NHL Salary Cap By Team, NHL Cap Space

2021-2022 NHL Salary Cap Space

NHL Salary Cap Limit: $81,500,000

NHL Salary Cap Floor: $60,200,000

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Projected Cap Space
Contracts

Atlantic Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Boston Bruins	$80,788,748	$711,252	30/23	100.0%
Buffalo Sabres	$67,551,498	$13,948,502	28/23	0.0%
Detroit Red Wings	$70,319,072	$11,180,928	29/23	0.0%
Florida Panthers	$82,896,486	$-1,396,486	31/23	100.0%
Montreal Canadiens	$92,490,110	$-11,562,610	29/23	0.0%
Ottawa Senators	$70,883,749	$10,616,251	30/23	0.0%
Tampa Bay Lightning	$89,209,920	$-7,709,920	22/23	100.0%
Toronto Maple Leafs	$83,672,127	$-2,172,127	27/23	100.0%

Metropolitan Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Carolina Hurricanes	$83,871,638	$-2,371,638	24/23	100.0%
Columbus Blue Jackets	$70,795,076	$10,704,924	29/23	0.0%
New Jersey Devils	$74,176,099	$7,323,901	33/23	0.0%
New York Islanders	$79,406,296	$2,616,389	24/23	0.0%
New York Rangers	$76,590,074	$4,909,926	28/23	100.0%
Philadelphia Flyers	$84,090,837	$-4,430,420	30/23	0.0%
Pittsburgh Penguins	$83,473,687	$-1,973,687	23/23	100.0%
Washington Capitals	$84,772,271	$-3,272,271	26/23	100.0%

Central Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Arizona Coyotes	$76,356,625	$5,143,375	32/23	0.0%
Chicago Blackhawks	$84,922,010	$-3,422,010	26/23	0.0%
Colorado Avalanche	$81,662,439	$242,677	27/23	100.0%
Dallas Stars	$85,821,432	$-4,425,599	27/23	100.0%
Minnesota Wild	$79,991,109	$1,508,891	24/23	100.0%
Nashville Predators	$71,204,581	$10,295,419	26/23	100.0%
St. Louis Blues	$82,644,459	$-1,144,459	25/23	100.0%
Winnipeg Jets	$86,810,574	$112,307	24/23	0.0%

Pacific Division

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Anaheim Ducks	$69,971,792	$11,528,208	29/23	0.0%
Calgary Flames	$81,683,758	$-183,758	25/23	100.0%
Edmonton Oilers	$87,612,760	$-6,112,760	25/23	100.0%
Los Angeles Kings	$81,903,391	$-403,391	30/23	100.0%
San Jose Sharks	$76,562,086	$4,937,914	31/23	0.0%
Seattle Kraken	$73,672,148	$7,827,852	24/23	0.0%
Vancouver Canucks	$86,452,603	$-4,952,603	31/23	0.0%
Vegas Golden Knights	$91,321,017	$-9,821,017	26/23	0.0%

Team	Projected Cap Hit	Projected Cap Space	Current Cap Space	Active Roster	Playoff %
Boston Bruins	$80,788,748	$711,252	$711,252	30/23	100.0%
Buffalo Sabres	$67,551,498	$13,948,502	$13,948,502	28/23	0.0%
Detroit Red Wings	$70,319,072	$11,180,928	$11,180,928	29/23	0.0%
Florida Panthers	$82,896,486	$-1,396,486	$1,490,016	31/23	100.0%
Montreal Canadiens	$92,490,110	$-11,562,610	$6,113,062	29/23	0.0%
Ottawa Senators	$70,883,749	$10,616,251	$10,616,251	30/23	0.0%
Tampa Bay Lightning	$89,209,920	$-7,709,920	$4,916	22/23	100.0%
Toronto Maple Leafs	$83,672,127	$-2,172,127	$351,344	27/23	100.0%
Carolina Hurricanes	$83,871,638	$-2,371,638	$467,500	24/23	100.0%
Columbus Blue Jackets	$70,795,076	$10,704,924	$10,704,924	29/23	0.0%
New Jersey Devils	$74,176,099	$7,323,901	$7,323,901	33/23	0.0%
New York Islanders	$79,406,296	$2,616,389	$2,616,389	24/23	0.0%
New York Rangers	$76,590,074	$4,909,926	$4,909,926	28/23	100.0%
Philadelphia Flyers	$84,090,837	$-4,430,420	$6,355,196	30/23	0.0%
Pittsburgh Penguins	$83,473,687	$-1,973,687	$11,861	23/23	100.0%
Washington Capitals	$84,772,271	$-3,272,271	$180,833	26/23	100.0%
Arizona Coyotes	$76,356,625	$5,143,375	$5,143,375	32/23	0.0%
Chicago Blackhawks	$84,922,010	$-3,422,010	$8,739,152	26/23	0.0%
Colorado Avalanche	$81,662,439	$242,677	$242,677	27/23	100.0%
Dallas Stars	$85,821,432	$-4,425,599	$359,166	27/23	100.0%
Minnesota Wild	$79,991,109	$1,508,891	$1,508,891	24/23	100.0%
Nashville Predators	$71,204,581	$10,295,419	$10,295,419	26/23	100.0%
St. Louis Blues	$82,644,459	$-1,144,459	$290,046	25/23	100.0%
Winnipeg Jets	$86,810,574	$112,307	$112,307	24/23	0.0%
Anaheim Ducks	$69,971,792	$11,528,208	$11,528,208	29/23	0.0%
Calgary Flames	$81,683,758	$-183,758	$3,038,430	25/23	100.0%
Edmonton Oilers	$87,612,760	$-6,112,760	$1,092,138	25/23	100.0%
Los Angeles Kings	$81,903,391	$-403,391	$129,714	30/23	100.0%
San Jose Sharks	$76,562,086	$4,937,914	$4,937,914	31/23	0.0%
Seattle Kraken	$73,672,148	$7,827,852	$7,827,852	24/23	0.0%
Vancouver Canucks	$86,452,603	$-4,952,603	$1,872,500	31/23	0.0%
Vegas Golden Knights	$91,321,017	$-9,821,017	$615,001	26/23	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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