Training camps open in less than a month, yet some key NHL restricted free agents remain without contracts.
The news gush of July 1’s signing frenzy and August’s arbitration season cleared up the futures for many a twentysomething, ensuring they will be ready to go for preseason.
Yet, among the RFAs who played at least one game for their rightsholder in 2022-23, 11 still have business to settle. The situations in Anaheim, Ottawa and New York are particularly interesting.
With no arbitration rights among this group, inking an (unlikely) offer sheet, threatening to play in Europe or declining to show up at camp are the only leverage points available to the players.
Yet some of their general managers, too, feel stress to make a trade or agree to a figure that fits under their salary cap.
Here is where things stand with all 11 of the remaining RFAs of 2023:
1. Trevor Zegras
Age: 22
Position: Centre / Left wing
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2021 world junior gold mediallist. Top-10 draft pick. Skills for days. NHL23 video game coverboy. One of the NHL’s most marketable young stars. Two-time 20-goal, 60-point man.
The latest: Zegras continues to play the waiting game as GM Pat Verbeek patiently ticks the boxes of his off-season salary plan.
Pat Brisson, Zegras’s agent, told Pierre LeBrun that the sides were fine ignoring negotiations in-season.
But now that Anaheim’s other high-profile RFA, Troy Terry, has put pen to paper (seven years, $49 million) and training camp is around the corner, all eyes are on Zegras.
The growing trend leaguewide is to skip the bridge and go long-term with talented young forwards (Jack Hughes, Nick Suzuki, Matt Boldy, Dylan Cozens, Cole Caufield et al.).
But in the case of Verbeek — who is relatively new to the office — we don’t have a firm handle on his philosophy when it comes to building a roster.
Thus far, he’s mostly torn down.
“Having flexibility with the cap is vital moving ahead. At the end of the day, there’s only so much money to go around,” Verbeek said mid-season. “We have to make sure we can all fit it in.”
Cap space is no immediate issue here, as the rebuilding Ducks sit $16.6 million under the ceiling.
Investing in the right pieces to start constructing a contender is paramount.
If Verbeek does wish to give Zegras term, Boldy, Terry and Cozens’ deals (seven years around $7 million per) could be used as comparables.
Age: 23
Position: Defence
2022-23 salary cap hit: $863,333
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Top-10 draft pick. Puck-moving right shot. Back-to-back 40-point seasons. Skates 18:30 per night. Meaningful contributor in Oilers’ 2022 and 2023 playoff runs. No. 1 power-play quarterback.
The latest: Bouchard’s jolt up the Oilers depth chart last season had many predicting (us included) he would assume a stranglehold running point on the world’s greatest power-play unit in 2022-23 — and reap the rewards of all those 5-on-4 points that come with playing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Well, Bouchard’s ascendance wasn’t quite so smooth. His regular-season production dipped slightly, and his defensive game suffered bouts of inconsistency.
That said, 23-year-old D-men with Bouchard’s pedigree who can log top-four minutes and blast a point shot aren’t easy to come across. The deadline departure of Tyson Barrie opened more PP minutes for Bouchard to seize, and the arrival of Mattias Ekholm alleviates some D-zone pressure.
This is the kid’s shot to thrive.
“It is a little bit of an opportunity for me,” Bouchard said. “Hopefully, I can take it and run with it.”
Save for Bouchard signing an offer sheet, GM Ken Holland holds the hammer.
Dangling the performance incentive that comes with a bridge contract is the safest route for both parties, considering the Oilers’ tight cap situation in 2023-24 and a leap in the ceiling predicted for 2024-25.
Given Bouchard’s 17-point postseason, Holland might have seen enough to prefer long-term. The math, however, makes that impossible.
Bouchard’s agent, Dave Gagner, smartly waited this one out and now must find a doable number on a short-term deal.
“There’s no doubt he’s getting a raise,” Holland said. “We’ll find a solution.”
With only $3.5 million in cap space, can Holland squeeze Bouchard? Or will the GM need to move another body to properly compensate Bouchard ahead of a potential breakout season?
3. Alexis Lafreniere
Age: 21
Position: Left wing / Right wing
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: First-overall pick. 2020 world junior gold medallist and tournament MVP. Point total increases every season. Plus-10 forward with good size (6-foot-1, 195 pounds). Promising young forward on team loaded with veterans. Should have more points but power-play time has been limited.
