Top-pair defencemen and Number 1 goalies. Bridge candidates and budding superstars who need to be locked up ASAP.
The 2024 class of impending restricted free agents offers a little of everything.
And while several potential RFAs avoided the drama and uncertainty by signing well before July 1 (Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek chief among them), plenty of intriguing young names remain unsigned for 2024-25.
As these RFAs look to bank off their platform campaigns and managers wonder how to spend their newfound cap space, plenty of tense negotiations (or trades?) are on deck.
The situations in Carolina and Detroit are particularly compelling.
Here’s where things stand with the top 12 RFAs of 2024, with qualifying offers due at the end of June.
1. Jeremy Swayman (Boston)
Age on July 1: 25
Position: Goaltender
2023-24 salary cap hit: $3.475 million
Arbitration rights: Yes
Bargaining chips: World juniors bronze medallist (2018). William Jennings Trophy co-winner (2023). Career save percentage of .919. Three consecutive 20-win seasons. 2024 All-Star Game representative. Big hugger. Playoff stud.
The latest: Despite sharing the Boston Bruins’ crease with pal Linus Ullmark, Swayman played an integral role in the club’s run to the 2023 Presidents’ Trophy and took over as the club’s go-to goalie in the 2024 post-season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in early March that Swayman and GM Don Sweeney had begun negotiating his next contract, which should be a biggie now that the goaltender has sparkled during his one-year prove-it pact.
Swayman politely declined comment on the report but did not deny that talks were underway.
The goalie, remember, went through arbitration last summer, where he said he was subjected to “hearing things that a player should never hear” before getting a one-year award.
The inevitable raise for Swayman prompted Boston’s trade of hug buddy Ullmark (locked into a $5 million cap hit) to Ottawa.
The price to keep Swayman happy only jumped with his .933 save percentage in the post-season.
He’s the real deal.
2. Moritz Seider (Detroit)
Age on July 1: 23
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $863,333
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Top-six draft pick. Calder Trophy winner (2022). Silver medallist at 2023 world championship. Named to 2021 and 2023 world championship all-star teams. Six-foot-three, 205-pound right-shot horse with edge. Can run a power play and kill a penalty. Led all Red Wings in ice time (22:22). Capable of 50 points while taking on hard matchups. Only NHLer with 200 blocks and 200 hits this season.
The latest: Seldom do rebuilding clubs mess around trying to nickel-and-dime their young stud defencemen.
Consider how swiftly Ottawa locked up Jake Sanderson with an eight-year, $64.4-million extension. Or how Buffalo gave Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power monster offers they couldn’t refuse to secure their prime seasons.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman should be willing to ink Seider the maximum term of an eight-year extension and make the German his highest-paid defenceman by a mile.
“He battles hard every game,” Yzerman said after the season ended. “He blocks shots, gets hit, makes plays. We’re asking him to do a lot. He’s got the mental toughness to weather it all.
“As our team gets better around him, Mo’s role might change a little bit. He’ll be used a little bit differently, which I think will allow him to display offensive side of his game.”
How does an AAV around $8.6 million sound?
That would tuck Seider in just below team captain and payroll leader Dylan Larkin ($8.7 million cap hit).
“It’s not a big secret I want to be a Red Wing,” Seider said.
“I’m also confident enough that I could be a good asset for this organization, and that really matters to me. I think then you can talk about numbers, lengths and how long the contract should be, but those two first parts fit well — and they do — then I’m pretty confident we’ve got something done.”
3. Lucas Raymond (Detroit)
Age on July 1: 22
Position: Right wing / Left wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Fourth-overall pick. World junior star twice over for Sweden. Two-time 20-goal, 57-point forward. His age fits well with Red Wings’ trajectory for improvement. Led Detroit in scoring in 2023-24 (72 points) and played all 82 games.
The latest: While Yzerman keeps his plans under lock and key, the Detroit GM’s previous actions may tell us where things may go with Raymond.
When Yzerman signed stud RFA Alex DeBrincat to a four-year contract averaging $7.875 million per season, he suggested a preference for mid-term commitments instead of longer deal — like, say, the seven-year, $49-million whopper Anaheim gave to RFA Troy Terry last summer.
