For NHL teams, that was one lesson learned. The NHL also announced cap estimates for 2026-27 ($104 million) and 2027-28 ($113.5 million) that could grow higher depending on revenues. One of the reasons teams get active in free agency is to change the makeup of their roster. Every offseason, teams are battling against one of the truisms of NHL free agency: That players won't leave their current teams because "their stuff is there." Not enough teams use it for leverageTrying to crack down on tampering before NHL free agency is a preposterous task.