Columbus Blue Jackets receive major update on their salary cap issues

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Axel Williams
October 1, 2024 (3:39 PM)

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At the end of August, the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered a terrible tragedy to their team as Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a drunk driver.

Following the news, there were reports that this put the Blue Jackets underneath the salary cap floor. Of course, this was the last thing on a lot of fans' minds. However, there were some reporters who jumped to theorizing about what the NHL would do and whether or not an exemption would be coming down the pipeline.

Today, Aaron Portzline, a beat reporter for the Blue Jackets, confirmed that the exemption is, indeed, going to happen. After careful consideration, the NHL realized that this was the correct thing to do, moving forward.

1. #CBJ made a $2M signing bonus to Johnny Gaudreau in July, as per his contract. That money will be included in their salary cap figure.

2. The league is waiving the Oct. 7 deadline to reach the floor of $65M, with the expectation they'll get there in a «reasonable time.»

This is the last thing the Blue Jackets wanted to be thinking about after the Gaudreau tragedy. Having said that, this is a classy move from the league, and we're sure the franchise appreciates it. The Blue Jackets were going to be above the cap floor with Gaudreau on their team, and it isn't like the team was trying to pull some sort of fast one.

Do you believe that this is a fair solution to the issue that the Columbus Blue Jackets are dealing with? Let us know in the poll down below and stay tuned to Hockey Unplugged for the latest news and updates from around the hockey world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite players and teams.