Report: NHL to use playoff salary cap starting this season

The NHL is implementing a playoff salary cap effective for the 2026 postseason, The Athletic's Chris Johnston and James Mirtle report.

The 20-man lineup that dresses for a playoff game, plus any dead cap space a team has incurred, must be salary cap compliant. The cap for the 2025-26 season is $95.5 million.

The NHL and NHLPA agreed on the playoff salary cap structure as part of the new collective bargaining agreement that commences for the 2026-27 campaign. The change will be put into place a season early, coinciding with a rolling implementation of new rules in the CBA.

The Florida Panthers' Game 6 lineup in the Stanley Cup Final was $5 million over last season's $88-million salary cap, according to PuckPedia.

The long-term injured reserve system is also being altered one season early. Teams will receive relief for a player's full cap hit only if that player misses the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. If a player returns during the regular season or the playoffs, the team will only get LTIR relief of the average salary for the season.

For example, the Panthers would've had $3.8 million of relief after putting Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR last season, rather than his full $9.5-million cap hit.

Other immediate changes include eliminating deferred salary in contracts and restraints on double salary retention in trades.