Since the introduction of the salary cap during the 2005-06 season, parity has been one of the bedrocks of the modern NHL. The cap was instituted in part to deter large-market teams from monopolizing the league through free agency and to restore competitive balance.
And for sixteen years, this principle largely operated as intended. This year, the Eastern Conference powers are all going all-in — with several teams bottoming out in an attempt to secure Connor Bedard this summer — while the Western Conference is sitting idly by. The East is absolutely loaded amid a heated arms race, creating the circumstances for what could be a playoff bloodbath for the ages.