<p>SEATTLE — The NHL apprised the Board of Governors on Monday that the salary cap is on track to increase to $87.7 million for the 2024-25 season, exactly “as prescribed in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association coming out of the pandemic in 2020.</p>



<p>That’s a welcomed five percent increase from the current $83.5 million, a number that has been essentially frozen for these last four seasons while the players have repaid a $1 billion debt to owners as a result of the pandemic.</p>



<p>In fact, $4.2 million is the minimum the salary cap will increase – as called for in the “lag formula” in the MOU. The two sides can negotiate an even higher number for next season – which NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh hinted at <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/frankly-speaking-get-to-know-nhlpa-executive-director-marty-walsh" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in a recent interview on Frankly Speaking</a>.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="141"></div>



<p>“Next season, the salary cap is going up $5 million, and potentially more,” Walsh said. “Last year, when the salary cap was going up, I asked for more than $1 million. A million dollars wasn’t really enough. But I’m going to keep an eye on it. What I am going to do is make sure the players are getting their fair share.”</p>



<p>Walsh admitted that he asked for more than a $1 million increase, which was also as prescribed in the current agreement, though in return the NHL asked the NHLPA to raise the cap on escrow withholdings – currently capped at 6 percent. The NHLPA felt no reason to negotiate off of low number that players had been planning for, so the NHL held firm on what was in the agreement.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="132"></div>



<p>In other words, if the salary cap is going to increase beyond $87.7 million next season, the NHLPA will have to make a concession – something the league clearly isn’t planning on based on their report to owners and governors on Monday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-board-bytes">Board Bytes</h2>



<p>On Tuesday’s Board agenda: The NHL is expected to discuss the 2024 Draft. The league has been focused on The Sphere in Las Vegas for a couple of months. It’s possible that the unique venue, with its own unique costs, will be rubber-stamped by the Board on Tuesday. The NHL would become the first professional sports league to host an event in the music-first theater … The Board heard a presentation on Artificial Intelligence on Monday from <a href="https://shellypalmer.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shelly Palmer</a>, a foremost voice in technology … The Board also received an update from Fanatics, who takes over from Adidas next season as the league’s official jersey partner.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="148"></div>
