NHL Salary Cap Rise Below Initial Expectations

The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced that the salary cap for the 2014-15 season will sit at US$69m, ed less than the original prediction.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had said in December that he expected to see a rise of over 10%, troche to around $71m.

The NHL and the Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced the new figure before the 2014 draft, with the floor up from $44m to $51m.

Ice-hockey related revenue generated throughout the season is what determines the salary cap for the following season.

With the NHL expected to post a record $3.7bn revenue for the 2013/14 season – a 12% rise – many people believed there would be a higher rise on this year’s salary cap.

With a new Canadian broadcast deal set to take revenues over $4bn in 2014/15, many are predicting a big rise for next season’s salary cap.