The NHL’s projected cap spike for 2028-29 is massive, but it probably won’t push the Devils toward a splashy move in net.
On Friday morning, Elliotte Friedman reported that the league gave an estimate at the Board of Governors meeting that the salary cap could climb to $127.5 million in 2028-29. That would be a jump of about $14 million from 2027-28 to 2028-29, a rise that changes the financial landscape across the league.
For New Jersey, though, the effect is muted compared with plenty of other teams. The Devils already have their core in place - the Hughes brothers, captain Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Luke Evangelista are all signed through at least 2029-30. Those players should be on strong-value contracts by the time the cap explosion arrives, which is a major advantage for the organization.
That also means the cap surge probably won’t reshape the Devils’ extension picture all that much. Cody Glass, Evan Rodrigues, Declan Chisholm, and Jesper Boqvist are the only four players on expiring deals worth keeping beyond this season, and none of them figures to command a huge price.
Where the projected cap jump does matter is in trade discussions, especially when it comes to bigger names and bigger contracts. That naturally brings Connor Hellebuyck into the conversation, since fans have often linked the Winnipeg Jets goaltender to New Jersey. With the Devils either using a three-goalie rotation or leaning on Jake Allen and Nico Daws as a tandem, the appeal of a marquee goalie is obvious on the surface.
But the cap boom alone does not seem likely to change the Devils’ thinking.
Sunny Mehta has already made his view on goaltending investment clear: ""Because there is randomness at the position, I'm reluctant to invest significant assets there instead of in areas where the results may be more predictable.""
That stance matters here because Hellebuyck is not just any goalie. He’s the biggest name on the trade market at the position, and he carries an $8.5 million cap hit for the next five years.
Even if that number looks a little less intimidating with a bigger cap down the road, it would still account for 6.7% of the projected 2028-29 ceiling. Add in the massive trade cost it would take to get him, and it starts to look like the kind of move New Jersey would be hesitant to make.
Age is part of the picture too. Hellebuyck is 33 and has plenty of mileage on him. The expectation is that his decline may not be as smooth as some other goalies’, even with the level he has reached at his peak.
If the Devils can piece together average-to-above-average goaltending as a group, the smarter use of that extra cap space would be on more predictable skater spots. For that reason, the cap boom probably doesn’t change the conclusion: the Devils are unlikely to be serious players for Hellebuyck.
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