NHL officially grants the Columbus Blue Jackets a massive exemption
The National Hockey League has officially granted the Columbus Blue Jackets a massive exemption heading into the new season.
On Monday, October 7th at 5 pm ET, all 32 teams around the National Hockey League will need to submit their opening night rosters and be cap compliant for the beginning of the 2024-25 season. However, the league has reportedly given the Columbus Blue Jackets an exemption amid the tragic loss of Johnny Gaudreau.
According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the National Hockey League and the Players Association have agreed that the Columbus Blue Jackets won't need to be cap compliant next Monday.
Portzline went on to add that the National Hockey League will include Johnny Gaudreau's $2 million bonus he received in July as part of their cap this season. The league also believes that the Blue Jackets will be able to reach the cap floor in a reasonable amount of time.
2. The league is waiving the Oct. 7 deadline to reach the floor of $65M, with the expectation they'll get there in a 'reasonable time.'" Portzline said.
He added, "By my math, with the help of PuckPedia, #CBJ are now projected to be roughly $1.4M under the cap floor of $65M.
That can easily be achieved given Waddell's desire to add a veteran NHL forward via trade or the waiver wire."
With the season right around the corner, this was definitely the right move from the National Hockey League and the Players Association to grant the exemption to the Blue Jackets. Eventually they'll get to the cap floor, potentially through a trade or waiver claim, as Aaron Portzline mentions, but it's unclear if that'll happen before the roster submission deadline next week.
| POLL | ||
Should the Blue Jackets retire Gaudreau's number? | ||
| Yes | 172 | 78.5 % |
| Absolutely | 47 | 21.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
