Last week, I broke down which teams might sustain the most damage from the flat salary cap of $81.5 million in 2020-21. But which teams stand to benefit most?
Keep in mind, there are multiple ways to reap the rewards of cap space this off-season. Some teams can flex the money muscles in traditional ways to target marquee free agents or acquire expensive but useful players from teams looking to shed salary. That strategy make sense for any Stanley Cup contenders with cap space or also-rans hoping to improve drastically next season. An alternate game plan applies to the rebuilding teams: offering the cap space as a life preserver and taking on salary from desperate teams in exchange for sweeteners such as draft picks or prospects.