AN (ALMOST) FLAT CAP

The past 18 months have been a financial reckoning for the NHL, which will operate under an $81.5-million salary cap for a third straight season. It’s projected to go up $1 million next year. Get used to it. “It’s going to make the competitive balance even tighter, and it will bring the top teams down,” said one GM. “You see New Jersey sign a $9-million defenseman and (Tomas) Tatar. It will have an effect on trades, too. We’ll wake up at the start of the season and probably 25 teams will basically be at the cap with only a little cushion.”