Edmonton Oilers face highest salary cap overage bonus penalty for 2024-25

There is a case to be made that this is the best Edmonton Oilers roster of the Connor McDavid (and Leon Draisaitl) era, one capable of finally helping him reach the Holy Grail. Given that this is now his ninth season in the NHL, it also brings a sense of urgency as he looks to cement his place as the greatest hockey player of this generation.

While you don't want to go as far as saying it's now or never for McDavid and the Oilers, there may never be a better chance for him to win his first Stanley Cup. Aside from the talent on the current roster, the reason for saying this also comes down to their salary cap situation.

As we wrote earlier this month, the Oilers have plenty of work to do at the conclusion of this season, with nine pending unrestricted free agents (UFA). These include Warren Foegele, Vincent Desharnais, Calvin Pickard, Adam Henrique, Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark, Sam Carrick and Troy Stecher.

Complicating this matter further is the financial situation, with the Oilers already having a projected cap hit of $73,266,667 for next season. The salary cap is set to increase to $87.5 million in 2024-25, leaving just over $14.2 million left to sign their nine pending UFAs.

Highest performance bonus overage cap hit

However, there's another reason why the Oilers face such a precarious salary cap situation, related to the need to utilize Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) during this season. As per PuckPedia, they are one of 11 teams who will carry a performance bonus overage cap hit in 2024-25.

In respect of the Oilers specifically, they will have the highest bonus overage carryover at $3.45 million. The Dallas Stars are second at just under $2.6 million, while the Washington Capitals are third at over $2.252 million.

A significant chunk of the Oilers' performance bonus overage carryover is related to Brown's contract. While he had a base salary of just $775,000 in 2023-24, he received a performance bonus of $3.225 million once he reached 10 games, which will apply to next season's cap.

As if this isn't enough, the Oilers could end up with an even higher bonus overage carryover next season. It applies to Perry, who makes up the remaining $225,000 of the current bonus carryover for similarly playing 10 games this season in Edmonton.

If nothing else, at least any increase will be worthwhile. As per Pro Hockey Rumors' Brian La Rose, Perry will receive a bonus of $50,000 if the Oilers reach the Western Conference Final and another $50,000 if they make the Stanley Cup Final.

If there was ever evidence of a team going all in, or it almost being a case of now or never, this is it. The Oilers may or may not ultimately win their first Stanley Cup since 1990, but fans can at least appreciate Ken Holland and company are doing what they can to make this ambition become a reality.

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