By Ben Sullivan
Both of Ted Leonsis’ toy team are on vacation:
The Wiz ousted from the playoffs by the Sixers and the Caps by the Bruins.
The Wiz will have to deal Bradley Beal’s impending free agency a year from now, which may spark a trade.
But the Caps have a bigger problem.
Namely, the salary cap.
According to Spotrac.com, their 2020 salary total was $90 million, and with only 19 of 30 players under contract they are already committed to $72 million.
The NHL cap is going to remain flat at $81.5 million for the 2021-22 season.
Typically, the cap rises every year based on expected revenue, but the pandemic has changed that.
It’s complicated, but the players are going to owe the owners a significant amount of money from the 2020-21 season so the cap is going to stay in place until the players are able to pay that money back. This could take several years.
A flat cap is an issue for Washington because it means no cap relief, but several other teams are going to be in similar positions. With more teams out there trying to shed cap and fewer willing to take it on, MacLellan’s options will be limited.
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