NHL salary cap over the next 3 seasons is getting its biggest increases since it started in 2005

NEW YORK — The NHL salary cap is going up significantly next season, with even bigger increases set for the coming years.

The league and the Players’ Association on Friday released the cap numbers for the next three seasons: $95.5 million in 2025-26, $104 million in ’26-27 and $113.5 million in ’27-28. The cap is $88 million this season, and each leap is the biggest since it was implemented in 2005 at $39 million.

Revenue reaching new record highs thanks to U.S. media rights deals, jersey and board advertisements and other sources are the reasons for the increases.

The sides agreed on the numbers to “provide increased predictability on core salary cap economics,” they said in a joint news release. The cap floor is set at $70.6 million in ‘25-26, $76.9 million in ’26-27 and $83.9 million in ’27-28.

The projections for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 season are subject to potential minor adjustments up or down. The league and union also intend to meet to discuss other collective bargaining matters that might need to be modified.

The current CBA expires after next season, though it’s possible an extension is done well ahead of that deadline.