For several years now, NHL teams have been using a salary cap loophole to ice the best roster possible in the playoffs.
Whether it is Nikita Kucherov on the Tampa Bay Lightning, Mark Stone on the Vegas Golden Knights, or most recently Matthew Tkachuk on the Florida Panthers; the very best playoff-bound teams have had players be injured enough to get placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve. And the timing of it is the most important.
For these examples, the player went on LTIR before the trade deadline, just in time for their team to load up with that extra cap space created with them out of the lineup. And then they make a triumphant return almost immediately in the first round and since teams do not need to be salary cap compliant in the playoffs, there is a sizeable advantage just because they had a guy out nursing an injury for a few months.
Well, the NHL and NHLPA are reportedly going to address this issue. According to Chris Johnston, this could include the existence of a “playoff salary cap” or something like that.
No further details on how this could work or when it could be in place, but at least they are aware of it.
- If John Tavares isn’t returning to Toronto, he would be a perfect fit for the Wild. [Hockey Wilderness]
- In his full, seven-round mock draft, Corey Pronman has the Wild taking lots of Europeans, including a World Juniors standout Finnish goaltender. [The Athletic]
Off the trail…
- There’s “no doubt” that the Edmonton Oilers will be able to re-sign defenseman Evan Bouchard. [Edmonton Journal]
- Schedule for the 2026 Winter Olympics has been released. [NHL.com]
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