Salary Cap Deep Dive 2024

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Toronto Maple Leafs

March 14, 2025 at 7:56 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Maple Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Current Cap Hit: $90,148,437 (over the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Matthew Knies (one year, $925K)

Knies is quickly looking like one of the better-value picks of the 2021 draft. He debuted for the Leafs late in the 2022-23 season after his sophomore campaign at the University of Minnesota and has since skated almost exclusively in top-six roles. He has 76 career points in 139 games, second in the draft among non-first rounders behind the Lightning’s J.J. Moser. Luckily for Toronto, his strong performance won’t activate any performance bonuses in his contract – all of his ELC compensation is through base salary and signing bonuses. However, that will incentivize Knies to push for more money in contract negotiations this summer after agreeing to limit his earning potential through his first few NHL seasons.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Jani Hakanpää ($1.47MM, UFA)
F Pontus Holmberg ($800K, RFA)
F Steven Lorentz ($775K, UFA)
F Mitch Marner ($10.903MM, UFA)
F Max Pacioretty ($874K, UFA)
F Nicholas Robertson ($875K, RFA)
F John Tavares ($11MM, UFA)

After his 2023-24 campaign with the Stars ended prematurely due to a knee injury, the Leafs picked up Hakanpää as a cheap shutdown option on the right side (but not without some lengthy drama). Lingering knee issues limited him to just a pair of appearances back in November, though, and it’s all but certain he won’t return this season. Holmberg likely doesn’t have a ton of room left to grow at age 26, but the versatile Swede has been a nice fit in Toronto’s bottom six this season and has even been elevated to the second line with John Tavares on brief occasions. He’s averaging north of 13 minutes per game and is encroaching on his career high in points, so he’ll likely be brought back on a low-cost deal in the $1MM range.

Lorentz has been a nice pickup after a successful training camp tryout, appearing in nearly every game for the Leafs after serving as a frequent healthy scratch for the Panthers last year. He’s scored 14 points in 63 games while leading the team’s forwards with 156 hits, so it stands to reason they’ll try to bring him back on a sub-$1MM deal. Pacioretty, also a PTO pickup, seems like he’ll be one-and-done in Toronto after continued injury troubles have limited him to 13 points in 37 games, failing to hold onto a top-six job (and posting subpar defensive metrics when doing so). Robertson requested a trade last summer and, after it didn’t come to fruition, has seen his offensive production drop slightly from last year. He could be a non-tender option if the Leafs can’t find a taker for his signing rights.

The big fish are unquestionably the duo of Marner and Tavares. The former has had a spectacular campaign and still has a chance to finally crack the 100-point mark for the first time in his career, leading the Leafs in scoring with 80 points through 64 games. He’s also been Toronto’s most-deployed forward on the penalty kill this season at 2:16 per game. Easily the Leafs’ most valuable skater this season, no extension is imminent – especially after his name was thrown out in trade talks for Mikko Rantanen at the deadline. Pending his playoff performance, Toronto will likely need to step into the $13MM range annually on a max-term deal to keep him from looking elsewhere on the open market. Tavares is still chugging along with 56 points in 58 games in his age-34 season but is in line for a multi-million dollar pay cut next season, wherever he ends up. The former captain is open to continuing negotiations down the stretch and shouldn’t exceed the $8MM threshold on what’s likely to be a three-to-four-year pact.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Matt Benning ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Calle Järnkrok ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Scott Laughton ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Bobby McMann ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($1.35MM, UFA)
G Anthony Stolarz ($2.5MM, UFA)

Benning and Reaves won’t be brought back at the end of their deals – if they’re even still in Toronto at that point. The former hasn’t suited up for the Leafs after they acquired him from the Sharks early this season in the Timothy Liljegren trade. Toronto waived him shortly after the deal, and after there were no takers on the wire, they sent him to their AHL affiliate. The 30-year-old righty has played just 21 NHL games since the beginning of last year and has just eight points in 33 AHL games. Reaves, a last-of-his-kind enforcer, hasn’t captured an everyday role and even landed on waivers last week to open up some pre-deadline financial flexibility.

