Ladies and gentlemen, it might actually be happening. Vegas Golden Knights could be in for some terrible news.
The NHL and NHLPA are discussing changes that include a playoff salary cap, according to Chris Johnston. The objective? Prevent teams from exploiting loopholes with the controversial rule.
Chris Johnston: NHL/NHLPA discussing modifications that could include some kind "playoff salary cap" to prevent teams from exploiting loopholes - Chris Johnston Show
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 17, 2025
In case you're wondering about the lore, here's a bit of a backstory. Kelly McCrimmon and the Golden Knights have been accused of exploiting the rule for years. Namely, Mark Stone has been the poster child for the rule, being placed on injured reserve for a lacerated spleen (among other things).
Of course, teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning (see Nikita Kucherov) have also done this. But for poots and giggles, it's always Vegas that's at the forefront of the jokes.
Ironically, one of Vegas's rivals is being investigated for the rule's abuse. Evander Kane and his $5.125 million cap hit are under additional scrutiny by the NHL after Edmonton's Stanley Cup Final loss.
Currently, the rules are as follows. First, a player must be expected to miss at least 10 games AND 24 days of the NHL regular season. A team may exceed the salary cap when a player's on LTIR, with the amount a team may exceed being known as the LTIR pool. However, the cap hit must be under the salary cap once they're activated.
Simple as that. So what's the big deal for Golden Knights fans?
What this means for the Vegas Golden Knights in the playoffs
No, fans aren't freaking out about the proposed playoff expansion. If anything, it'll dilute the Stanley Cup playoffs and make them less entertaining. Remember when the league did this during the 1980s? Those were dark times, my friend.
However, there is some concern about the potential playoff salary cap. Suddenly, you're not able to put a $9.5 million cap hit aside during the playoffs. That might hurt the Golden Knights in the long run.
However, that might be somewhat overblown here. For one, the league has investigated Vegas in the past and found no wrongdoing. Thus, it could be the status quo for Kelly McCrimmon and company.
Besides, he always finds a way to make his usual salary cap gymnastics work. Could we see Alex Pietrangelo on LTIR? What about Nicolas Hague and his future whereabouts? Does it even matter?
Fans have gotten used to their general manager finding ways to satisfy the NHL with appropriate moves. There are always the quips, memes, and jokes about who McCrimmon will acquire next. These jokes could still come into play should a playoff salary cap be implemented.
Now that would be pretty funny.