Report: NHL Salary Cap Could Increase by $9 Million Next Season

The NHL and NHLPA will discuss the possibility of increasing the salary cap by between $7 million and $9 million for the 2025-26 season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada’s “Saturday Headlines.”

The NHL and NHLPA agreed to raise the cap by 5.4% last summer, when it rose $4.5 million from $83.5 million to $88 million.

If the sides opt not to surpass the 5% mark for next season, the salary cap is expected to be around $92.5 million. It would be a $4.5-million increase from the current $88-million salary cap. The league would then see a larger jump to the 2026-27 campaign salary cap.

Under current CBA rules, the salary cap can rise a maximum of 5% each year but can increase by a larger margin if agreed upon by both parties. A $95-million to $97-million salary cap would represent an 8% to 10.2% jump.

The current CBA expires in September 2026.