Report: Eight NHL teams to have cap overages for 2026-27

A number of teams will incur a slight penalty due to salary cap overages.

According to PuckPedia, at least eight NHL teams will have overages added to their salary cap for the 2026-27 season. These expenditures mostly come from performance bonuses added to players’ cap hits at the end of the campaign, as well as other bonuses tied to postseason outcomes.

The New York Islanders lead the charge with $3.5 million in bonus overage carryover, all spurring from rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer reaching the maximum possible bonuses for a player on an entry-level contract, coming directly to $3.5 million.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns earned $3 million of a possible $4 million in bonuses simply by playing 10 games. His bonuses led to the Avs carrying over $2,291,841 in salary. Thanks to the play of Justin Hryckowian and Jamie Benn, the Dallas Stars are going to have $2.08 million in overages, with another $500,000 being paid to Benn if the team advances to the Stanley Cup Final, with another half-million coming to him if the Stars win it all.

The New Jersey Devils ($1.25 million), San Jose Sharks ($918,694), Edmonton Oilers ($250,000), and defending Cup champion Florida Panthers ($150,000) round out the field.

There’s a possibility that two more teams could also experience overage penalties next year. If the Tampa Bay Lightning win a round, forward Corey Perry will receive a $62,500 bonus, with another bonus of $125,000 occurring if the team makes it to the Eastern Conference Final, and another $62,500 if the Bolts advance to the final.

The Ottawa Senators could have up to $414,000 in a cap overage if the team wins two rounds. A $914,000 overage will come into play if they make it to the final, $1.41 million if Ottawa wins the Cup.

The eight teams are down from the start of this season, when 11 teams were at the mercy of overages, which was a notable drop from a league-record 15 franchises that were set after the 2023-24 campaign.