The NHL salary cap will likely see a marginal increase of one per cent, pushing the maximum team payroll up by $900,000 to $57.7 million US for the 2010-11 season, Hockey Night in Canada analyst Glenn Healy said during Saturday's Hotstove segment.

"Mostly because of the strong Canadian dollar," Healy said, noting that the increase is still dependant on the accuracy of playoff revenue projections.

The Montreal Canadiens are waiting for the final word about the salary cap so they can solidify a new deal with forward Tomas Plekanec.

The 27-year-old centre has had a strong offensive season, with 69 points (24 goals, 45 assists) in 78 games heading into Saturday's action.

"[Plekanec and his agent] have had good talks with the Canadiens," HNIC's Scott Morrison said. "They are on the same page in terms of the financials."

"It looks like something will get done."

Meanwhile, the future whereabouts of the Phoenix Coyotes continues to be a hot topic.

The two potential owners, Jerry Reinsdorf and Ice Edge Holdings, are waiting for Glendale city council to decide on a proposed new lease agreement.

Morrison said a decision could come by the end of next week.

But that doesn't mean Winnipeg will be left out in the cold.

Reports surfaced this week that billionaire David Thomson was interested in purchasing the team and resurrecting the Jets back in Manitoba.

Although NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has publicly stated his desire to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz., Healy suggested that moving the team to Winnipeg could be Plan B.

As for keeping the team in the desert, it seems that the city favours Reinsdorf's proposal, Morrison said.

"Everybody who is surrounding it seems to think so because his financing seems to be a little bit more stable than the other group."

"The sense is that if Reinsdorf gets it, there will be an out clause in there after a couple of years, if they don't meet certain revenue targets," Morrison said.

That would open the door for Reinsdorf to sell the team to Thomson.

While the NHL continues to work on solving the Coyotes' issue, it is also fighting a battle on another front, across the Atlantic.

The Swedish hockey federation has sent a note to its junior players telling them to sign a contract with the national program if they wish to play in international tournaments. The catch: once they sign, if they choose to leave the country to play in North America before age 22, they will face a $100,000 fine.