Gary Bettman Makes a Massive Announcement That Will Make GM Kent Hughes' Job Much More Interesting in the Coming Years

For several years, the NHL's salary cap has remained stagnant, largely due to the pandemic affecting the league's revenues. Teams have had to manage with less financial resources while player salaries continued to rise.

Now, a major announcement is about to be confirmed, which could greatly affect the management strategy of Kent Hughes for the upcoming season.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has announced that the salary cap is set to increase to $87.675 million, a rise of more than $4 million per team. This is a substantial development.

This increase is great news for many general managers who currently have limited financial flexibility.

This significant raise could also mean several things for the Montreal Canadiens. Knowing they'll have more money to spend this summer could lead to trades that previously seemed difficult to make. For instance, it might impact the future of Jake Allen, who has another season left on his $3.85 million contract.

Furthermore, this increase might encourage Hughes to play a more significant role in the free agent market, as well as in trades.

With several big names likely to test free agency in 2024, an additional $4 million could tempt the Canadiens' management to make a major move to accelerate the team's rebuilding process.

In short, this salary cap increase is excellent news for the Montreal Canadiens organization.