Nikita Kucherov enjoyed playing the villain role last summer. After the Tampa Bay Lightning were crowned Stanley Cup champions for a second straight season, the star winger sported a jersey that read ‘$18 million over salary cap’ in reaction to criticism that the team took advantage of a breach in the NHL rulebook.
The Lightning were subject to the salary cap during the season, but this limit – of $81.5 million at that time – no longer applies during the playoffs given the larger squads. Kucherov had been placed on the long-term injured list for the entire 56-game season, so his contract was not calculated in the team’s payroll; he then amassed 32 points in 23 playoff games.
“We had a good season,” Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Douglas Hamilton said at the time after his team was eliminated by the Lightning in the second round. “We lost to a team that’s over the salary cap by $18 million. »
The general managers of the National Hockey League (NHL) discussed the absence of the salary cap in the playoffs during their most recent meeting this week, but the discussions have not gone further, at least for the moment. Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving said no one accused the Lightning of taking advantage of the system; the general managers have only had a “healthy discussion” about it, he says.
The Kucherov file — which, by being on the long-term injured list, allowed the Lightning to add more talent for the season and, by the way, for the playoffs — on the other hand, was talked about during the first meeting general managers since March 2020. “If there is a need or a need to change the rules, we will discuss it,” says Treliving.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the salary cap system has done the job well since it was introduced in 2005. the whole thing,” Bettman said.
This season, it’s the Las Vegas Golden Knights who have caught the eye for their use of the long-term injured roster.
Other issues
Other issues discussed include limited no-trade clauses.
A problematic situation arose at the last trade deadline, when the Golden Knights attempted to trade Yevgeny Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks. The trade was canceled 48 hours later, as the Ducks were on the list of teams Dadonov refused to be traded to. According to NHL Assistant Commissioner Bill Daly, discussions are underway to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
The NHL has also confirmed that the salary cap will increase by $1 million next year, to $82.5 million.
The general managers also received some information for the return of the World Cup of Hockey in 2024. Discussions on this subject, however, were still preliminary.