Järnkrok was a solid depth pickup for the Leafs in free agency in 2022, although injuries have significantly hampered his availability over the past two years. He just got back into the lineup this month after missing most of the year following groin surgery. He’ll be 34 next summer and could likely replicate his current AAV, likely even with a slight raise amid a rising cap, on a short-term deal. Toronto just picked up Laughton at the deadline from the Flyers, who are retaining half of his full $3MM cap hit. The consistent 30-to-40-point center likely won’t be in line for a pay cut barring a disastrous 2025-26 outing.

McMann and Stolarz are the two names likely to see considerable increases on their next deals. The former is a late bloomer, but now at age 28 has emerged as a legitimate top-nine piece. He’s scored at a 23-goal pace per 82 games over the last two seasons and could conceivably sniff the $4MM mark on his next deal. Stolarz, who will set a new career-high in starts this year and is tied for second in the league with a .920 SV%, stands to double his cap hit on a short-term deal considering how quickly salaries for 1A tandem netminders are rising.

Signed Through 2026-27

D Simon Benoit ($1.35MM, UFA)
D Brandon Carlo ($3.485MM, UFA)
F David Kämpf ($2.4MM, UFA)
D Philippe Myers ($850K in 2025-26 and 2026-27, UFA)

None of the players in this group are true impact pieces outside of potentially Carlo, who the Leafs managed to snag from the rival Bruins at the deadline with a decent chunk of salary retention despite there being two years left on his deal. A longtime bona fide top-four shutdown righty in Boston, he’s the Hakanpää upgrade they were looking for and will remain under contract for Toronto at an under-market-value price. Whether his level of play holds up enough for a pay rise at age 30 in 2027 remains to be seen.

Benoit and Myers’ term means the Leafs don’t have to worry about building out their depth defense. Both will likely alternate between bottom-pairing usage and nights in the press box for the remainder of their deals. Kämpf gives Toronto security at the fourth-line center slot, but that’s a steep price tag for his meager offensive production (10 points in 52 games), even considering the pending salary cap rise and his shorthanded deployment. It’s not expensive enough to truly be classified as an anchor deal, but his deal sticks out as an inefficiency on the Leafs’ books.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Max Domi ($3.75MM through 2027-28)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($3.5MM through 2027-28)
F Auston Matthews ($13.25MM through 2027-28)
D Jake McCabe ($4.513MM through 2029-30)
F William Nylander ($11.5MM through 2031-32)
D Morgan Rielly ($7.5MM through 2029-30)
D Chris Tanev ($4.5MM through 2029-30)
G Joseph Woll ($3.67MM through 2027-28)

While Matthews hasn’t been himself this year while battling an upper-body injury, he’ll be back to averaging 50 goals a year soon enough. Considering the market being set for top-end centers, $13.25MM looks fair compared to Leon Draisaitl’s new $14MM AAV and should check in as a bargain by the time his deal is expiring. Of course, Matthews has captured the goal-scoring title three times in the last five years, and no one’s scored more than him since he entered the league in 2016-17.

Nylander has assumed the temporary crown of Toronto’s goal-scoring leader this year, quickly proving he was worth the cash Toronto gave him last year to keep him from hitting the market. He’s on track for his third straight 40-goal season and has 67 points in 65 games, ranking second in the league in goals behind only Draisaitl. The same value can’t be said of the third forward on this list. Domi, who the Leafs signed to a four-year extension last summer, has just five goals in 57 games and is tracking for his worst points per game pace (0.46) in four years. That’s a tough mid-tier deal to swallow for the next few years if he doesn’t get his scoring touch back.

While Rielly has always been a rather one-dimensional talent, he was still comfortably logging north of 23 minutes per game and posting premier point totals when he signed his current deal in 2021. Unfortunately, neither of those things have happened this season. His 33 points through 65 games are his worst pace since 2016-17, his 21:33 ATOI is his lowest since 2014-15, and his -19 rating is the second-worst of his career. With five years left as Toronto’s most expensive rearguard, that’s quickly looking like one of the least favorable contracts in the league, especially on a playoff-contending team.

