There is cap relief on the way and perhaps even sooner than NHL clubs anticipated.

As NHL commissioner Gary Bettman shared with owners and governors Tuesday during a four-hour meeting at a Manhattan hotel, there’s a possibility the league’s salary cap for next season could jump up more than $4 million if revenues hit a certain target and the pandemic escrow deficit is fully paid back by players.

“We believe that there’s a good probability that the escrow will be paid off this season,” Bettman told assembled media after the meeting. “It may not (happen), but it’s going to be close, we think, which means the flat cap will be replaced by an increase — if not this season then next season.

“Revenues are pretty vibrant.”

If the revenue figures do fall short and players need one more season to pay back the escrow balance, then the cap will once again go up just by $1 million this summer. Most NHL clubs have been operating under the understanding that the cap wouldn’t go up for real until the summer of 2024, so Tuesday’s news from Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly was a big deal for those struggling right at the cap.

“We paid attention,” said a smiling Wild general manager Bill Guerin when asked about his interest in the league’s financial update and its potential salary-cap implications. “I don’t want to say too much about it, but we need all the help we can get. But that’s our personal problem.”

The Wild are hardly the only team in cap hell, though. The unexpected new of a larger cap increase could mean relief for about half the league. And of course, a raised cap would also be welcomed by players, especially pending free agents who need to negotiate new contracts.

But again, the league presented that news as a possibility, based on revenue projections. It’s far from guaranteed.