The NHL announced the offer sheet tier list for this summer. Historically, players very seldom sign offer sheets. Since the beginning of the salary cap, over the last two decades, only 12 restricted free agents have signed offer sheets. Of those 12, only four went unmatched by the team that held the player’s arbitration rights.
Still, the last three offer sheets signed have all gone unmatched. The Carolina Hurricanes sent a 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2022 third-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in 2021 for signing Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Additionally, the St. Louis Blues sent a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers two summers ago for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, respectively.
It’s always a gamble, especially considering that the highest tier of the threshold requires the signing team to part with four consecutive first-round picks, which very few General Managers, if any, have the stomach to do. That alone may stop teams from approaching Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson about an offer sheet, but there could be other offer sheet-eligible RFA’s to keep an eye out for. Here are the offer sheet tiers for the 2026-27 season as provided by PuckPedia:
| AAV | Draft picks required |
| $1.57596MM or less | No compensation |
| $1.57596MM to $2.387832MM | 2027 Third-round pick |
| $2.387832MM to $4.775666MM | 2027 Second-round pick |
| $4.775666MM to $7.163498MM | 2027 First and third-round pick |
| $7.163498MM to $9.551332MM | 2027 First, second, and third-round pick |
| $9.551332MM to $11.939166MM | ’28 First, ’27 first, second, and a third-round pick |
| Over $11.939166MM | ’30 First-round pick, ’29 first-round pick, ’28 first-round pick, ’27 first-round pick |