“You’re starting to see more players, at least this off-season, and I think it might be a trend, signing shorter-term contracts, not necessarily going the full seven, eight years,” Yzerman said.
“I’m not sure I have a hard-set philosophy on contracts. There’s risk in every deal. There’s short-term risk you lose control of the player. On the back end, the long-term risk is a lot of things can happen that affect a player’s ability to perform on a long-term deal.
“What is my philosophy? I try to make a deal with the player, try to understand what they’re looking for and what’s important to them, but ultimately, I’m comfortable. I like these mid-term deals.”
Something to keep in mind when talks heat up.
“What I do know is that I love this team,” Raymond said. “I love the city, and I want to be here.”
At his pre-draft availability, Yzerman raised eyebrows when discussing the unsigned Seider and Raymond.
“Ultimately, I can’t force anything. They’ll get done in due time,” the GM said. “I prefer to have them done. But to be quite honest, I don’t anticipate that happening at this stage. And we’ll just work around it and make decisions along the way fully aware … that we will try to get them under contract or plan to get them under contract.”
4. Seth Jarvis (Carolina)
Age on July 1: 22
Position: Right wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $894,167
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: First-round pick. Always produces in post-season. Ripped career highs in goals (33), points (67) and plus/minus (plus-23). Hurricanes need his offence. Carolina has gobs of cap space opening for 2024-25.
The latest: The benefits of buying out Patrick Marleau’s Maple Leafs contract are now paying off big-time for the Hurricanes. Jarvis — drafted with the pick Carolina obtained from Toronto to take an aging Marleau’s bad money — is emerging as an impact winger who delivers on the power play and in clutch situations.
While rookie GM Eric Tulsky’s decisions on key UFAs Teuvo Teravainen, Jake Guentzel, Jordan Martinook, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo will be more complicated and costly, keeping Jarvis in the fold is a no-brainer.
Because Jarvis is just now emerging from his entry-level deal, the team holds the hammer.
Does Tulsky wish to go bridge?
Or will the Canes bet big that Jarvis could break out and lock him up long-term the way they did with Andrei Svechnikov as he wrapped his ELC?
Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reported that based on deals regarding similar players, Jarvis’s camp could ask for an eight-year extension with an $8.35 million AAV.
Tulsky has said publicly that he is “not worried about offer sheets” because the Canes have the cap space to match: “It’s not really a route I expect anyone to take.”
5. Thomas Harley (Dallas)
Age on July 1: 22
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $863,333
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: First-round pick. Youngest roster player in the 2020 Cup Final. World junior silver medallist for Team Canada (2021). Superb showing for Stars during their 2023 run to the Western Conference Final. Breakout 47-point campaign with career highs in all categories. Only Miro Heiskanen logs more minutes for Dallas.
The latest: The emergence of slowly groomed Harley was an incredible subplot for the Dallas Stars this season, as they raced towards another legitimate stab at a championship.
GM Jim Nill, you’ll recall, bridged his last breakout RFA, Jason Robertson, so he may well do the same with Harley — who only has one full NHL campaign on his resume and lacks the arbitration leverage of Ty Dellandrea (traded to the Sharks) and Sam Steel.
Whether it’s this summer or one down the line, however, Harley is building a sturdy case for a significant windfall.
Nill already has veteran lefties Heiskanen and Esa Lindell under contract for 2024-25, but Harley’s youth and impressive offensive acumen will be needed.
Nill, you may recall, bet big on a young John Klingberg coming out of his entry-level deal in 2015, securing that D-man’s best seasons at a bargain rate.
6. Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles)
Age on July 1: 21
Position: Centre / Left wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $894,167
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: World junior gold medallist (2020). World junior silver medallist (2021). Second-overall pick. Enjoyed breakout season hitting 20 goals and 55 points. Scored best highlight goal of 2024. Earned more trust from coaches as season progressed and a promotion to top power-play unit. Teams generally like six-foot-five, 220-pound centremen with skill.
The latest: Byfield is a prime example of patience paying off.
The second-overall choice of the 2020 draft failed to make the instant splash that the player selected immediately after did (Tim Stützle), but the Los Angeles Kings let their impact forward develop in the AHL and are now reaping the benefits.
