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NHL free agency: Projecting contracts for the top 5 restricted free agents

By Alex Hoegler

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 31: Patrik Laine #29 of the Winnipeg Jets passes Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at the Air Canada Centre on March 31, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 31: Patrik Laine #29 of the Winnipeg Jets passes Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at the Air Canada Centre on March 31, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Most of the top restricted free agents in NHL free agency have yet to sign a contract. But with the regular season approaching, they should finalize deals soon. Here’s what the top five RFAs could sign for.

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly two months since NHL free agency started. Yet so many impact players, namely Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Jake Gardiner have yet to find new homes.

But even more surprising is there are so many prominent restricted free agents who have yet to sign an offer sheet or a contract with their current clubs. This includes Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner, who’s coming off a 94 point season.

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On top of that, the Winnipeg Jets have yet to extend Finnish star Patrik Laine, who’s coming off the third consecutive 30 goal season of his career. It’s amazing that a world-class goal scorer like Laine hasn’t even been the subject of an offer sheet up to this point.

Speaking of Jets stars, Kyle Connor is also awaiting a new contract. Coming off his second straight 30-goal season, the 22-year-old Connor is in line for a fancy payday. It’s just a matter of when the Jets figure out a new deal for him.

Then you look at a couple of other players who surpassed the 80-point mark last season – Mikko Rantanen and Brayden Point. And then you have sniper Brock Boeser and rising star blueliners like Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo.

At some point, all of these young stars will sign new contracts and it’s safe to believe that they’ll wind up staying with their respective teams. The real question is how much they’ll sign for, and what the term will be. Let’s play the fun game and guess the contracts for the top five NHL RFAs.

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