Salary cap management defines 2022 NHL free agency

Neither Nazem Kadri, Johnny Gaudreau nor John Klingberg could sign with the Flyers even if they had their sights set on Philadelphia.

Before any of the top NHL free agents had agreed to a deal this week, general manager Chuck Fletcher declared the Flyers out of contention for all of them because of “the reality of our cap situation.”

“We don’t have the cap space to pursue those high-end type of free agents,” Fletcher said. “It probably precluded us from looking at some of the more expensive options in the market.”

If that sounds depressing for Flyers fans, it is. But it was also the grim reality for a number of teams across the NHL grapping with a salary cap ceiling that rose only $1 million this year as the league rebounds from the financial impact of the pandemic. It was the first increase since 2019.

Being locked in salary cap jail prevented the Flyers from bringing home Gaudreau, the MVP-caliber star who grew up just across the river in New Jersey. Similar issues forced the Vegas Golden Knights to essentially give away six-time 30-goal scorer Max Pacioretty for nothing, and the New York Islanders were never able to really enter the Gaudreau sweepstakes.

Thing is, other teams navigated this landscape just fine.

Columbus got Gaudreau, New Jersey added two-time Stanley Cup champion Ondrej Palat and Detroit signed a handful of players by taking advantage of cap space. Some teams clearly did a much better job managing the tight market.

“If you didn’t have room or a potential to make room, you wouldn’t have this type of opportunities,” Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said Thursday while sitting next to Gaudreau, who signed a $68.25 million, eight-year deal with Columbus. “It’s not an easy world when you have good players.