National Hockey League announces the salary cap has risen more than expected

The National Hockey League said today that the salary cap will rise to $88 million for the upcoming season—roughly $300,000 more than projected.

The midpoint will be approximately $76.5 million, with a cap floor of $65 million. Although the location of the cap for the 2024–2025 season was unknown, it is a pleasant surprise that it is higher than anticipated.

There are a few implications for the cap's rise, but the primary one is that it grew faster than anticipated. Although many NHL fans dislike Gary Bettman, you have to acknowledge that, aside from a few very poor decisions that he can't fully be held responsible for, like moving Atlanta to Winnipeg and, more recently, Phoenix to Utah, he's doing a pretty decent job.

Previous projections has the salary cap set at 87.7 million, but some expect an even larger increase next season.