The latest: Lafreniere was subjected to mid-season trade rumours as the cap-strapped New York Rangers are still awaiting a breakout season from their prized 2020 draft lottery ball. (Vancouver certainly had an eye on the winger.)
Absolutely, the Saint-Eustache, Que., native has yet to live up to his hype, but there is a chicken-and-egg situation going on. His third-line ice time has him averaging 14:25 per night over his first three seasons, and he’s been largely relegated to second power-play usage.
In call with reporters on July 1, Drury said he was intent on re-signing Lafreniere.
“Real good young player that we think his best days are ahead of him,” Drury said of the forward. “We’re thrilled he’s part of our team and hope he’s a Ranger for a long, long time.”
The Rangers have roughly only $2.3 million in space, though.
Lafreniere told La Presse’s Simon Olivier Lorange in mid-August that a new contract is imminent.
“It’s coming,” the Quebecer told the reporter. “My agent and the Rangers are in discussions. I hope it will be settled in the next few weeks.”
How has Lafreniere coping with the uncertainty?
“It’s cool. That’s the NHL,” he replied. “You have to be patient. Sometimes it takes longer.”
4. Morgan Frost
Age: 24
Position: Centre
2022-23 salary cap hit: $800,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: First-round pick. Stellar at 2019 world juniors for Team Canada. Plays a premium position. Hot off a healthy, 19-goal, 46-point season. Age aligns with Flyers’ build.
The latest: Although still coming into his own as an NHL threat, Frost’s value to the Philadelphia Flyers has only increased with the suspect health of centre Sean Couturier and the trading away of Kevin Hayes.
Although the Flyers do have cap space, a bridge deal appears to be the smart route for a player whose ceiling has yet to be reached and whose early career has been set back by injuries of his own.
Strangely, Frost’s cap hit has been on decline since he was drafted, from $925,000 in 2017-18, sliding to $894,167 the following season, $863,333 to wrap his entry-level deal and down to $800,000 on a one-year extension for 2022-23.
Certainly, the pivot is due to crack seven figures.
“I want to be here next year. I want to be here for the long run,” Frost told reporters in late March.
That GM Danny Briere took care of fellow RFAs Cam York and Noah Cates with two-year bridge deals after their nice platform showings suggests Frost is in for the same.
He is the final unsigned player on the Flyers’ rebuilding roster.
“He keeps on improving. That’s encouraging to me,” Flyers coach John Tortorella told reporters in the spring. “I think he’s improved right on through away from the puck, which is a very important part of his game. Just that — positioning, body positioning, battles. Just a 200-foot player.”
5. Shane Pinto
Age: 22
Position: Centre
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2020 world juniors star for Team USA. 32nd-overall draft pick. Young, two-way centre with excellent upside. Was Rookie of the Month in October. 20-goal man. Put up 43 points in first 99 NHL games.
The latest: Responding well from his surgery setback in 2021-22, Pinto played all 82 games and broke out with a quality 20-goal freshman season and put himself in a fantastic position to barter for either a short- or long-term raise.
Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion has hinted that he’d prefer to buy term here, but Pinto and agent Lewis Gross might be wise to go for a two-year pact and allow Pinto’s play to increase his bargaining power under an elevated salary cap down the road.
Recent RFA comparables for the middle-six centre include Montreal’s Alex Newhook (four years, $2.9 million) and Philadelphia’s Noah Cates (two years, $2.625 million).
Dorion’s UFA spending spree (Vladimir Tarasenko, Joonas Korpisalo, Zack MacEwen, Travis Hamonic) hasn’t left much in his wallet for Pinto’s next deal, however.
The GM may need to get creative.
Age: 23
Position: Defence
2022-23 salary cap hit: $795,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2020 world junior gold medallist, leading all defencemen in assists (eight). Young, affordable, promising right-shot defencemen don’t grow on trees. Put up 29 points in 62 games in 2023-24.
The latest: Addison could well emerge as the Wild’s gem return from 2020’s deadline trade of Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh.
Projected to slot on Minnesota’s second pair with Matt Dumba and John Klingberg moving on, the 23-year-old right shot is in line for increased ice time and responsibility.
But first? A modest raise is in order.
Once Filip Gustavsson’s price gets settled (before or after arbitration), Guerin will know how much budget he has left over to satisfy Addison.
Due to the Wild’s cap crunch, a bridge contract feels inevitable here.
