How Does NHL Salary Cap Work? Complete 2026 Guide
The 2025-26 NHL salary cap is $95.5 million, rising to $104 million in 2026-27. This complete guide explains the 50-50 Engine formula, LTIR...
By Mike Johnson · 14 min read
#Analysis
Articles tagged with Analysis
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Tom Fitzgerald Fired: Devils' Deadline Deficit
Tom Fitzgerald fired after a 29-point decline from 112 to 83 points. The Deadline Deficit — three years of trade deadline inaction — sealed...
By Mike Johnson · 11 min read
Brendan Shanahan Nashville: The Insulation Layer Trap
Brendan Shanahan and Marc Bergevin are linked as a president-GM tandem to Nashville. The Islanders rejected this pairing in 2025. The Insula...
By Mike Johnson · 12 min read
TJ Hughes NHL Free Agent: The Zero-Dollar Bidding War
T.J. Hughes is the most wanted college free agent in the NHL — and every team offers the exact same deal. The Zero-Dollar Bidding War scores...
By Mike Johnson · 11 min read
Maple Leafs GM Search: Inside the Overcorrection Cycle
Toronto has hired five GMs since 2008. Each one represented the opposite philosophy of the last. Burke was toughness. Dubas was data. Treliv...
By Mike Johnson · 11 min read
Bruce Cassidy Maple Leafs: Why He Said No to Toronto
Bruce Cassidy won't coach the Maple Leafs, per TSN's Darren Dreger. His career pattern — championships in Year 1-3, locker room fractures by...
By Mike Johnson · 10 min read
John Chayka to Maple Leafs? The Prodigal GM Toronto Can't Ignore
John Chayka — the former Coyotes GM suspended by the NHL in 2021 — interviewed with Toronto in February and is now a legitimate candidate. H...
By Mike Johnson · 14 min read
Yzerman Step Back Red Wings: The Architect's Ceiling
Friedman proposed moving Yzerman to president and promoting Draper or Horcoff to GM. But the Sakic Model worked because Sakic won first — Yz...
By Mike Johnson · 10 min read
Calgary Flames Offseason Trade Candidates: The Saddledome
Conroy sold Andersson, Weegar, and Kadri for 26 draft picks. Now Coleman, Frost, and Whitecloud are next — but the Saddledome Exit Strategy...
By Mike Johnson · 12 min read
Shesterkin Markstrom Goalie Fight: The $92M Haymaker That
Shesterkin beat Markstrom at MSG after training with undefeated pro boxer Sergey Novikov. Three goalie fights in ten weeks after a six-year...
By Mike Johnson · 9 min read
Cale Makar Injury Update: The $18M Shutdown That Could Win
Cale Makar left Colorado's 9-2 win over Calgary with an upper-body injury and will miss the final 6 regular-season games. But this isn't a c...
By Mike Johnson · 9 min read
Bobby McMann Kraken Extension: The $5M Gamble
Bobby McMann has 7 goals in 8 games since joining Seattle. The Kraken want to extend him, but is his explosive start sustainable enough to j...
By Mike Johnson · 12 min read
Hurricanes Not Expected Back: The Contender's Tax
Three Hurricanes not expected back next season. At 96 points and first in the Metro, Carolina must shed cap to keep its championship core in...
By Mike Johnson · 7 min read
Robert Thomas Trade: The Four-First Problem Explained
The Robert Thomas trade is coming this summer per LeBrun. The Blues want 4 first-round equivalents — but his full NTC suppresses the bidding...
By Mike Johnson · 9 min read
Predators Not Expected Back: The NMC Trap Explained
Three Predators not expected back next season, but the NMC Trap complicates everything. Marchessault wants out, Stamkos refused to waive, an...
By Mike Johnson · 8 min read
Ovechkin 1000 Goals: The Last 16 That Define His Legacy
Ovechkin scored his 1,000th career goal, joining Gretzky as the only player to reach the milestone. But Gretzky's combined record of 1,016 i...
By Mike Johnson · 7 min read
Jordan Kyrou Trade: Why the $8.125M Gamble Scares GMs
The Jordan Kyrou trade is coming this summer, but his production collapse from 36 goals to 14 changes everything. Full NTC, $8.125M AAV, and...
By Mike Johnson · 7 min read
Bobrovsky Panthers Extension: The 50% Pay Cut Coming
Bobrovsky's Panthers extension will be a 2-3 year deal at $4-5M AAV — a 50% pay cut from his $10M. The worst season of his career meets the...
By Mike Johnson · 9 min read