Now that the 2024-25 regular season is over and final salary-cap totals have been tabulated, there are 11 NHL teams that will carry performance bonus overages on to their ledgers next season.
One of those teams is the Montreal Canadiens, who had more than a $1 million overage carry into this season and will nearly double in 2025-26. But it’s worth it, considering the Canadiens are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021 and since much of the overage is to pay bonuses to Lane Hutson, the likely Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year.
The NHL salary cap finally saw a meaningful jump last offseason, rising by $4.5 million to $88 million for the 2024-25 season — the first significant increase in years. While teams have welcomed the extra breathing room, the effects of years of a stagnant cap still linger across much of the League.
This season, 20 of the 32 NHL teams used Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) to exceed the cap, either temporarily or for extended stretches. While that’s a slight dip from the record-setting 22 teams the year before, it is still the second highest total historically. Forty percent of teams in the NHL ended the season with a final cap hit above the $88 million ceiling.
One of the consequences of finishing over the cap via LTIR is the triggering of performance bonus overages. When players earn performance bonuses and their team finishes the season over the salary cap, those bonuses are carried over as a cap charge to the following season.
Under the Salary Cap rules outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), only certain types of players are eligible for performance bonuses:
- Players on their Entry Level Contracts (ELC’s)
- Players that are 35 or older and sign a 1-year contract
- Veteran Players that have missed considerable time due to injury and sign a 1-year contract
At the conclusion of the season, any performance bonuses earned are added to the team’s final cap hit. If that total exceeds the cap ($88 million), the excess becomes a performance bonus carryover overage cap charge applied to the next season.
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NHL salary cap overage charges in 2025-26
As a result of the 2024-25 season, at least 11 teams (12 if Ryan Leonard wins the Conn Smythe Trophy for the Washington Capitals) will incur a bonus overage cap charge for next season. While still notable, this is a drop from previous seasons:
- 2023-24: 15 teams had a bonus overage (a League record)
- 2022-23: 14 teams
- 2024–25: 12 teams
Here’s a look at the teams that will have an overage for the 2025-26 season:
| Team | Bonus Overage Carryover | Additional Potential Bonus/Overage |
| St. Louis Blues | $2,153,475 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | $1,727,500 | Demidov $25K for 5 playoff games, $30K for 10 playoff games, $525K for Conn Smythe |
| Minnesota Wild | $1,100,000 | Buium $25K for 5 games played & $25K for Conn Smythe |
| New Jersey Devils | $1,000,000 | |
| Detroit Red Wings | $871,150 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | $626,230 | |
| New York Islanders | $600,000 | Tsyplakov $250K All-Rookie Team |
| Dallas Stars | $368,250 | |
| Los Angeles Kings | $212,500 | |
| Edmonton Oilers | $150,000 | Perry $50K if team wins 2nd Round, $50K if team wins 3rd Round |
| Carolina Hurricanes | $33,000 | Jaaska $5K with 2 more games played, Nikishin $1.0375M for Conn Smythe |
The St. Louis Blues will carry the League’s largest bonus overage into 2025-26 at $2.153 million — though that’s still below last season’s high mark of $3.45 million, set by the Edmonton Oilers. Veteran defenseman Ryan Suter earned his full $2.225 million in bonuses based on games played and playoff qualification, and Zach Bolduc added $212.5K for plus/minus. St. Louis ended the season with $284K in cap space, leaving the rest to roll over as an overage.
The Canadiens, a frequent overage team due to both Carey Price’s LTIR status and a steady stream of entry-level players with bonuses, has a projected $1.727 million overage — up from $1.022 million last year. Notable bonus earners include: Hutson maxing out his $750K in potential “A” bonuses, 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky earning $500K in A” bonuses for time on ice and plus/minus, Kaiden Guhle maxing out his $420K in potential “A” bonuses, and Jayden Struble earning $57.5K in games played bonuses. Late-season addition Ivan Demidov could add to the overage. He’ll earn $25K for 5 playoff games played, $30K for 10 playoff games, and another $525K if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
The Minnesota Wild will carry a $1.1 million overage, driven by Marco Rossi ($850K) and Brock Faber ($250K) each hitting their full “A” bonus thresholds. That’s up from $637.5K last season. The number could grow slightly if recently signed rookie Zeev Buium plays five playoff games or wins the Conn Smythe Trophy, each triggering a $25K bonus.
The New Jersey Devils face a $1 million overage, all due to Luke Hughes maxing out his “A” bonuses — slightly down from last year’s $1.56 million total.
Interestingly, the Detroit Red Wings are the only team with an overage that did not use LTIR during the season. They had $2.888 million in bonuses earned, offset by $2.02 million in cap space, resulting in an $871K overage. Patrick Kane earned $1.75 million of his potential $2.5 million in age-35+ bonuses (games played, but not playoffs). Simon Edvinsson ($638K) earned three “A” bonus categories, and Marco Kasper ($500K) hit two.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that rarely includes bonuses in player contracts, made an exception for Max Pacioretty, who earned $626K in games played bonuses — all of which will count as an overage.
The New York Islanders will carry a $600K overage: Matt Martin hit a $100K games played bonus, and rookie Maxim Tsyplakov earned $500K for ice time and plus/minus performance. He could add $250K more if named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
The Dallas Stars have a relatively small $368K overage, especially compared to their $2.6 million from last season. This year’s number comes from Wyatt Johnston maxing out his $319K in “A” bonuses, and Logan Stankoven earning $49.5K in games played bonuses before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Los Angeles Kings are facing a $212.5K overage after Brandt Clarke earned an “A” bonus for assists — a big drop from last year’s $1.85 million overage.
After leading the League with the highest overage last year ($3.45 million), the Oilers have one of the smallest overages at $150K, which comes from Corey Perry. He can earn another $100K in potential bonuses; $50K if the Oilers win two playoff rounds and Perry plays in either 50 percent of the Round 2 games or 50 percent of the total games in the first two rounds, and another $50K if they win three rounds and Perry plays in either 50 percent of the Round 3 games or 50 percent of the total games through the third round.
The Hurricanes likely won’t feel much pain in their overage, which is just $33K due to games played bonuses Stankoven achieved after the trade. They could face another $5K if Juha Jaaska plays two more games, and $1,037,500 if newcomer Alexander Nikishin wins the Conn Smythe Trophy.
The Capitals could join the overage list if Leonard wins the Conn Smythe, which would trigger a $275K bonus.
Four teams finished over the cap but did not pay out any bonuses: Washington (assuming Leonard doesn’t win the Conn Smythe), the Colorado Avalanche (second year in a row they have this distinction), Florida Panthers, and Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning finished with exactly $0 in cap space but avoided overages thanks to having no bonuses earned.
While at least 11 teams will have part of their 2025-26 cap space eaten up by performance bonus overages, the total League-wide charge is $8.6 million — a significant drop from last year’s $15.6 million.
With the salary cap projected to rise another $7.5 million to $95.5 million next season, teams may finally find some long-awaited relief. That could lead to a decline in both LTIR reliance and bonus overages.