“He’s really stepped up there, just his overall game. The pace that he plays with, it definitely helps our team,” Kings GM Rob Blake said in March.
The general manager must decide here: Attempt to lock up Byfield long-term ($6.5 million or $7 million AAV?) and bet the player outperforms his cap hit? Or bridge a player ($3.5 million AAV?) that has only has one good NHL campaign under his belt?
By virtue of his performance, Byfield has pushed his file to the top of the priority list in L.A., and the trade of Pierre-Luc Dubois has cleared up cap space and opportunity down the middle.
7. Martin Necas (Carolina)
Age on July 1: 25
Position: Right wing / Centre
2023-24 salary cap hit: $3 million
Arbitration rights: Yes
Bargaining chips: First-round draft pick. Calder Cup champion. Star forward for Czechia at three world juniors and a world championship. Two-time 20-goal man on a team that needs offence. Capable of 70 points.
The latest: The difference between RFA top-six forwards Necas and Jarvis is that the former has arbitration rights and has already made good on his prove-it bridge contract.
OK, it’s time to get paid, Necas must be thinking.
The dynamic playmaker is one of a dozen Hurricanes on an expiring contract. His asking price on the rise, and arbitration power in his favour, which is why the Canes are exploring the trade market here.
Tulsky would prefer to spend his dollars on pending unrestricted free agent Guentzel than Necas.
The New Jersey Devils, aggressive this off-season, are said to be front-runners in a Necas trade and are willing to part with the 10th-overall pick.
A bunch of other teams — Predators, Bruins, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Blue Jackets, and Flames — are also keeping an eye on the situation.
File Necas under: “Most Likely on This List to Get Traded.”
8. Matty Beniers (Seattle)
Age on July 1: 21
Position: Centre
2023-24 salary cap hit: $897,500
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: World junior gold medallist and world championship bronze medallist in 2021 as the youngest player on both teams. Olympian (2022). Second-overall draft pick and first-ever selection by the Seattle Kraken. Calder Trophy winner (2023). Scored 24 goals and 57 points as a rookie.
The latest: If Beniers could swap last season’s stat line and this season’s, he probably would.
A victim of the sophomore slump, Beniers’ down year production-wise (15 goals and 37 points) aligned with the Kraken’s tumble out of the playoff picture and resulted in an underwhelming platform campaign.
His bargaining position is compromised, which has us wondering if a short-term deal is the solution here.
GM Ron Francis revealed at his trade-deadline press conference that he held preliminary extension discussions with Beniers’ camp over the summer. Those were tabled until the off-season.
“I have no concerns about Matty’s game long-term. He’ll be a big part of this organization for a lot of years moving forward,” Francis assured upon season’s end.
For the Kraken to excel, the club needs Beniers to live up to his promise.
“He’s definitely felt the pressure since he’s came into the organization, since Day 1. We were a struggling team, and he was kind of looked at as the saviour of our team. And I’m sure he’s been hearing that a lot and knowing that is going to have a prominent role ever since he’s been drafted,” teammate Vince Dunn said.
“When you see a guy maybe going through a little slump or going through hardships, I just try to get ’em going. Make him realize how important they are to the team and how much potential they do have, and hopefully they can bring that out in themselves.”
9. Sean Durzi (Utah)
Age on July 1: 25
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $1.7 million
Arbitration rights: Yes
Bargaining chips: Memorial Cup all-star (2019). Back-to-back 30-plus-point campaigns. Big, right-shot defenceman with power-play prowess.
The latest: Already on his fourth franchise, Durzi has found increased opportunity and quiet success in the desert, where he set a new career high in points (41).
“Like a lot of young players, he needs to work on his consistency, game management, decision-making process under pressure, but he does a lot of good things,” coach Andre Tourigny said mid-season. “We believe a lot in him, so we expect a lot.”
Durzi’s role, on the power play and otherwise, can grow with experience and opportunity in Utah.
“He has a good shot, but he needs to take the hesitation out of his game,” Tourigny said. “He overthinks some situations. He has to be a little bit more fluid, more quick in execution, especially to take a shot. Sometimes, he is a little bit predictable, but I think he has a lot of talent. He sees the ice really well, and he can be deceptive.”
