The NHL has strict rules for how much teams can spend. Here’s how it works

Irwin Kishner, co-chair of Herrick's Sports Law Group, was quoted in CNBC Sport in an article discussing the NHL's hard salary cap and how it has allowed clubs to keep parity with respect to top talent irrespective of club worth. The article notes that "For the 2024-25 season, the pay ceiling is $88 million and the lower limit is $65 million." Therefore, regardless of the worth of the team, every team is on roughly equal footing for how much they can pay players. The article notes that "[t]he pay limit has been in place since the end of a labor dispute that caused the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 NHL season." Further, according to the article, the strict salary cap has "helped the league’s financial health since the full season stoppage."

“If you have a business that limits the amount that wealthy owners can put into the players, it will enable the lesser clubs to compete with the more wealthy clubs,” said Irwin.

The article notes that the memorandum of understanding that extended the current collective bargaining agreement ("CBA") will expire in September 2026, and a new CBA will be negotiated between the league and the National Hockey League Players Association. 

Read the full article in CNBC Sport here. Access may require a subscription.