NHL Takes Hit As CapFriendly Shuts Down

CapFriendly, one of the most popular NHL websites ceased operations.

Oct 20, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The NHL logo is seen on the netting of a goal prior to the game between the Nashville Predators and the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports / Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

When the Washington Capitals purchased the website CapFriendly, it spelled the end of one of the most visited hockey sites. The site continued operating for a few more weeks, but the website is now done.

The site will be missed. It was one of the best-managed and most easy to navigate websites. It gave fans an insight into the salary cap situations of every NHL franchise. In truth, it was likely utilized by NHL front offices just as much as it was by spectators.

It's fine that the Capitals purchased the site. It's fine if the folks who ran CapFriendly were ready to move on. What isn't okay is the implications of this type of move.

The league is shrouded in secrecy. Decisions are made behind closed doors and information is on a need-to-know basis. Details of contracts are often not disclosed or are only partially disclosed with no acknowledgment. The work of CapFriendly mitigated that. NHL franchises had to be more transparent with their team accounting because CapFriendly could easily show the disparities.

Look at the manipulation of long-term injured reserve (LTIR) as the perfect example. It's no secret that teams circumvent the salary cap limit yearly around the trade deadline by placing players on LTIR. The moves open up extra cap space and give contenders the ability to load up for the playoff run.

The Tampa Bay Lightning raised eyebrows when star player Nikita Kucherov stayed on LTIR the entirety of the 2021 regular season, despite appearing ready to return for the final weeks of the regular season. His cap space allowed the Lightning to go nearly $20 million over the salary cap and take that roster into the postseason. A season in which they won the Stanley Cup championship.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights have similarly been criticized for this practice. It's completely in line with the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, but there's no doubting the advantage it gives the team going over the limit. Knights' captain Mark Stone earned criticism for returning from injury just in time for the postseason the past few seasons.

CapFriendly was a huge part of informing the general public. During the 2021 playoffs, anyone could see that the Lightning had roughly $97 million in salary devoted to its active roster, nearly $18 million over the salary cap that season. The Lightning weren't advertising this, but they couldn't deny it either. The league's general managers have discussed the possibility of closing the loopholes, but nothing substantial will change until the CBA is re-negotiated.

In the meantime, transparency is solely in the hands of websites like CapFriendly. The NHL's franchises don't want the rest of their competition to see their team's salary cap situation and they certainly don't prefer their books be public information.

CapFriendly's work held them to a standard of transparency that the league can attempt to leave behind with their operations ending. Other websites like PuckPedia and Spotrac must pick up the slack, but that's a difficult task to undertake. Until then, the NHL is worse off.

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