from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

The NHL’s GMs are expected to receive the latest all-important salary cap projection for next season on Wednesday, in addition to tackling the draft lottery format and potential expansion draft details.

But before wrapping up their three-day pow-wow, at least two GMs would like answers about a salary cap oddity.

It’s best described as the Patrick Kane “loophole,” because of the cap creativity of Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman.

Last year, Kane fractured his collarbone on Feb. 24 and subsequently underwent surgery. His timeframe for return was approximately 12 weeks, or maybe sometime during the Western Conference final.

The catch is there is no salary cap during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Every team must be cap compliant through the end of the regular season, but the numbers can pretty much be thrown out the window after that day.

Knowing that, Bowman placed Kane on the long-term injury list, where the Blackhawks were then permitted to add replacements equal in value to his $6.3 million salary cap hit.

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