Major turnaround: Gary Bettman delivers bad news to Kent Hughes and NHL GMs

The most important announcement came when Bettman stated that the salary cap for the upcoming season should only go up by $1 million, according to the projections made by the National League.

Clearly, this is a big disappointment for NHL general managers, including Kent Hughes, who will have to deal with less salary cap room than expected.

According to some journalists and analysts, many believed that the cap would make a significant jump for the next season, thanks to the NHL's growing revenues.

According to details offered by TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the smaller-than-expected increase would be due to the fact that players still owe escrow currently. He also adds that there is always the possibility that revenues could exceed projections, which would mean that the cap could increase further.

Obviously, news like this could have a significant impact on upcoming decisions by general managers who were anticipating more leeway for next year with the salary cap increase.

Credit: HabsetLNH.com