Ottawa Senators Officially Begin Free Agency Period

NHL free agency is officially upon us, which means that each franchise has a newfound sense of optimism regarding roster improvements.

Each team is always theoretically just a few moves away from becoming a contender, and that goal is predicated on fielding a roster that optimizes talent with the limited resources available.

The NHL salary cap for the 2016-2017 season is $73 million. That’s a slight increase from the $71.4 million it was last season.

The cap floor is $54 million, meaning that each team has to make their payroll fall somewhere between $73 million and $54 million. It ensures that the players are properly compensated by the 30 franchises without upsetting the competitive balance of a team being able to throw money around more than another squad is capable of.

The Ottawa Senators currently have about $56.3 million committed to next season. They can choose not to make any roster alterations and still be able to meet the cap floor, but they also have about $16.7 million in cap space to bring in new players or re-sign current free agents.