How The Vancouver Canucks Salary Cap Compares To The Rest Of The NHL Heading Into The 2024-25 Season
According to PuckPedia, the Vancouver Canucks have $190,833 of cap space available heading into the 2024-25 regular season.
@Canucks on X - How The Vancouver Canucks Salary Cap Compares To The Rest Of The NHL Heading Into The 2024-25 SeasonWith opening night a month and a half away, the Vancouver Canucks lineup looks pretty much set. While there may be an addition or two between now and October 9, it is clear the Canucks will once again be pressed against the cap, with PuckPedia projecting just $190,833 in cap space to start the season. Using the site, here is a look at how Vancouver is spending their cap space next season while also comparing individual position spending to the rest of the NHL.
Starting up front, the Canucks have allocated $50.755 million or 57.7% of their cap to the forward group. The 57.7% is ranked tenth in the league and lands Vancouver between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils. As for salaries, the big contract next season is Elias Pettersson, who will carry a cap hit of $11.6 million, followed by J.T. Miller at $8 million and Brock Boeser at $6.65 million.
Also amongst the forward group are a few home run contracts that should provide the Canucks with plenty of value. Seven players are making under $2 million, including Pius Suter, Daniel Sprong and Nils Höglander, who could all play top-six roles this season. Overall, Patrik Allvin and his team have built a solid forward group, with plenty of players signed to team-friendly contracts next season.
For the blue line, Vancouver is spending $28.125 million, or 32% of its cap, on defencemen. This ranks 13th in the league and falls between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators. The defence group also features one of the best contracts in the league, as Quinn Hughes is set to carry a cap hit of $7.85 million, which ranks 23rd among defenders.
Outside of Hughes, Filip Hronek is the other big contract at $7.25 million, while Carson Soucy is next at $3.25 million. Overall, the Canucks did a good job spacing out their cap hits on the blue line next season, as Tyler Myers, Vincent Desharnais, Derek Forbort and Noah Juulsen all come in at $3 million or under. Vancouver also has some strong, cheap depth options in case of injury, including Mark Friedman, Christian Wolanin and Guillaume Brisebois, who all carry a cap hit of $775,000.
Lastly, Vancouver is set to spend $5.85 million or 6.6% of their cap on goaltending. This is one of the lowest percentages in the NHL, with the Canucks ranking 21st. Ultimately, having a Veznia calibre goaltender at $5 million and a more than capable backup at $850,000 means that Vancouver has one of the most efficient goaltending departments in the league, which helps their overall cap situation immensely.
While the Canucks have built a strong roster, they have also created a small cushion that should allow management to improve the team during the season. As mentioned, there are also quite a few team-friendly contracts that will be valuable to a team pressed against the ceiling, like Vancouver. In the end, fans should be happy with the work Allvin and his team have done to build this team, as the Canucks have built one of the most cap-efficient teams in the NHL.
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