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Following the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy, the NHL notified the Columbus Blue Jackets that they won't need to be compliant with the current agreed-upon salary cap floor by Oct. 7. This is when the NHL rosters for the regular season are finalized, which begins one day later.
NHL reporter Aaron Portzline broke the news, highlighting two key reasons why the league made this decision. First, the Blue Jackets gave a $2 million signing bonus to Gaudreau when they signed him, and it will be included as a salary cap figure.
Second, the league has waived the timeline for Columbus with the expectation that the team will get to the right amount in "reasonable time" following Gaudreau's untimely death. The loss of that contract kept the team below the floor, but the league is giving it some time to get over it.
Right now, the Blue Jackets are estimated to be $1.4 million under the cap. They need to eventually add a player, whether by trade or free agency. With Gaudreau on the roster, they were going to be above the cap floor. After his and his brother's tragic incident, that's no longer the case.
NHL decides to honor Johnny Gaudreau with helmet decals
To start the NHL 2024-25 season, all teams across the league will wear helmet decals to honor Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. When the season begins in Prague between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils this Friday, those two teams will debut the decals.
Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said, via NHL:
“I think it’s an incredible tribute to an incredibly sad situation. We as a league, we as a team, have to try to honor these guys for what they did for the game.”
Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton said the Gaudreau brothers were "just great people." Clifton added that it's a "terrible story, so preventable" that hit the hockey community hard.
