Potential NHL Cap Casualties Who Could Be Steals for Other Teams During the 2026 Offseason

The NHL offseason is rapidly approaching, and with it come difficult decisions for teams facing potential salary-cap issues.

The salary cap is a burden for everyone (though the floor can be a burden for others), but for many teams, the presence of high-paid players on their books now could get in the way of doing business come July 1.

Looking ahead to summertime, there are already a few teams that will be looking to slash salaries to get below the $104 million cap ceiling. For many of them, that means saying goodbye to a player or two that fans may love dearly.

In the NHL, business never truly sleeps. General managers who want to find ways to subtract salary will find other GMs who will take it off their hands for the right price of prospects, picks, and/or more players. Or maybe there will be buyouts.

Which players could be salary-cap casualties? We've got a few ideas based on talk around the league and some of our own ideas, too.

Brendan Gallagher, Montréal Canadiens

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This move is all but certain after listening to the lifelong Canadiens forward speak during the team's end-of-season availability.

Even though he has one year left on his contract with a $6.25 million cap hit, Gallagher said this past season was likely his last with the franchise.

He is 34 years old and had 28 points in 77 games and played in just three playoff games while the Canadiens made it to the Eastern Conference Final. For a guy who has played 911 games with Montréal, moving on will be difficult, but his cap hit makes it very difficult for a team to take him on.

He would make a solid veteran for any young room, and if he's healthy enough, he can be a contributor in a limited role. That said, it'll take the Canadiens eating a lot of money or just buying him out to set him free to really make something work out.

It's a sad end for Gallagher with the Canadiens, but he's leaving a long, proud legacy there.

Tomáš Hertl, Vegas Golden Knights

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Everyone loves Tomáš Hertl, dating back to his early days with the San Jose Sharks. He's joyful, loves the game, and has a smile as big as a house.

But just like every summer, the Vegas Golden Knights are going to be looking to figure out how to dip, dodge, and duck the salary-cap ceiling. Hertl could be part of that crunch, except for one really big asterisk.

As part of the eight-year contract he signed with the Sharks in 2022, Hertl has a three-team list he'd approve a move to in the fourth, fifth and sixth years of his deal. He'll be entering the fifth year of that contract next season, so trading him would be extremely difficult.

If there's anything we know about the Vegas Golden Knights, it's that if there's a move to be made to clear cap space, no one is safe. Heck, if there's a player to be added and your favorite player already has that position locked down, they're not safe. It's what made watching Hertl struggle to score through the end of the regular season and into the playoffs so tough.

We can't say it's impossible to trade him because Vegas management likes a challenge, but Hertl would make the most sense of anyone to move to free up cap space.

Then again, they could wait to see if Alex Pietrangelo can come back; if he cannot, they could use his LTIR or find a way to live without Rasmus Andersson, who becomes a UFA on July 1.

Whether they win the Stanley Cup or not, Vegas' offseason will be worth watching.

Ross Colton, Colorado Avalanche

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Colorado's offseason is already a painful one after being swept in the Western Conference Final by Vegas. With their cap number projected to be over $100 million before the offseason begins, they're likely going to have to move someone out to give themselves some breathing room.

Forward Ross Colton might be the player best suited to help.

His rugged two-way play and net presence make him an ideal player come playoff time, and his history with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Avalanche shows he's been part of some great winning teams already.

With one year left on his deal and a $4 million cap hit, that's an ideal length and number for any team around the league looking for that kind of help.

As a former 20-goal scorer, he can finish, and although his numbers were down this season (24 points in 73 games), he had five points in 11 playoff games. He's not a top-six forward, but teams looking for help on the third or fourth line (if you're deep) should be calling Colorado.

Of course, that means making a deal with the Avalanche, and that usually means GM Chris MacFarland comes away a winner, so there's that, too. Buyer beware and all that.

Mavrik Bourque, Dallas Stars

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The biggest thing on the Dallas Stars' to-do list this summer is figuring out how to re-sign Jason Robertson.

The team's leading scorer is due for a monster payday, and trading him would be a last resort. But if they do re-sign him, that means some really tough choices have to be made, and not necessarily with guys who are already locked into contracts.

Another of their young RFAs this summer is forward Mavrik Bourque, and even though he would ideally not be very costly, he's also not going to sign any deal, long-term or bridge, for relative pennies, either.

Bourque had a breakout this season with 20 goals and 21 assists and played in all 82 games. At 24 years old, he's just coming into his prime, which would have teams rushing to acquire him if Dallas has to make such a sacrifice for Robertson.

If the Stars could have their cake and eat it, they'd be able to keep Robertson and Bourque and run it back with them both to try for the Stanley Cup. But if Robertson stays and makes what Mikko Rantanen is making ($12 million a year), that'll make it very difficult, since Dallas already has more than $93 million committed to the cap for next season.

Brenden Dillon, New Jersey Devils

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With new GM Sunny Mehta in charge of the Devils, their offseason is going to be an interesting one to watch.

After all the drama that surrounded last season with Jack Hughes' dinner injury, the talk about their interest in adding Quinn Hughes—which tossed Dougie Hamilton's name into the mix—and the overall disappointment of a playoff-less season, there's a lot to get straight in New Jersey.

One of the things they've got to get right is their cap situation. The Devils have about $93 million committed to the cap already for next season and have a ton of money tied up on defense. Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Brett Pesce, and Jonathan Kovacevic are locked in long-term, and Jonas Siegenthaler (two years) and Brenden Dillon (one year) are also locked in.

Siegenthaler's $3.4 million cap hit is affordable, and Dillon's $4 million cap number for one more year stands out as a very attractive deal for teams with room to spare. Dillon's physical play and nasty edge make him an ideal player for a competing team's third pairing. He's played more than 1,000 games in the league, and that kind of experience goes a long way, especially on teams with younger defense corps. For $4 million for one year, that's an easy expense to pay.

Ryan Hartman, Minnesota Wild

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Seeing the Wild advance to the second round of the playoffs showed how fun times can be had in Minnesota in the playoffs.

Getting back there and beyond next season gets a bit tougher as they enter the first year of Kirill Kaprizov's extension, which comes with a $17 million annual cap hit, and they also need to sign Quinn Hughes to an extension.

Salary-cap space has to come from somewhere, and the Wild are already committed to more than $91 million next season. They've also got to think about bringing back Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko, Marcus Johansson, Michael McCarron, Zach Bogosian, and RFA Bobby Brink.

One way to free up at least $4 million against the cap would be to trade rugged forward Ryan Hartman.

Hartman's game is a mixed bag of ability around the net, faceoffs, physical play, and occasionally being suspended. He's a good player, and his 23 goals and rough-around-the-edges play last season were part of what helped the Wild have success.

If another team wants to help Minnesota out of its potential cap bind, targeting Hartman might be a sneaky great play.