NHL
Cha-Ching! NHL Announces Salary Cap Spike for Next THREE Years

The NHL made many general managers very happy Friday when it announced a gargantuan salary cap spike between 2025-26 and the 2027-2028 season. The NHL salary cap is going way, way up.
After enduring several years of a flat cap because the players had to repay the owners for the lost revenues from the 2019-20 COVID shutdown, the league and the NHL Players Association negotiated a meteoric rise following a surge in revenues.
There was some intrigue as to whether the league would see a singular, extreme spike next season. Instead, it appears it will be spread over three seasons.
In 2025-26, the cap will increase by $7.5 million to an upper Limit of $95.5Â million and a cap floor of $70.6 million.
The cap will increase even more in 2026-27. In two seasons, it will increase by $8.5 million to an upper limit of $104 million and a lower limit of $76.9 million.
In 2027-28, the NHL salary cap will reach a staggering $113 million, a more than $25 million increase from its current level. The cap floor in 2027-28 will be 82.9 million.
The projected ranges for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons will be subject to potential minor adjustments (up or down).
Update: Reports also indicate that Escrow will be set at 4% for next season.
Per the press release, the NHL and NHLPA still intend to meet to discuss other elements of the Collective Bargaining Agreement that might need modification and/or improvement beyond the 2025-26 season.
2025-26
Upper Limit: $95.5 million
Lower Limit: $70.6 million
2026-27
Upper Limit: $104 million
Lower Limit: $76.9 million
2027-28
Upper Limit: $113.5 million
Lower Limit: $83.9 million