The Edmonton Oilers are about to have a huge advantage in the next few years
Photo credit: Yahoo Sports
The NHL salary cap is set to increase over the next few years and will potentially exceed $100 million within two seasons.
This shift will provide a big advantage to financially robust teams like the Edmonton Oilers, whose franchise valuation has been set to $2.4 billion and ranks them the 7th most valuable team in the league.
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, while a higher cap opens opportunities for some, it will also widen the gap between teams willing and able to spend to the cap and those constrained by internal budgets. As Friedman explained:
"In two years, the cap is probably going to be over $100M. There are teams that are not comfortable with that. We talked about the salary progression now, $14M for Draisaitl, there are teams - we're going to get a split.
There will be teams that have no problem going to $100M and above, but there are going to be others that are like, we're not comfortable going there."
- Elliotte Friedman
There will be teams that have no problem going to $100M and above, but there are going to be others that are like, we're not comfortable going there."
- Elliotte Friedman
This disparity could see more teams opting to spend below the cap, impacting their ability to retain or acquire top-tier talent, like the Mikko Rantanen case.
For the Oilers, this scenario plays directly into their strengths since owner Daryl Katz and the star players Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl back them.
With a loyal fan base and being constantly sold out in "Oil Country," the team's financial health is super solid.
A higher cap will ensure that the Oilers can retain their best players and pay competitive salaries to their elite talent like Leon Drasaitl and outbid teams when in competition to sign some UFA.
In the event the cap rises to the projected $110 million mark, Edmonton's ability to build and maintain a deep, competitive roster will only increase.
For fans in Edmonton, the combination of a rising cap and a booming franchise valuation is looking good for the team's long-term success.
TRENDING NOW
