelphia Flyers	$86,188,588	$-3,688,588	22/23	0.0%
Pittsburgh Penguins	$83,891,234	$-1,805,401	21/23	100.0%
Washington Capitals	$91,217,544	$-8,717,544	23/23	100.0%

Central Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Arizona Coyotes	$64,286,024	$18,213,976	22/23	0.0%
Chicago Blackhawks	$76,417,557	$6,082,443	20/23	0.0%
Colorado Avalanche	$83,002,840	$-403,027	21/23	100.0%
Dallas Stars	$81,869,956	$630,044	21/23	100.0%
Minnesota Wild	$78,731,279	$3,768,721	22/23	100.0%
Nashville Predators	$80,002,939	$2,497,061	20/23	100.0%
St. Louis Blues	$85,473,487	$-2,973,487	23/23	100.0%
Winnipeg Jets	$80,432,096	$2,067,904	23/23	0.0%

Pacific Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Anaheim Ducks	$68,569,032	$13,930,968	23/23	0.0%
Calgary Flames	$80,895,378	$1,604,622	20/23	100.0%
Edmonton Oilers	$91,606,587	$-9,106,587	22/23	100.0%
Los Angeles Kings	$82,424,287	$63,000	23/23	100.0%
San Jose Sharks	$83,005,509	$-497,694	22/23	0.0%
Seattle Kraken	$81,388,221	$1,126,507	21/23	0.0%
Vancouver Canucks	$86,906,321	$-4,406,321	20/23	0.0%
Vegas Golden Knights	$96,308,464	$-13,808,464	22/23	0.0%

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Current Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Boston Bruins	$83,189,222	$-689,222	$3,987,807	21/23	100.0%
Buffalo Sabres	$64,219,220	$18,280,780	$46,328,005	23/23	0.0%
Detroit Red Wings	$75,994,314	$6,505,686	$16,487,013	22/23	0.0%
Florida Panthers	$87,460,582	$-4,960,582	$2,387,625	22/23	100.0%
Montreal Canadiens	$95,155,144	$-12,932,644	$5,288,334	22/23	0.0%
Ottawa Senators	$79,245,089	$3,254,911	$8,248,747	23/23	0.0%
Tampa Bay Lightning	$89,574,031	$-7,074,031	$719,967	22/23	100.0%
Toronto Maple Leafs	$88,409,546	$-5,909,546	$1,209,584	23/23	100.0%
Carolina Hurricanes	$85,657,777	$-3,157,777	$3,106,667	21/23	100.0%
Columbus Blue Jackets	$84,525,381	$-1,719,210	$7,020,833	23/23	0.0%
New Jersey Devils	$83,471,486	$-971,486	$2,042,500	22/23	0.0%
New York Islanders	$79,907,752	$2,592,248	$6,569,397	20/23	0.0%
New York Rangers	$80,960,662	$1,539,338	$3,901,062	22/23	100.0%
Philadelphia Flyers	$86,188,588	$-3,688,588	$2,879,959	22/23	0.0%
Pittsburgh Penguins	$83,891,234	$-1,805,401	$1,721,168	21/23	100.0%
Washington Capitals	$91,217,544	$-8,717,544	$4,212,950	23/23	100.0%
Arizona Coyotes	$64,286,024	$18,213,976	$46,158,706	22/23	0.0%
Chicago Blackhawks	$76,417,557	$6,082,443	$15,414,410	20/23	0.0%
Colorado Avalanche	$83,002,840	$-403,027	$7,200,833	21/23	100.0%
Dallas Stars	$81,869,956	$630,044	$1,596,688	21/23	100.0%
Minnesota Wild	$78,731,279	$3,768,721	$9,550,868	22/23	100.0%
Nashville Predators	$80,002,939	$2,497,061	$6,328,169	20/23	100.0%
St. Louis Blues	$85,473,487	$-2,973,487	$204,999	23/23	100.0%
Winnipeg Jets	$80,432,096	$2,067,904	$5,240,579	23/23	0.0%
Anaheim Ducks	$68,569,032	$13,930,968	$35,304,508	23/23	0.0%
Calgary Flames	$80,895,378	$1,604,622	$4,066,507	20/23	100.0%
Edmonton Oilers	$91,606,587	$-9,106,587	$1,125,000	22/23	100.0%
Los Angeles Kings	$82,424,287	$63,000	$159,658	23/23	100.0%
San Jose Sharks	$83,005,509	$-497,694	$1,831,635	22/23	0.0%
Seattle Kraken	$81,388,221	$1,126,507	$2,854,846	21/23	0.0%
Vancouver Canucks	$86,906,321	$-4,406,321	$2,202,500	20/23	0.0%
Vegas Golden Knights	$96,308,464	$-13,808,464	$3,879,167	22/23	0.0%

