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	$81,000,416	$1,499,584	23/23	100.0%
Buffalo Sabres	$48,445,836	$34,054,164	16/23	0.0%
Detroit Red Wings	$48,473,057	$34,026,943	18/23	0.0%
Florida Panthers	$79,333,334	$3,166,666	16/23	100.0%
Montreal Canadiens	$80,576,666	$1,923,334	20/23	0.0%
Ottawa Senators	$61,614,881	$20,885,119	20/23	0.0%
Tampa Bay Lightning	$86,875,000	$-4,375,000	19/23	100.0%
Toronto Maple Leafs	$76,055,616	$6,444,384	18/23	100.0%

Metropolitan Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Carolina Hurricanes	$62,361,917	$20,138,083	14/23	100.0%
Columbus Blue Jackets	$62,983,333	$19,516,667	23/23	0.0%
New Jersey Devils	$58,855,001	$23,644,999	18/23	0.0%
New York Islanders	$70,489,963	$12,010,037	18/23	0.0%
New York Rangers	$72,291,468	$10,208,532	17/23	100.0%
Philadelphia Flyers	$76,456,440	$6,043,560	19/23	0.0%
Pittsburgh Penguins	$59,291,842	$23,208,158	16/23	100.0%
Washington Capitals	$73,521,667	$8,978,333	18/23	100.0%

Central Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Arizona Coyotes	$48,488,334	$34,011,666	17/23	0.0%
Chicago Blackhawks	$61,420,833	$21,079,167	16/23	0.0%
Colorado Avalanche	$56,015,000	$26,485,000	13/23	100.0%
Dallas Stars	$63,189,167	$19,310,833	17/23	100.0%
Minnesota Wild	$75,116,090	$7,383,910	18/23	100.0%
Nashville Predators	$59,346,143	$23,153,857	17/23	100.0%
St. Louis Blues	$73,487,500	$9,012,500	18/23	100.0%
Winnipeg Jets	$66,303,690	$16,196,310	16/23	0.0%

Pacific Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Anaheim Ducks	$43,076,667	$39,423,333	15/23	0.0%
Calgary Flames	$55,575,000	$26,925,000	13/23	100.0%
Edmonton Oilers	$77,044,797	$5,455,203	17/23	100.0%
Los Angeles Kings	$70,511,668	$11,988,332	18/23	100.0%
San Jose Sharks	$75,915,834	$6,584,166	22/23	0.0%
Seattle Kraken	$59,614,167	$22,885,833	15/23	0.0%
Vancouver Canucks	$78,739,167	$3,760,833	20/23	0.0%
Vegas Golden Knights	$85,923,809	$-3,423,809	19/23	0.0%

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Current Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Boston Bruins	$81,000,416	$1,499,584	$1,499,584	23/23	100.0%
Buffalo Sabres	$48,445,836	$34,054,164	$34,054,164	16/23	0.0%
Detroit Red Wings	$48,473,057	$34,026,943	$34,026,943	18/23	0.0%
Florida Panthers	$79,333,334	$3,166,666	$3,166,666	16/23	100.0%
Montreal Canadiens	$80,576,666	$1,923,334	$1,923,334	20/23	0.0%
Ottawa Senators	$61,614,881	$20,885,119	$20,885,119	20/23	0.0%
Tampa Bay Lightning	$86,875,000	$-4,375,000	$-4,375,000	19/23	100.0%
Toronto Maple Leafs	$76,055,616	$6,444,384	$6,444,384	18/23	100.0%
Carolina Hurricanes	$62,361,917	$20,138,083	$20,138,083	14/23	100.0%
Columbus Blue Jackets	$62,983,333	$19,516,667	$19,516,667	23/23	0.0%
New Jersey Devils	$58,855,001	$23,644,999	$23,644,999	18/23	0.0%
New York Islanders	$70,489,963	$12,010,037	$12,010,037	18/23	0.0%
New York Rangers	$72,291,468	$10,208,532	$10,208,532	17/23	100.0%
Philadelphia Flyers	$76,456,440	$6,043,560	$6,043,560	19/23	0.0%
Pittsburgh Penguins	$59,291,842	$23,208,158	$23,208,158	16/23	100.0%
Washington Capitals	$73,521,667	$8,978,333	$8,978,333	18/23	100.0%
Arizona Coyotes	$48,488,334	$34,011,666	$34,011,666	17/23	0.0%
Chicago Blackhawks	$61,420,833	$21,079,167	$21,079,167	16/23	0.0%
Colorado Avalanche	$56,015,000	$26,485,000	$26,485,000	13/23	100.0%
Dallas Stars	$63,189,167	$19,310,833	$19,310,833	17/23	100.0%
Minnesota Wild	$75,116,090	$7,383,910	$7,383,910	18/23	100.0%
Nashville Predators	$59,346,143	$23,153,857	$23,153,857	17/23	100.0%
St. Louis Blues	$73,487,500	$9,012,500	$9,012,500	18/23	100.0%
Winnipeg Jets	$66,303,690	$16,196,310	$16,196,310	16/23	0.0%
Anaheim Ducks	$43,076,667	$39,423,333	$39,423,333	15/23	0.0%
Calgary Flames	$55,575,000	$26,925,000	$26,925,000	13/23	100.0%
Edmonton Oilers	$77,044,797	$5,455,203	$5,455,203	17/23	100.0%
Los Angeles Kings	$70,511,668	$11,988,332	$11,988,332	18/23	100.0%
San Jose Sharks	$75,915,834	$6,584,166	$6,584,166	22/23	0.0%
Seattle Kraken	$59,614,167	$22,885,833	$22,885,833	15/23	0.0%
Vancouver Canucks	$78,739,167	$3,760,833	$3,760,833	20/23	0.0%
Vegas Golden Knights	$85,923,809	$-3,423,809	$-3,423,809	19/23	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

*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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