If the salary ceiling was raised above the minimal increase of $1 million provided to teams by Bettman and the league last season, there might be genuine parity in the league again, as more teams could potentially able to assemble solid teams and dig out of some cap issues.
While there is no official word on how high it will be lifted, there is no doubt that it will be raised and that it will assist some clubs in moving in the right direction. For example, consider the Boston Bruins, who are facing severe cap constraints after putting in long hours and falling short all season.