NHL free agency: 5 fascinating restricted free agents
The Mitch Marner contract negotiation has taken the spotlight off some very prominent restricted free agents. Here are five of the most fascinating RFA players in NHL free agency.
Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs have been in many headlines, leaving these five players with a little more privacy. To a certain degree, they could be signed to offer sheets. Well, at least they would if teams actually used the offer sheet in NHL free agency.
Here are five RFA’s who have very interesting contract negotiations coming up:
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5. Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
Position: Right wing
Age: 22 years old
Brock Boeser is part of the promising young core that the Vancouver Canucks have been building up during their rebuild. He finished the season with 26 goals and 56 assists in 69 games, third on the team in production.
In the 2017-18 season, he had a major back injury that bothered him for a while, but he’s managed to fight through and with one more summer to fully recover, he could be in for a monster season.
In the NHL, you are paid for goals and Boeser is a fantastic sniper that has a lot of potential in the future as well. With that in mind, it’s not smart for the Canucks to try and sign a bridge deal. Boeser will likely be getting a max-term contract and as for the dollar value, probably around $6-8 million.
4. Mikko Rantanen – Colorado Avalanche
Position: Right wing
Age: 22 years old
Mikko Rantanen finished second on the Colorado Avalanche in points (87) in just 74 games played and lead the team in production in the playoffs, with 6 goals and 14 points. He will be looking for a major pay raise but one thing that could throw everything off is the Nathan MacKinnon contract.
MacKinnon makes $6.3 million a season and is the best player on that team. Their captain Gabriel Landeskog makes just %5.5 million. Would it be fair if Rantanen makes more than them?
The most interesting part of this negotiation is seeing how the comparables play out. Will Rantanen get the money relative to his teammates or his value on the open market? On the market, a player like him would not be making less than $7 million, but having him be the highest-paid Avalanche on a team with the two superstars on discounts could sour the locker room. His next contract will be a fascinating one to see.
3. Zach Werenski – Columbus Blue Jackets
Position: Defenseman
Age: 21 years old
At just 21 years old, Zach Werenski is a star defenseman in the NHL. Not only does he eat up a ton of minutes, but he also produces. He finished the season with 44 points and has a career 128 points.
The Seth Jones – Werenski pairing is one of the best in the league and keeping him long term should be a big priority for the Columbus Blue Jackets. On top of that, Jones would be a good reference for how much Werenski’s next contract.
Jones and Werenski have very similar production numbers but Jones has more ice time and is a more established defenseman. He makes $5.4 million a season which is a massive steal for the Blue Jackets and it’s hard to believe that Werenski will make much more than him.
2. Brayden Point – Tampa Bay Lightning
Position: Center
Age: 23 years old
Throughout the entire season, Mitch Marner has always overshadowed Brayden Point, despite the fact that Point had better numbers and is a center. Now during the RFA contract negotiations, Marner has taken spotlight yet again but Point’s future contract is one of the most fascinating ones yet to be signed.
Point had a phenomenal breakout season, with 41 goals and 92 points and could easily get a monster deal, if it weren’t for the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning are cap-strapped. According to Cap Friendly, they have a little over 10 million dollars in cap space but have three other RFA’s and two UFA’s to deal with as well.
Related Story. 3 Teams Who Should Offer Sheet Brayden Point. light
With superstars Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos both taking discounts to build a super team, it would surprise no one if Point follows their lead as a precedent was set by their leaders. After all, money is one thing, but the Lightning have assembled a fantastic team and a Stanley Cup means more than any amount of money.
1. Patrik Laine – Winnipeg Jets
Position: Right wing
Age: 21 years old
Before this past season, it seemed like Patrik Laine was headed to a ridiculous monster deal but after his super-hot super-cold season, his next contract will be fascinating. Will he sign a bridge deal or will the Jets want to lock him up with max-term?
Despite his super cold streaks, Laine still lit the lamp. He had his third straight 30+ goal season and is one of the premier snipers in the NHL. However, for the rest of the aspects of his game, Laine straight up did not play well. His line struggled throughout the season as well as in the playoffs. He still needs to work on his overall play, but this guy scores and that’s what pays the best in the NHL.
That is what makes Laine’s next contract fascinating. On the basis of pure goals, Laine deserves a ton of money but who’s to say that his struggles from this season won’t continue or even get worse? The Jets can either sign a bridge deal to truly see what kind of player he becomes, or they can bet on him with a long-term deal and assume that it only gets better from here.
Next. 5 Teams Who Should Trade For Patrik Laine. dark
These five RFA’s have very interesting contract negotiations and their next deals could pave the path for the rest of the NHL. We are seeing a change in the NHL as young players are getting big money and it can change the face of the league.