“He really struggled 5-on-5,” Guerin told reporters, referring to Addison in May. “You can’t just be a specialty player in the National Hockey League. It’s just too good. There’s no room on a roster for just a specialty guy. So, we know he has the ability. It’s just a matter of focusing in on it and getting to work on it. He’s still a young player, and there’s more growing to do.”
Age: 21
Position: Defence
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2020 world junior gold medallist. 2021 world junior silver medallist. Skilled right-shot defender. Put up 32 points in only full NHL season.
The latest: Drysdale is a fascinating case because he is so young and full of potential, and plays a valuable position, yet his 2022-23 platform season was literally and figuratively pointless.
After eight games in October, a torn labrum sidelined the defenceman for the remainder of the season. Surely, a healthy Drysdale has the makings of a top-four regular for the Anaheim Ducks.
But the big-league resume isn’t quite long enough to have a long-term bet quite yet.
In addition to Zegras, GM Verbeek has a tricky call to make on his back end before camp opens. The last thing Drysdale needs is to miss more practice time with the team.
8. Joseph Veleno
Age: 23
Position: Centre
2022-23 salary cap hit: $894,167
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: First Quebec player granted exceptional status for QMJHL draft. Gold medallist at 2020 world juniors and 2023 world championships for Canada. Posted career highs in games played (81), goals (nine), assists (11) and points (20) in 2022-23.
The latest: GM Steve Yzerman continues to add veteran pieces around his young Red Wings core, but the continued progression of an affordable regular such as Veleno would go a long way to getting Detroit back into the playoff conversation.
“We continue to negotiate, and that is our situation,” Veleno told Jean-Christophe Bertrand of RDS. “We hope to have an agreement soon.
“There’s no rush as I’m the only player left to sign in Detroit. We will take it day-by-day, and we will see.
“I feel like I can be on yet another level. It’s a big year for me and I’m ready for what’s to come.”
9. Tim Berni
Age: 23
Position: Defence
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Represented Switzerland at 2018, 2019 and 2020 world juniors. Stay-at-home defender skates nearly 17 minutes a night. Made jump to NHL after less than two AHL seasons.
The latest: The Blue Jackets player made the leap stateside from the Swiss A League in 2021 and, according to a Blick interview with agent Gaetan Voisard, wishes to continue his career in Columbus.
“Everything is still open. We’re working on a solution. North America is still a priority for Tim,” Voisard told Blick.
As the Jackets improved their defence corps over the summer and expect the return of a healthy Zach Werenski, Berni has become less integral and (baring injuries) would likely need to start on the farm.
He was reportedly offered a two-way contract worth $874,125, a pay cut from the $925,000 he made in 2022-23.
“Status quo,” GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters of the Berni negotiations.
10. Egor Sokolov
Age: 23
Position: Left wing
2022-23 salary cap hit: $818,333
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2020 world junior silver medallist. Career-best 21-goal, 59-point season for AHL Belleville in 2022-23.
The latest: The Russian prospect capped off his most productive pro season with another brief NHL call-up and, in April, his first NHL goal.
Ice time for forwards on the Ottawa Senators has gotten increasingly competitive, and Pinto is the priority to re-sign.
That said, Sokolov’s stock is on the rise. With Dorion’s cap crunch, he might need to be patient and accept a two-way deal. There is more to prove here.
11. Jan Jenik
Age: 22
Position: Right wing
2022-23 salary cap hit: $795,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Point per game at 2020 world juniors for Czech Republic. Erupted for 17 goals and 47 points in 51 games for AHL Tucson in 2021-22. Respectable four goals in his 17 NHL games during scattered call-ups. Cap space is no big issue for Arizona.
The latest: Jeník, who will turn 23 before the puck drops, did not accept his qualifying offer of $787,500 and lacks leverage in his negotiations with the Coyotes.
Perhaps it is no coincidence, then, that his agent, Allan Walsh, reminded on Twitter that players in his pay range are eligible for a compensation-free offer sheet.
Coyotes beat man Craig Morgan reported on Aug. 16 that Jenik is looking for a trade and would like to remain in North America rather than return to Europe — an option if a deal does not materialize.
The Coyotes don’t appear to be in any great rush to hand Jenik a raise, and, Morgan reports, they will likely invite a half-dozen players to training camp on tryouts.
Contract info via the excellent CapFriendly.com.