GM Bill Armstrong is staring at off-season negotiations with seven(!) restricted free agents, all of whom hold arb rights. His decisions over the next few months will have a lasting impact on his roster.
Cap space is no issue.
Durzi and the Kings held tense contract talks that didn’t get finalized until right before 2022’s training camp. He was traded to Arizona for a second-round pick less than year later.
10. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo)
Age on July 1: 25
Position: Goaltender
2023-24 salary cap hit: $837,500
Arbitration rights: Yes
Bargaining chips: World junior gold medallist (2019). Red Tilson Trophy (OHL) winner (2019). Set career highs this season in games played, wins, and save percentage. Winning record for a struggling squad. GMs love big goalies, and UPL stands six-foot-five, 217 pounds. The Sabres have plenty of cap space.
The latest: Luukkonen enjoyed a breakout season in a year that was originally billed in Buffalo as prospect Devon Levi’s coming-out party.
Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has been doling out long-term extensions to RFAs lately (Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Dylan Cozens), banking on improvement and building a young core.
As well as Luukkonen performed this season, we don’t see a similar deal in the cards here. His sample size of excellence is as small as it is encouraging.
The organization has high hopes for Levi, so a mid-term deal makes more sense for UPL and would ease the pressure on Levi to elevate as an NHL No. 1 before he’s had a strong development run.
Adams began extension talks with Luukkonen’s agent, Markus Lehto, in March.
“We’re making good progress,” Adams told NHL insider Frank Seravalli.
“It’s something I’m excited about because I know he wants to be here, and he loves this team, he loves the organization, and he loves his teammates. That’s a good place to start.”
11. Anton Lundell (Florida)
Age on July 1: 22
Position: Centre / Left wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Stanley Cup champion (2024). Defensively responsible student of the Barkov Way. Twelfth-overall draft pick. World junior gold medallist (2019). World championships silver medallist (2021). Already put up 112 points in first 216 games despite playing a middle-six role. Plenty of playoff experience (54 games) for a youngster.
The latest: If the Florida Panthers are forced to lose a core member or two of their championship team to unrestricted free agency, one reason for that will be because they had to give Lundell a wage in line with his performance.
The middle-six Finnish centreman has been affectionately dubbed “Baby Barkov” in South Florida because he can blend offensive punch with defensive prowess.
“I don’t know what the ceiling is for this young man,” coach Paul Maurice said.
GM Bill Zito is high on Lundell and not afraid to lock up pieces he sees as integral to the club’s nucleus long-term (see: Forsling, Gustav).
It’ll be fascinating to see if Lundell takes the security of term or bets on an offensive uptick and pushes for a bridge deal instead.
12. Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg)
Age on July 1: 22
Position: Left wing / Centre
2023-24 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Top-10 draft pick. World junior silver medallist and world championship gold medallist (2021). High hockey IQ. Creative playmaker. Posted career highs in goals (19) and points (38) in 2023-24.
The latest: Perfetti heads to the negotiating table after a healthy but uneven campaign that saw him thrive for stretches in the Winnipeg Jets’ top six but also endure a 23-game goal drought and 11 heathy scratches.
A superstar in junior, the forward admitted to struggling mentally with his inconsistent usage and performance. And as the Jets sped toward the post-season, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff went out and rented a couple more top-six forwards, Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan, to eat up meaningful minutes.
Rick Bowness coached to win and trusted his veterans more.
Perfetti’s situation appears like a classic bridge-deal case: The team needs to see more, and the player doesn’t want to negotiate long-term based on a stat line that should only escalate over the next two or three seasons.
More notable pending RFAs: Eeli Tolvanen, Kirill Marchenko, Jack Drury, Cole Sillinger, Alexandre Texier, Simon Holmstrom, Ryan Lindgren, Barrett Hayton, Calen Addison, Timothy Liljegren, Dawson Mercer, Bobby Brink, Connor McMichael, Carl Grundstrom, Henri Jokiharju, Akira Schmid, Dustin Wolf, Nick Robertson, Filip Zadina, Sam Steel, Shane Pinto, J.J. Moser
Contract info via the excellent CapFriendly.com.
