Which RFAs Will Make The Most Money This Summer
Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta joined the Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Power Play Segment with Steve Kouleas and Anthony Stewart on Tuesday. There, he was asked about restricted free agents such as Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and others, and whether they could get bigger AAV numbers than expected.
Writing for NHLRumors.com
NHL rumors: Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Cutter Gauthier
Types: RFAs, RFAS,
Pagnotta: “The RFAs are interesting. Yes, the RFAs are really interesting, because it’s not interesting in the sense that this will be, I know you want a stupid season and offer sheets and all that, because it’s very fun and it’s fun to talk about it, but mostly the money, the kind of dollars that will go out to Bedards, Gauthisons, Carlsons, etc. degree, but all these numbers I think will start, they will look a little higher.
I think everybody’s going to look at these and go, “This guy just got how much, and it’s going to be a product of how the league is trending. Estimates up to $104 million, it’s going to go up to $113.5 million, give or take, next season, it’s going to be in the 120s, the next season, we’re going to push four numbers, these three numbers are going to be three seasons. think about that.
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And I think, I’m not surprised if the offer sheets are possible, I’m very surprised by the numbers that will come out of this, especially if some guys go full time, we can see $ 16, $ 17, $ 18 million to set up a new one, then (Macklin) Celebrini a year later, and he should sign July 1.
So there’s going to be some very interesting numbers, I think, being thrown around this offseason with respect to some of the RFAs that are ready to hit the market. “
NHLRumors.com Note: It’s a big summer restricted free agent class, including Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars, Zach Benson of the Buffalo Sabres, Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, Simon Nemec of the New Jersey Devils, and Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier of the Anaheim Ducks. In addition, Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks is eligible for an extension.
There is a sense that Celebrini and Bedard could break the bank on their next contracts. Can they reach as high as Kirill Kaprizov’s $17 billion AAV? Probably not. But what is expected is that both of them will be the highest paid players in their teams.
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All signs point to the Dallas Stars and Jason Robertson getting an extension done. We know Ducks GM Pat Verbeek is a tough negotiator, but he’ll want Gauthier and Carlsson to sign quickly to avoid a repeat of history, as Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras (now in Philadelphia), and Jamie Drysdale (also in Philadelphia) missed training camp.
It’s going to be an interesting season, more so in the RFA market than the UFA market.
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