After the heartbreaking loss of forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, there's a chance the NHL, led by Gary Bettman, could make an exception for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The tragic passing of Gaudreau and tragic removal of his $9.75 million cap hit has left the team close to falling short of the NHL's salary floor, which is set at $65 million. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/harryslayer/status/1830318807602393428'> </a></blockquote></div> Right now, they're on the brink of being under that minimum. Teams caught violating the salary cap can face serious consequences, like fines up to $5 million, having player contracts canceled, losing draft picks, losing points in the standings, or even forfeiting games that were impacted by the cap violation. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/chisportsfanjoe/status/1829617810705629197'> </a></blockquote></div> Now, the NHL rulebook does have some provisions that might allow teams to dip below this threshold, but it's complicated . Would the league penalize the Blue Jackets for something out of their control which happened just before training camp? <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/matthewbranco7/status/1829773605414322528'> </a></blockquote></div> Regardless, the NHL must figure something out. Karine Hains from The Hockey News notes how the NBA often grants exceptions in similar cases, like when a player is out for the season due to a severe injury or, sadly, death. <q> «The NBA has a habit of granting exceptions in similar situations, such as the injury exception, which allows teams to replace players who are out for the season due to a serious injury or death. </q> Given this unique and tragic situation, the league should grant a similar exemption for the Blue Jackets, who are projected to have a salary total of about $62.3 million, falling short of the $65 million floor. Source: Habs Fanatics <a href='https://www.habsfanatics.com/nhl-team/columbus-blue-jackets/gary-bettman-could-grant-a-major-special-permission-to-the-jackets-after-the-death-of-johnny-gaudreau' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Gary Bettman could grant a major special permission to the Jackets after the death of Johnny Gaudreau</a>