The length left on the contracts for aging and heavy-duty defenders McCabe and Tanev is of some concern, but both have provided extremely high defensive value to the Leafs. Tanev in particular has been a rock after they picked him up on the free-agent market last summer, leading the club with a +27 rating despite seeing two-thirds of his even-strength deployment in the defensive end. Ekman-Larsson has also been a spectacular UFA pickup and, with 26 points and a +12 rating through 64 games while averaging 21 minutes per game, has been one of the Leafs’ most valuable players for the money this year.

In the crease, Woll’s deal also looks like a bargain after recent extensions for names like Joey Daccord, Adin Hill, and Logan Thompson came across in the $5MM-$6MM range annually. There’s an argument to be made he’s not quite in that tier, but his .905 SV% and 10.6 goals saved above expected this season (MoneyPuck) are projectable based on what the 26-year-old has shown so far in his career. Along with Stolarz, he’s a legitimate high-tier tandem option.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Woll
Worst Value: Rielly

Looking Ahead

The Leafs’ continued penchant for acquiring players with term with retained salary at the deadline has played out well for them so far, initially with McCabe and now hopefully with Laughton and Carlo. That’s one of the few ways contenders can land established talents below market value, other than managing to grow them within the organization and convincing them to take a “hometown” discount. That last part has been a struggle for Toronto, so their pursuit of cap-friendly secondary veteran depth pieces on the trade market makes sense.

That’s left them with likely enough space to re-sign one of Marner and Tavares along with Knies. Keeping all three in the fold with $27.5MM in projected cap space next year will be challenging since Toronto has seven roster spots to fill, but it’s not impossible if Tavares takes a steeper discount than expected and if Knies accepts a lower-cost bridge agreement. Without any household name pieces destined for free agency in 2026, though, that should be an offseason of big outside expenditure for the Leafs as the cap jumps to $104MM.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning

March 1, 2025 at 3:30 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Tampa Bay Lightning

Current Cap Hit: $86,676,870 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Conor Geekie (three years, $886.7K)
D Emil Lilleberg (one year, $870K)

Potential Bonuses
Geekie: $525K
Lilleberg: $80K
Total: $605K

Geekie was a key pickup in the Mikhail Sergachev trade back at the draft. He spent the first half of the season with the big club but was sent down after struggling. That makes it unlikely that he reaches his ‘A’ bonuses while at this point, a low-cost second contract seems likely unless he can establish himself as a core piece over the next two years.

Lilleberg has already signed an extension so we’ll cover that later on. For here, it’s worth noting that his bonuses are tied to games played so he’ll hit most if not all of his number.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Cam Atkinson ($900K, UFA)
F Michael Eyssimont ($800K, UFA)
F Luke Glendening ($800K, UFA)
F Gage Goncalves ($775K, RFA)
G Jonas Johansson ($775K, UFA)
D Nicklaus Perbix ($1.125MM, UFA)

After being bought out by Philadelphia, Atkinson was a low-cost flyer to see if he could provide Tampa Bay with some depth scoring. That hasn’t happened and at this point, it’d be surprising to see him land a guaranteed contract this summer. If so – or if he earns one off a PTO – it’s likely to be for the minimum. Glendening has been as advertised – a reliable faceoff player who can kill penalties but brings little offense to the table. There’s still a role for him beyond this year but it’s likely to be at or near the minimum of $775K once again.

Eyssimont had a breakout effort last season, notching 25 points despite playing primarily in their bottom six (often the fourth line). He hasn’t been able to produce at a similar rate this year which will hurt him a bit on the open market. Even so, as a fourth liner who can play with some jam and bring potentially a little offensive upside, he could jump closer to the $1.3MM range on his next contract. Goncalves has cleared waivers twice already but has spent more time with the Lightning than the Crunch so far. He has arbitration rights which could give the Lightning pause if they think a hearing could push him past the $1MM mark or so but he’s a candidate to take less than his qualifying offer of around $813K for a higher AHL salary or even a one-way NHL salary.

