Each autumn, as NHL teams prepare to return to the ice, one storyline resurfaces like clockwork: the salary cap. Some franchises scrape just to meet the cap floor, while others consistently find themselves bumping up against the ceiling or crossing it altogether.
One team guilty of this for years has been the Vegas Golden Knights. But this season, they might have a way out. The only issue is that to make things easier, the Golden Knights may have to sideline one of their top defensemen.
Veteran Defenseman Injury Leaves Golden Knights in a Challenging Spot
For teams like the San Jose Sharks, simply meeting the cap floor can be a major challenge. Some even take on dead contracts, as the Sharks did this year with Carey Price’s deal from the Canadiens. For teams such as Vegas and Florida, however, the situation is the opposite.
For the Golden Knights this season, the familiar challenge of exceeding the salary cap has returned. While the NHL sets the roster limit at $95 million, a recent PuckPedia tweet shows Vegas is already $7.6 million over that mark.
According to the report, Vegas’ current projected cap hit is $103 million, largely driven by their acquisition of Mitch Marner on an eight-year, $96 million deal with a $12 million average annual value. If the Golden Knights cannot get under the limit before Oct. 7, the team could face significant penalties.
But while things look grim, a potential solution has emerged. According to PuckPedia, with veteran defenseman Alex Pietrangelo injured, the Golden Knights could use long-term injured reserve (LTIR) to exceed the cap.
If Pietrangelo is out for the season, #VegasBorn can exceed the cap through LTIR by up to his $8.8M cap hit.
If he’s possible to return, they can only exceed the cap through LTIR by up to the limit of $3.8M.
The projected VGK roster is $7.6M over the cap… https://t.co/F13NsbH1a4
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 22, 2025
There is a catch. If the Golden Knights place Pietrangelo on LTIR for the entire season, they could exceed the cap by $8.8 million. Still, with Pietrangelo playing a key role in their 2023 Stanley Cup run, it seems unlikely that head coach Bruce Cassidy would keep him sidelined.
Meanwhile, if Pietrangelo is placed on temporary LTIR and later returns, the Golden Knights would only be able to exceed the cap by $3.8 million, leaving them $3.8 million over the limit. While the franchise manages its cap situation, Pietrangelo recently indicated that he could be ready to return to the ice.
Back in June, he said he would not be able to return due to a hip injury. But his recent comments on Monday suggest that after rehab, he may be ready for training camp. With the regular season still two weeks away, Vegas will need to find a solution soon.
