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Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Oilers, Saad, Pettersson, Salary Cap

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Parsons | Last updated Jan 31, 2025 4:16 PM ET

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the big news of the day was the NHL projections for the salary cap over the next three seasons. The jump is significant, and the domino effect might be huge. In other news, there is talk about what decision Brandon Saad will make, which could come Friday afternoon. Finally, are the Columbus Blue Jacket serious contenders for Elias Pettersson?

Salary Cap Projections Released by the NHL

The NHL released their salary cap projections for the next three seasons. The 2025-26 upper limit will be $95.5 million, and the lower limit will be $70.6 million. The 2026-27 upper limit will be $104 million, and the lower limit will be $76.9 million. The 2027-28 upper limit will be $113.5 million and the lower limit $83.9 million.

That’s a massive jump. While it gives teams room this coming summer they weren’t sure they’d have, in the following two offseasons, the extra space means keeping big stars for some teams and chasing big names for others.

Chris Johnston reports, “An interesting note on the salary cap numbers released by the NHL and NHLPA today — the $104M upper limit in 2026-27 and $113.5M upper limit in 2027-28 are effectively penciled in and could theoretically go up.” Frank Seravalli added, “As part of this salary cap agreement, NHL and NHLPA agreed to set escrow withholding for next season at 4%. That is, of course, subject to possible adjustment.”

The problem this cap jump has is for low-budget teams that often spend to the floor and for some Canadian teams moving forward. As Seravalli points out, with the dollar exchange rate, a $113.5 million USD salary cap in 2027-28 equates to $163.2 million spending in Canadian dollars. Teams like the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets could have trouble keeping up.

Where Will Brandon Saad Land?

Several teams are rumored to be interested in signing Brandon Saad. He becomes a free agent this afternoon and Elliotte Friedman notes the market for Saad will be big. Friedman even believes there might be a team out there willing to give him a second season on a deal.

Teams linked to Saad include the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, New Jersey Devils, and Tampa Bay Lightning. There could be and probably are others. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Early Insider Trading on Thursday that Toronto has “moderate” interest.

He explained:

“The reason I choose the word moderate is because as much as I like the history between Craig Berube and Brandon Saad and the fact that Saad could complement what the Toronto Maple Leafs have – because he can skate, he can provide secondary scoring – he hasn’t been providing much with the St. Louis Blues to this point of the year, which is why he’s gone through this process.”

Nick Kypreos is reporting both the Oilers and Maple Leafs are pursuing this.

Are the Blue Jackets Interested in Pettersson?

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are a team to watch when it comes to Elias Pettersson. They have reached out to the Vancouver Canucks (as have the Buffalo Sabres) to determine the asking price for a trade. Their concern is that they want to be sure they’re getting the type of player who earned a huge extension or one who might be permanently damaged by some lackluster play and a sour relationship with a teammate.

LeBrun believes teams are waiting to see if the Canucks will lower their asking prices for Pettersson (and J.T. Miller) before really putting their best offers on the table.