Insider Trading: Could a 'Kucherov' rule be added to keep salary cap restrictions in playoffs?

Could a 'Kucherov' rule be implemented where salary cap restrictions extend into the playoffs? Could we see a play-in event for the World Cup of Hockey? Will the Evgeni Dadonov trade annulment lead to rule changes to no-trade lists? TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun, and Darren Dreger discuss this and more.

Could we see a “Kucherov Rule” implemented that would see salary cap restrictions extend to the playoffs?

Pierre LeBrun: I don’t know if that’s what they’ll call it, but yes. The GMs are meeting next week and what we’re being told, according to sources, is that there will be a discussion between NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and the GMs about whether or not they should expand the salary cap into the playoffs.

There is no cap in the playoffs. There never has been since it came into effect in 2005 and it’s been controversial. Patrick Kane came off long-term injured reserve in the 2015 playoffs and Tampa did it with Kucherov last year. The team was able to use that cap space and then add a player come playoff time, essentially, when he came off of LTIR. 

This is going to be an interesting discussion. I’m told there is going to be a group of GMs that have been talking about this for a month and that they went to the league and said “Could we talk about this?” So, we’ll see where it goes.

Chris Johnston: And there will be some good news for the GMs when they are in Florida because they will be told that the league is continuing to project a $1 million increase to the salary cap next season, up to $82.5 million. This is welcome because it’s been three years with a flat cap.

The key takeaway here is that the COVID scheduling disaster in December, January, and February, plus the Canadian attendance limits