What Is the NHL Salary Cap?

The NHL salary cap is the total amount that NHL teams may pay for players. The amount set as the salary cap each year depends on the league’s revenue for the previous season. As it is a 'hard cap,' there are no exemptions. However, if a player is injured and it's thought that they will miss at least 10 NHL games and 24 days in the season, their team can put them on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). By doing so, they can surpass the salary cap.

The salary cap was introduced to prevent teams with the most revenue signing all the top players, which was becoming a problem in the '90s and early 2000s. For instance, by signing a number of top-performing players and significantly spending more than the majority of other teams, the Detroit Red Wings were able to win three Stanley Cups in that time.

This led to the 2004-05 CBA negotiations, during which the entire season was cancelled — the first time a labor dispute has ever caused a cancellation in a major sports league in North America. At the time of the negotiations, teams were spending around 75 percent of their revenues on salaries — much higher than any other North American sports league. Eventually, they agreed to the general structure that remain today, including the mandatory payment to players in US dollars.

The concept of a salary cap is not new to the NHL. One was first introduced during the Great Depression, at which time the salary cap per team was $62,500 and $7,000 per player.

Salary Cap History

Since its reintroduction in the 2005-06 season, the NHL salary cap had risen every year until the pandemic shortened 2020-2021 season:

	2005-2006	$39.0 million
	2006-2007	$44.0 million
	2007-2008	$50.3 million
	2008-2009	$56.7 million
	2009-2010	$56.8 million
	2010-2011	$59.4 million
	2011-2012	$64.3 million
	2012-2013	$60.0 million *
	2013-2014	$64.3 million
	2014-2015	$69.0 million
	2015-2016	$71.4 million
	2016-2017	$73.0 million
	2017-2018	$75.0 million
	2018-2019	$79.5 million
	2019-2020	$81.5 million
	2020-2021	$81.5 million
	2021-2022	$81.5 million
	2022-2023	$82.5 million

*During the 2012-13 season, there was a lockout. The salary cap was set to $60 million, but NHL hockey teams were allowed to spend a pro-rated $70.2 million for the shortened season.

The salary floor (the minimum that a team must spend as a whole) is 85 percent of the salary midpoint. For the 2021-22 season, the cap floor is $60.2 million.

History of the Teams

Originally, there were just six NHL teams, called the Original Six. In the 1967-68 season, six new teams were added. The Original Six formed the East Division and the new six formed the West Division.

In 1974, six more NHL hockey teams joined the league, creating 18 in total. The league then took four teams from the World Hockey Association when it ceased to exist in 1979. With the Cleveland Barons gone in 1978, this brought the total to 21 teams.

There was no further expansion to the league until the '90s. The next new NHL team was the San Jose Sharks in 1991. Another eight were added in the subsequent decade to reach 30 teams by 2000. Finally, in 2016, Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, announced that another new NHL team — the Vegas Golden Knights — would join the List of NHL Teams, making 31 teams for the 2017-18 season.

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