NEWSLETTER
Yeah, go ahead and crack that massive smile, Mr. Davidson.
According to a report from Elliotte Friedman and Rory Boylen at SportsNet on Tuesday afternoon, the NHL has given front offices some guidance on salary cap ceiling expectations for the coming years. And oh boy is it exciting!
Here’s what Friedman includes as projections in his report:
If you visit CapFriendly and look out to the 2024-25 season, when the cap could jump to $88 million, the Blackhawks currently have $17.9 million committed to Seth Jones, Connor Murphy and Jake McCabe.
Three players. Less than $18 million.
Which means (gets out my TI-83 from high school) the Blackhawks will have roughly SEVENTY MILLION DOLLARS in cap space in two years.
Obviously there are going to be players between now and then that need to get paid. Burning the first year of Lukas Reichel’s entry-level contract means he’ll be in play by then. And the obvious reality is the entire rest of the roster is a free agent at some point in the next two years so, should the Blackhawks want to keep anyone, those dollars will count as well.
But, as of now, the Blackhawks have a boatload of cap space coming in two years.
Want to throw some accelerant on a rebuild? Have more available cap space than anyone in the league.
(Cough, Auston Matthews is a free agent in 2024, cough…)