Perbix is the most notable of Tampa Bay’s pending free agents. While he has largely had a limited role this season, he had 24 points last year while logging a little over 17 minutes a night. Considering he’s still young (he’ll be 27 in June), big (6’4), and a right-shot player, his market could grow quickly from teams looking for a depth addition with a little upside, meaning that more than doubling this price could be doable.

Johansson remains a below-average NHL netminder but that’s something the Lightning knew when they signed him in 2023. The goal for them was getting someone at the minimum salary. Johansson’s staying power could give him a shot at a few more dollars but he’ll remain in the six-figure range.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Mitchell Chaffee ($800K, UFA)
D Ryan McDonagh ($6.75MM, UFA)
D J.J. Moser ($3.375MM, RFA)
D Darren Raddysh ($975K, UFA)
F Conor Sheary ($2MM, UFA)

Sheary received this deal coming off two strong years with Washington but things haven’t gone anywhere near as well with the Lightning. He scored just four goals last season and has spent most of this year in the minors, carrying a pro-rated $850K charge while down there. He’s a buyout candidate this summer although they could elect to hold onto him and take the $850K charge again next year instead of putting some money onto the 2026-27 books. Chaffee has established himself as a regular on the fourth line and is in a similar situation as Eyssimont was a year ago. Assuming that keeps up, he could push to land a $500K raise or so in 2026.

McDonagh’s contract was once deemed too expensive for Tampa Bay which resulted in them moving him to Nashville in 2022 for a very minimal return. Two years later, they gave up more value to reacquire the final two seasons of the agreement which is something you don’t see too often. But it reflects the need they had to bring in a veteran dependable defender which is what McDonagh is at this point of his career. He’s not a true top-pairing piece at this stage of his career nor is he enough of an offensive threat to provide value relative to his price tag. But if he can still hold down at least a top-four spot by the end of next season, he could still land a contract in the $4MM to $5MM range, perhaps a one-year deal which would allow for some incentives.

Moser was another piece of note in the Sergachev trade after being one of the more underrated blueliners with Arizona. The structure of the bridge deal gives him a $4.075MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights and assuming he’s still a full-timer in Tampa’s top four, he seems like a strong candidate to push past the $5MM mark on his next contract. Raddysh has become a capable producer of secondary scoring from the back end although he gives some of that back with his defensive play. Those players don’t always have the best markets year-to-year but barring a big drop in performance or playing time, he should be able to double this at a minimum in 2026.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Zemgus Girgensons ($850K, UFA)
F Nikita Kucherov ($9.5MM, UFA)
D Emil Lilleberg ($800K in 2025-26 and 2026-27, RFA)

Kucherov continues to be one of the top point-producing forwards in the NHL. He’s around $2MM below the highest-paid winger (Artemi Panarin) but that’s about to change with this upcoming UFA crop which will only widen that gap and give Tampa Bay even better value in the short term. Assuming he doesn’t slow down over the next three years, he could be someone conceivably pushing for a deal in the $14MM range himself even at 34. Girgensons saw his production drop in the last couple of years with Buffalo but it has cratered even more this year. Still, he’s a capable penalty killer and can play with some grit. That for $100K above the minimum isn’t bad value.

Lilleberg’s new deal is actually a dip in pay off his entry-level pact but gives him guaranteed money via a one-way salary no matter what. Assuming he remains a regular with the Lightning during that time, his arbitration eligibility could put him in line to double (or even triple) that price tag on his next contract.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

D Erik Cernak ($5.2MM through 2030-31)
F Anthony Cirelli ($6.25MM through 2030-31)
F Jake Guentzel ($9MM through 2030-31)
F Brandon Hagel ($6.5MM through 2031-32)
D Victor Hedman ($8MM through 2028-29)
F Nick Paul ($3.25MM through 2028-29)
F Brayden Point ($9.5MM through 2029-30)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5MM through 2027-28)

It shouldn’t have come as much surprise that Point’s AAV landed exactly at what Kucherov and Vasilevskiy make as that price point was likely viewed as the internal limit in negotiations. It’s already looking like a bit of a bargain. In the first two seasons of the deal, he reached the 90-point mark in each while scoring 97 combined goals, a mark few middlemen reach as they’re more often playmakers. This season, he’s around that pace once again. We’ve already seen the market for elite centers reach the $14MM mark with Leon Draisaitl’s new contract. Granted, Point isn’t at that same level but he’s in the tier below. With the needle for top pivots moving quickly in terms of salary, having a high-end center increasingly below that number is going to look very good for the Lightning.

