Vancouver Canucks: 3 Reasons Lower Salary Cap Helps

When the news broke that the NHL will not be raising the salary cap for the upcoming season, many Vancouver Canucks fans punched themselves in agony for putting false hope in the league in the first place.

After projecting a decent raise in the NHL Salary Cap for the 2016-17 season, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has softened his stance on a deal that once projected a $74 million dollar salary cap for the Vancouver Canucks.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the NHL salary cap could fall below the $70 million dollar mark.

"The players were told this week when they met with the NHLPA that if they don’t vote to increase the salary cap by five per cent, there’s a chance it could go down below $70 million next year."

This report, of course, has everyone worried and alarmed. The real truth, however, is different. According to Friedman, this figure likely goes up and eventually proves to be a raise from this year’s $71.4 million cap.

"Meanwhile, the NHLPA meets this week in Chicago, and, among the discussion topics is if the membership will vote to raise the cap by up to five per cent, as is its right. It’s happened every year but once, and that was a decade ago, the first time this option existed. In recent seasons, players have made more noise about saying no, as it hurts their escrow payments. But whenever the moment of truth arrives, they go for the max."

A 5 percent incentive would result in a salary cap of $73.5 million, a raise of two million dollars from this year. All the rumbling and the alarm is understandable, however. The league was looking to raise the cap as a result of a potential Las Vegas expansion. A projected $74 million dollar with a 5 percent incentive would have resulted in an ultimate total of $77.7 million.

So what does this all mean for the Canucks? Here are three reasons why a lower salary cap will benefit Vancouver for the upcoming season.

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