Salary Cap: Salary cap - season 2025-26

[Henkka]

So, what does the next season cap look like?

I'm using Capwages and Puckpedia websites as a source and making some estimations. Capwages have also that estimation tool from AFP analytics. Just saw the last salary predictor for Neil Pionk, which was 6 years 7 million. And he extended with Jets with exactly same numbers. Seems to be good tool for contract predictions.

Here we go:

1. Larkin - 8.7M (6 years left)
2. Raymond - 8.075M (7 years left)
3. DeBrincat - 7.875M (2 years left)
4. Kane - UFA - estimation same 4.0M deal with bonuses to 6.5M (earned 5.75M at last season with bonuses)
5. Copp - 5.626M (2 years left)
6. Compher - 5.1M (3 years left)
7. Tarasenko - 4.75M (1 year left)
8. Rasmussen - 3.2M (3 years left)
9. Berggren - RFA - 993k (estimate, 1-year)
10. Kasper - 887k (ELC, 2 years left)
11. Söderblom - RFA - 850k estimate (1-year)
12. Mazur/Danielson/MBN, one will steal the spot - ~900k
13. Motte or motte-styled PK forward spare center - 800k.
14. Watson or watson-styled bench veteran, league minimum 775k.

1. Seider - 8.55M (6 years left)
2. Chiarot - 4.75M (1 year left)
3. Justin Holl - 3.4M (1 year left)
4. Gustafsson - 2.0M (1 year left)
5. Edvinsson - 894k (1 year left)
6. Johansson - 811k estimate (1-year)

1. Mrazek - 4.25M
2. Talbot - 2.5M


Other caphits
- Justin Abdelkader - 1.055M (1 year left)
- Carryover bonuses from 2024-25 season - 871k (Kane + Kasper + Edvinsson bonuses, per puckpedia)

So this is a 22-man roster, 1 shy of full 23-man roster.

Total caphits: 81.556M
2025-26 Salary cap: 95.5M
Cap space = 13.934M

So in this scenario, as a starting point, you have added only Patrick Kane and signed your own RFAs.

 

[Henkka]

If you start creating other scenarios, then:

Scenario A:
- Keeping Patrick Kane for 1-year same old deal as last one (4.0M base + 2.5 for bonuses)
- Adding 2 defencemen totaling 13 million.
- Gavrikov for 6M.
- Ekblad for 7M.

Still some ~1M cap space to grow towards the deadline and include future bonuses in.

Then you have:

Kasper - Larkin - Raymond
DeBrincat - Copp - Kane
Rasmussen - Compher - Tarasenko
Söderblom - Motte/Danielson - Berggren
("Watson")

Gavrikov - Seider
Edvinsson - Ekblad
Chiarot - Johansson
-------------------
Gustafsson - Holl

1. Mrazek
2. Talbot
(3. Cossa)

 

[Henkka]

If you start creating other scenarios, then:

Scenario B:
- Going after Marner for 13 million.
- Adding 1 cheaper defencemen for 4 million (Ryan Lindgren)
- Promoting Sandin Pellikka.

Still some ~1M cap space to grow towards the deadline and include future bonuses in.

Then you have:

Kasper - Larkin - Marner
DeBrincat - Copp - Raymond
Rasmussen - Compher - Tarasenko
Söderblom - Motte/Danielson - Berggren
("Watson")

Lindgren - Seider
Edvinsson - Johansson
Chiarot - Sandin Pellikka
-------------------
Gustafsson - Holl

1. Mrazek
2. Talbot
(3. Cossa)

 

[Henkka]

If you start creating other scenarios, then:

Scenario C:
- Keeping Patrick Kane for 1-year same old deal as last one (4.0M base + 2.5 for bonuses)
- Adding 1 defencemen for 6 million (Gavrikov ?).
- Adding one winger for 7 million (Ehlers ?)

Still some ~1M cap space to grow towards the deadline and include future bonuses in.

Then you have:

Ehlers - Larkin - Raymond
DeBrincat - Copp - Kane
Rasmussen - Kasper - Tarasenko
Söderblom - Compher - Berggren
("Motte/Watson")

Gavrikov - Seider
Edvinsson - Johansson
Chiarot - Sandin Pellikka
-------------------
Gustafsson - Holl

1. Mrazek
2. Talbot
(3. Cossa)

 

[RRhoads]

$871,150 in bonuses too

Nm, didn't see you've taken it into account

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Any DRW roster which features any or most of the following will again be a failed roster:
Rasmussen
Berggren
Holl
Tarasenko

 

[Run the Jewels]

I think you target Gavrikov this summer to shore up the D and PK. By next summer at the latest you have $15m drop off the cap when Tank, Chiarot, Holl and Gustafsson's contracts expire. That's plenty of money to target Kyle Connor.

2026-27

Cat - Larkin - Raymond
Connor - Kasper - MBN
Buchelnikov - Danielson - X

Edvinsson -Seider
Gavrikov - ASP

Need to figure out the 3rd line RW and the starting goalie spot, but that's a full rebuild that addresses two of the three spots that need to be addressed via free agency.

 

[SCD]

I am not sure what math they are using to determine carry-over bonuses. Kane @1.75M and [email protected] for a total of 2,387500. Kasper as of now did not qualify for any bonuses.

If we ended with 2.02M in cap space, where does 871,500 come from?

