Per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reported to the league’s Board of Governors that, should all circumstances remain the same, the salary cap may rise significantly next summer:
Bettman said that by the end of the season the players will have paid back the owners in full to make up the approximate $1.5 billion escrow debt they incurred in the 2019-20 season. He said the remaining debt is down to about $50 million.
“Very preliminary projection, but we believe the escrow will be paid off in full and the cap will be somewhere between $87 (million)-$88 million for the following year,” Bettman said.
That would represent an increase of up to $4.5 million. The cap is $83.5 million this season. The projected revenue for this season is expected to be about $6.2 billion, but Bettman said a more comprehensive projection will be given to the Board of Governors when they meet in Seattle on Dec. 4-5.
“Things are good,” Bettman said. “Vital signs are good. Revenues are growing. Everybody thinks the game is in great shape as we head into another season.”
Continued; the higher the cap, the better the Red Wings can compete for talent, even in a “hard cap with linkage” world.