Guentzel was Tampa Bay’s targeted acquisition after they opted not to re-sign Steven Stamkos. This much money for a winger is on the higher side but with the rising salary cap, it’s going to look better over time, especially if he maintains his point-per-game production. So far, so good on that move. Putting Hagel with that same sentiment would be an understatement. He has emerged as a legitimate top liner and is locked up long-term at second-line money. It’s already a team-friendly pact now and is only going to look much better in a few years.

When Cirelli received his contract, they were hoping that his offensive game would eventually find another gear. The floor is high with his high-end defensive game but breaking out offensively would change the perception of the contract. He’s been doing that this season and if he can maintain that, a strong two-way center at this price point will work out quite well. Seven years for Paul raised some eyebrows but they believed that his offensive improvement was sustainable. That bet has been a good one so far and now the Lightning have a middle-six winger signed long-term at a team-friendly price.

Hedman has been one of the elite blueliners across the league for many years now. Even at 34, he’s not really showing signs of slowing down and with salaries going up in recent years, his AAV doesn’t land in the top 20 among NHL defensemen. For someone viewed as a top-10 defender league-wide at a minimum, this is another team-friendly pact. Even if Hedman slows down by the end of this deal and isn’t quite as impactful, they’ve had plenty of surplus value from him already to offset that. The same can’t be said for Cernak. He hasn’t been able to become the high-end shutdown defender the Lightning were hoping for, resulting in him being deployed in more of a fourth or fifth role on the depth chart. That’s a premium price for someone in that slot.

Vasilevskiy is one of the highest-paid goalies in the NHL and for good reason as he has been one of the league’s best for a long time now. After a rougher showing last season, he has rebounded quite nicely and should be up there in Vezina Trophy voting once again. It’s a high price tag but he has been worth it thus far.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Hagel
Worst Value: Cernak

Looking Ahead

Tampa Bay has had a pretty healthy season overall which has allowed them to bank a reasonable amount of cap room. As a result, they enter the trade deadline with the ability to take on at least $5MM in full-season salary which is enough to add a player without necessarily needing the trading team to retain money. That could give them a leg up over cap-strapped squads. That said, it seems unlikely that GM Julien BriseBois will make a big splash.

That same thought extends to the offseason as well. The Lightning will have around $14MM in cap flexibility for next summer with around seven players to sign with those funds. While in theory, they could try to make a big addition and round out the roster with several low-cost veterans as they’ve done recently, it also could be a chance for them to add better quality depth, deepening their roster for a full season over trying to add those types at the trade deadline. But in the 2027 offseason when the cap jumps again and McDonagh’s contract ends, they should be in a spot to try to make more of a splash at that time.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Ottawa Senators

February 23, 2025 at 7:54 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Ottawa Senators

Current Cap Hit: $88,257,127 (over the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Ridly Greig (one year, $863K)
D Tyler Kleven (one year, $917K)
F Zack Ostapchuk (two years, $825K)

Potential Bonuses
Kleven: $600K
Ostapchuk: $82.5K
Total: $682.5K

Greig has already signed an extension so we’ll cover him later on. Ostapchuk has had his first extended NHL look this season but has primarily been limited to duty on the fourth line with very limited output. He should be able to reach some of his games played bonuses but he’s likely heading toward a low-cost second contract barring a big uptick in his output and role next season.

