Training camps are arriving, which means most teams have almost locked down their rosters, at least until that final wave of players currently on professional tryout contracts gets signed. At the very least, teams have a good idea of what their salary cap situations look like.<\/p>\n
For the last month, we\u2019ve been ranking every team\u2019s salary cap situation, and today is the final chapter. Ahead will be the eight teams that are the best of the best, and it shouldn\u2019t be a surprise that most of these teams are consistent contenders for the playoffs and the Stanley Cup. This ranking has been done through a somewhat complex process and system, which I have outlined\u00a0in\u00a0a summary of its own for your convenience<\/a>.<\/p>\n As for the changes going into the final edition, the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> and Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> continue to be intertwined in a \u201cwill they, won\u2019t they\u201d, as they have swapped positions once again, with Columbus\u2019 recent acquisition of Ivan Fedotov hurting them in some categories. Additionally, that move has caused the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> to move up from 29th to 27th.<\/p>\n The Blue Jackets and Flyers moving around in a couple categories has also caused a chain reaction in other parts of the list. As a result, the Los Angeles Kings<\/a> and Montreal Canadiens<\/a> have swapped places, the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> have moved up two spots, and the Utah Mammoth<\/a> have moved down four spots. No teams found their way into the top eight, though, so the following teams will all be new entries.<\/p>\n Contract Rating:\u00a023rd If there\u2019s one team that sticks out like a sore thumb on this list, it\u2019s the Red Wings. After all, they aren\u2019t even close to being a consistent playoff contender, never mind a Cup contender. Considering all the criticism Steve Yzerman has rightfully gotten for his moves lately, it\u2019s surprising to see Detroit up this high.<\/p>\n But there are two factors that are a driving force for this ranking. First, the three players that are currently locked up long term for the Red Wings are also their three best players: Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Also, the Wings fare well because contracts like Ben Chiarot, J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp are no longer in that range like they used to be, but that\u2019s about as good as it gets as far as securing a core long term.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s their cap space to skill differential. The Red Wings aren\u2019t a great team (and my model agrees, ranking them 21st right now), but they also aren\u2019t spending like a top team either. With nearly $12 million in cap space, they have the sixth-most in the league right now, which means that hopefully when they do spend, it will improve the roster as well.<\/p>\n That said, Yzerman isn\u2019t reliable for spending wisely, and it\u2019s created the team\u2019s biggest weakness: their contract rating. Outside of getting market value for their main core and cheap deals with some of their younger players (like Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper and Elmer Soderblom) and a few veterans (like Erik Gustavsson, Cam Talbot and James van Riemsdyk), the Red Wings just aren\u2019t getting good value on their players. Mason Appleton, Chiarot, Compher, Copp, Travis Hamonic, Patrick Kane, even John Gibson are the biggest names for Detroit whose contracts don\u2019t rate well. It just feels like they could be doing a bit better spending in that regard, and maybe that would put them in consistent playoff contention.<\/p>\n Contract Rating:\u00a02nd The Lightning have long been a model of consistency, both on the ice and with their finances. But last summer may have been the true proving point for how willing they are to stay near the top. Most teams would have hung on to veteran players like Steven Stamkos, but pivoting to Jake Guentzel helped keep their contention window open just a little bit longer, even without a strong prospect pool. This strategy may have only resulted in a first round exit for Tampa last season, but it\u2019s otherwise paying off.<\/p>\n The Bolts are one of just two teams to rank top two in two different categories, which for them is their contract rating and their dead cap space, the latter of which they have none. As for their contract rating, it mostly just comes from a lack of bad contracts in their system. Pretty much all their big names are signed to around market value, with the lone exception being Erik Cernak. That said, some are still proving to be steals, like Oliver Bjorkstrand, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.<\/p>\n The Lightning\u2019s only noticeable blemish is one that is suffered by teams in tax-free states and coming off a strong championship window: the number of clauses in their system. They have 12 on their cap sheet, tied for the sixth-most in the league, but while a couple are questionable (Zemgus Girgensons? Really?), this is mostly just the downside to Tampa\u2019s situation. Otherwise, they\u2019ve done a great job of keep their Cup window open, even if they haven\u2019t made noise in the playoffs recently.