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Lordy, still one year left on the cap hit for the ghost of Abdelkader.

 

[saska sault]

I am not sure what math they are using to determine carry-over bonuses. Kane @1.75M and [email protected] for a total of 2,387500. Kasper as of now did not qualify for any bonuses.

If we ended with 2.02M in cap space, where does 871,500 come from?

I could be wrong but I thought some of his bonuses were able to be used on this past seasons cap.

From an article I just found. Detroit had 2.888 million in bonuses and 2.02 million in cap space at the deadline. 2.02 gets covered by the 2024/25 cap and the overage of 871k goes onto next year according to the Hockey News.

 

[Henkka]

$871,150 in bonuses too

Nm, didn't see you've taken it into account

- Carryover bonuses from 2024-25 season - 871k (Kane + Kasper + Edvinsson bonuses, per puckpedia)

It was there. I did found two different numbers, one from Puckpedia (871k bonus overage) and 648k (from Capwages).

I did use the higher (Puckpedia) number for my calculations.

 

[Henkka]

I could be wrong but I thought some of his bonuses were able to be used on this past seasons cap.

From an article I just found. Detroit had 2.888 million in bonuses and 2.02 million in cap space at the deadline. 2.02 gets covered by the 2024/25 cap and the overage of 871k goes onto next year according to the Hockey News.

Yeah, I think this should be the right number, if they have even made an article.

 

[Henkka]

I am not sure what math they are using to determine carry-over bonuses. Kane @1.75M and [email protected] for a total of 2,387500. Kasper as of now did not qualify for any bonuses.

If we ended with 2.02M in cap space, where does 871,500 come from?

Kasper got 500k in bonuses. So it's total of 2.887M in bonuses

 

[Henkka]

I think you target Gavrikov this summer to shore up the D and PK. By next summer at the latest you have $15m drop off the cap when Tank, Chiarot, Holl and Gustafsson's contracts expire. That's plenty of money to target Kyle Connor.

Yeah, and cap goes up by 8.5M from 95.5M --> 104.0M

Also could think we save on the Goaltending position too, cheap Cossa in and one 2.5M-4.25M priced "talbot-mrazek" paired with him.

There will be 25M extra to spend for.

Only Edvinsson will eat a big share of it internally, probably 8 million.

 

[Run the Jewels]

Yeah, and cap goes up by 8.5M from 95.5M --> 104.0M

Also could think we save on the Goaltending position too, cheap Cossa in and one 2.5M-4.25M priced "talbot-mrazek" paired with him.

There will be 25M extra to spend for.

Yeah, I think you need a proven NHL goalie, imagine if Cossa is your only real option and he struggles. Yzerman can't allow that to happen, no matter how much people whine about just giving the #1 job to Cossa without a safety net.

 

[Henkka]

Yeah, I think you need a proven NHL goalie, imagine if Cossa is your only real option and he struggles. Yzerman can't allow that to happen, no matter how much people whine about just giving the #1 job to Cossa without a safety net.

I wonder what the goalie market will look like year after...? Yzerman already said it was weak for this summer, when he traded Mrazek.

And it really is weak, Alex Lyon could be "hot commodity" and will want a multi-year deal. Not fit on our plans.

But for 2026-27 season... Cossa and ... ?

 

[Run the Jewels]

I wonder what the goalie market will look like year after...? Yzerman already said it was weak for this summer, when he traded Mrazek.

And it really is weak, Alex Lyon could be "hot commodity" and will want a multi-year deal. Not fit on our plans.

But for 2026-27 season... Cossa and ... ?

Carey Price's contract ends.

Also Bob, Markstrom, Demko, Gustavsson, Skinner, Ned, Fedotov, Stolarz, Quick, etc.

Quite the mix of dinosaurs and guys who still have some tread on the tire.

 

[SCD]

Kasper bonus this year is at 500k. He was top three in +/- and top six in TOI among forwards. If he makes all-rookie team (unlikely), he would get another 250k.

 

[deca guard]

- i always wonder how many of marners assist were on mathews goals , as in are his assists numbers way bigger because of mathews ?

- getting tougher is important and jeanotts a ufa age 27

-

 

[lilidk]

After so many years still paying Aby. Was worth it , I don't think so. Yzerman acting crazy sometimes.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

After so many years still paying Aby. Was worth it , I don't think so. Yzerman acting crazy sometimes.

The alternative was having Abdelkader on the Wings’ roster through 2023. After the Wings bought him out in 2020 he could not find a job anywhere in the NHL.

It was worth it.

 

[lilidk]

The alternative was having Abdelkader on the Wings’ roster through 2023. After the Wings bought him out in 2020 he could not find a job anywhere in the NHL.

It was worth it.

I forgot we used those money to sign someone good. We could use him as a fourth liner, who kill penalties, bring physicality and fighting sometimes.
By the way did it help us to make a playoffs?

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

I forgot we used those money to sign someone good. We could use him as a fourth liner, who kill penalties, bring physicality and fighting sometimes.
By the way did it help us to make a playoffs?

I repeat: he could not get a job in the NHL at any price. But you want him killing penalties.

 

[lilidk]

I repeat: he could not get a job in the NHL at any price. But you want him killing penalties.

It's ok, I just don't like the idea we still paying him, Detroit could use those money somewhere else