The Board of Governors met this week in Florida and Commissioner Gary Bettman met with the media after these meetings. The Collective Bargaining Agreement was certainly a topic as the NHL and NHLPA will have to begin work in the next few months with the current agreement set to expire in 2026.
While that is a little bit more down the road, Bettman did share some positive news for next season, news that is good news for the Los Angeles Kings. He did say the league is projected to have $6.6 billion in revenues and with that news the salary cap is set to increase next season.
Under the current agreement, the salary cap can be increased by 5 percent to $92.4 million, up from this season's cap of $88 million. However, Gary Bettman mentioned that he may discuss with the Player's Association whether that percentage could be adjusted higher because of the league's revenue.
Los Angeles Kings can use the extra cap space in 2025-26
The Los Angeles Kings have some key players set to be free agents after this season with Vladislav Gavrikov being the top free agent. He currently has a career-high average time on ice of 23:45 with +/- of +15.
If he reaches free agency as an unrestricted free agent, he will certainly generate plenty of interest that will drive his contract up. However, he is not the only player as Alex Laferriere will also be a free agent this offseason.
The negotiations with Laferriere are slightly easier because the Kings essentially can match any deal he signs with another team. If Laferriere were to sign an offer sheet, the Kings can match or receive draft compensation.
In addition to these two players, there are a number of other players who have their contract ending after this season including Tanner Jeannot (UFA), Arthur Kalyiev (RFA), Andreas Englund (UFA), and David Rittich (UFA). The Kings will have some work to do to not only retain some of these players but also try to improve the roster with other free agents. The extra cap space will certainly help them next summer.