On Wednesday it was announced that Bill Daly, Deputy Commissioner for the NHL had spoken with GM's across the league to inform them that the cap next season would be between 84 and 88 million. The current cap sits at 81.5 million.
When these numbers come out it is usually prudent to pick the low end, I am far from a cap mathematician but my understanding is that the 88 million would happen only if the NHLPA chose to use their 5% escalator to increase the cap.
It should go without saying that a 6.5 million dollar cap increase would have a massive effect on the current contract landscape, especially for the teams around the league that spend up to the cap ceiling.
Even a 2.5 million dollar increase is surprising as many expected the cap to stand pat this season with a new bargaining agreement expected to be voted on the following year.
So, how would this outlook effect the 2020/2021 Edmonton Oilers?
Thanks to Capfriendly's handy Armchair GM tool, we can breakdown Edmonton's roster for next season. Here are the players currently signed for the NHL roster next season.
With a cap at 84 million, the Oilers currently have $15,063,835 in cap space to spend.
Next we will make a few assumptions that I believe will certainly happen.
- Edmonton signs RFA's Ethan Bear and Andreas Athanasiou to NHL deals - Edmonton signs UFA's Riley Sheahan and Josh Archibald
This essentially gives the Oilers the same roster as they are running with right now as well as still having about $5,813,835 in cap space.
Now let's make a few bolder predictions:
- Holland finds a way to deal Kris Russell and Alex Chiasson - Holland resigns Smith to another one year deal - Adding in a couple free agent signings - Edmonton chooses to buyout James Neal
Surprise surprise I went back to the Taylor Hall well but if you want to swap out a Dadonov or a Hoffman for a bit cheaper too than go ahead. This is less about predicting who the Oilers should sign, and more the significance of what an increase in the cap can provide to the Edmonton Oilers.
My above roster leaves Edmonton with $1,594,668 in cap space. That might not be completely accurate due to some confusion on how some bonuses (notably Mike Smith this season) effects the total cap however it should not be too far off.
Regardless, a boost in the cap is nothing but good news for Edmonton moving forward and will certainly create a larger variety of options for Ken Holland.
Thanks for reading!