<\/p>\n Contract Rating:\u00a010th Speaking of consistent teams in the state of Florida, the Panthers are the league\u2019s gold standard right now. In the previous three years I\u2019ve done this list, they\u2019ve ranked second, first and fifth, the only team to rank in the top five all three years. The fact that sixth is the worst they\u2019ve finished should be a big compliment, but it does come with one tiny red flag waving in the distance.<\/p>\n What the Panthers have done to stay so good over the past few years is that they\u2019ve known when to cut bait on players who weren\u2019t a part of their core. That\u2019s been seen so far in instances like dealing Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar to get Matthew Tkachuk, or just simply letting players like Anthony Duclair, Radko Gudas or Brandon Montour walk when it was deemed necessary and replacing them with cheaper alternatives.<\/p>\n However, that slipped this summer. One could argue that Florida had built-in replacements for Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand in Anton Lundell and Mackie Samoskevich to allow them to move on from the former two to continue maintaining good cap health. But instead, they committed to Bennett and Marchand. That\u2019s far from a bad thing, as the Panthers just won the Cup with this group, but it also means the window may close sooner than it could have. As a result, they have a few more bad contracts in the system and are the only team currently over the cap once you account for contracts permanently on long-term injured reserve (so not Tkachuk).<\/p>\n Of course, there\u2019s still a lot to like about this Florida group, especially with the fact that, outside of Sergei Bobrovsky, all their top players are locked in. Only the Hurricanes have more players locked in for four or more seasons, so the fact that many Panthers are signed that long and they\u2019re still one of the best teams in terms of quality of core is a great sign. And with the exception of Bennett\u2019s contract, all of them are rated as close to, or above, market value, also a great sign about why the Panthers are still rated so well despite finally showing some flaws.<\/p>\n Contract Rating:\u00a03rd Much like the Panthers, the Golden Knights have never not been in this last quarter of the list since the series started in 2022, and it doesn\u2019t take a rocket scientist to know why. They continue to be cutthroat with their roster and look at every setback as an opening to improve elsewhere. Case in point: Alex Pietrangelo\u2019s injury should have caused more problems for Vegas, and yet it gave them the cap space they needed to bring in Mitch Marner.<\/p>\n The Golden Knights spent very intelligently this summer, as Marner\u2019s contract is right around market value. Despite the high cap hit, he\u2019s worth the money. The other really smart thing Vegas did was move on from Nicolas Hague. They not only avoided paying the defenseman that overpriced contract he got with the Nashville Predators<\/a>, but the trade also got them a cheaper and better replacement in Jeremy Lauzon, along with a cheaper replacement for Nicolas Roy in Colton Sissons.<\/p>\n As a result, the Golden Knights continue to sit well with their salary situation. They have no dead cap space, have a solid core, and have a roster strong enough to be close to the salary cap. Their contract rating is also very strong, largely thanks to some great value contracts (like Pavel Dorofeyev, Reilly Smith and William Karlsson), and more importantly, only few bad ones (like Brett Howden and Adin Hill). Vegas does have a lot of clauses, but like Tampa and Florida, that can mostly be attributed to operating in a no-tax state.<\/p>\n Contract Rating:\u00a05th Is it any surprise that the team that has managed to maintain one of the deepest lineups in the league is also this high in the cap rankings? It takes smart contract management to keep so many good players around, and the Stars are one of the best at it with the fifth-best contract rating. Even as they\u2019ve had to start paying players like Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston closer to market value, along with adding Mikko Rantanen into the fold, finally getting Jamie Benn\u2019s overpriced deal off the books and having him back at just $1 million has helped offset the balance.<\/p>\n
Contracts with No-Trade\/No-Move Clauses:\u00a0t-12th
Dead Cap Space:\u00a022nd
Quality of Core:\u00a02nd
Cap Space to Skill Differential:\u00a05th<\/p>\n
Contracts with No-Trade\/No-Move Clauses:\u00a0t-26th
Dead Cap Space:\u00a01st
Quality of Core:\u00a017th
Cap Space to Skill Differential:\u00a0t-16th<\/p>\n
Contracts with No-Trade\/No-Move Clauses:\u00a0t-18th
Dead Cap Space:\u00a0t-1st
Quality of Core:\u00a06th
Cap Space to Skill Differential:\u00a0t-26th<\/p>\n
Contracts with No-Trade\/No-Move Clauses:\u00a0t-26th
Dead Cap Space:\u00a0t-1st
Quality of Core:\u00a013th
Cap Space to Skill Differential:\u00a0t-13th<\/p>\n
Contracts with No-Trade\/No-Move Clauses:\u00a0t-5th
Dead Cap Space:\u00a019th
Quality of Core:\u00a03rd
Cap Space to Skill Differential:\u00a0t-21st<\/p>\n