Kleven is holding down a regular spot on Ottawa’s third pairing but his deployment has been limited thus far. As a result, he’s not on track to reach his ‘A’ bonuses while his next contract should be a low-cost bridge deal although passing the $1MM mark isn’t out of the question.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Jacob Bernard-Docker ($805K, RFA)
F Nick Cousins ($800K, UFA)
G Anton Forsberg ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Adam Gaudette ($775K, UFA)
F Claude Giroux ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Noah Gregor ($850K, RFA)
D Travis Hamonic ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Matthew Highmore ($775K, UFA)
D Nikolas Matinpalo ($775K, RFA)
F Cole Reinhardt ($775K, UFA)

Giroux was brought in to be not only a veteran mentor to what was (and still is) a relatively young core group but also to be a key contributor in their top six. Mission accomplished on both fronts. He was third in team scoring in his first season and fourth in scoring last year. At 37, he’s starting to slow down offensively but he’s still a top-six player, at least for now. One of the big questions for next season as he heads into his next contract is how much longer he can play at that level. A two-year offer probably isn’t off the table but it’d likely reflect the expectation of a diminished role in the second year which could result in a small dip in pay. But if Giroux is open to a one-year deal, something around this price point is doable while he’d also be eligible for performance incentives.

Gregor has been non-tendered for two straight years with his former teams wanting to avoid giving him salary arbitration eligibility where his more productive years (23 points in 2021-22, 10 goals the following year) will come into play. That seems like the probable outcome here as well but without those rights, he could still check in a bit closer to $1MM. Cousins had to wait until late August to get this contract and not much has changed in terms of his role and production. He’s effective enough to stay above the minimum salary but he’s probably only a tier above PTO territory so another low-cost one-year deal is likely.

Gaudette only got into two NHL games last season but he has been one of Ottawa’s better success stories this year, sitting inside the top five on the team in goals. Nonetheless, he historically has had a hard time hanging onto a full-time spot which should keep his cost lower than someone with a shot at 20 goals. A one-year deal in the $1.25MM range, one that can largely be buried in the minors if things don’t go well, would represent a nice raise for him while lessening the risk on the signing team. Highmore and Reinhardt have been back and forth to and from the minors this season and are likely to remain at the minimum salary moving forward.

Hamonic has had a bigger role this year but his playing time is still rather limited compared to even just a few years ago. He’s struggling to keep up and will be entering his age-35-year next season. A one-year, minimum-salary deal with some low-cost performance incentives could still be doable but he could also be a PTO candidate.

Bernard-Docker became a full-timer last season but has been scratched a bit more often this year while injuries haven’t helped either. He’s also arbitration-eligible which could work against him if Ottawa needs to keep this salary slot a little lower. With a hearing, he could plausibly double this price tag but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him non-tendered if they can’t agree on a lower number before then. Matinpalo is also arbitration-eligible but doesn’t have enough NHL experience to really command any sort of big raise. A jump closer to $1MM is doable but probably not much more than that.

Forsberg hasn’t been able to come close to the level of performance from 2021-22, the one that earned him this contract. He has been a bit better this year but his save percentage is still below the league average. He might not get back to the level of third-string money but it’s quite possible his next AAV is half of this or less barring a big turnaround down the stretch.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Nick Jensen ($4.05MM, UFA)
F David Perron ($4MM, UFA)
F Shane Pinto ($3.75MM, RFA)

Perron was brought in over the summer with the hope he could be a reliable veteran secondary scorer. That hasn’t really happened as when he has been in the lineup (which hasn’t been often between an injury and a family-related absence), his production has been quite limited thus far. He’ll be 38 when this contract ends so he’ll need to rebound considerably to have a shot at matching this price tag a year and a half from now. Pinto was at one point believed to be hoping for an offer sheet as early contract talks didn’t go well. But, instead, they settled on a second bridge contract on a back-loaded deal that cranks the qualifying offer up to $4.5MM with arbitration rights. If he can establish himself as a legitimate top-six forward by then, he’ll be able to get a fair-sized raise on that and the long-term deal he’s been seeking.

Jensen has been a nice fit in Ottawa after being acquired from Washington back in July. He has settled in nicely as a second-pairing blueliner in recent years although he doesn’t produce a lot which will keep the price tag down. A jump into the $5MM range on a long-term deal should be achievable if he plays like this over the rest of this season and next.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Michael Amadio ($2.6MM, UFA)
F Drake Batherson ($4.875MM, UFA)
D Artem Zub ($4.6MM, UFA)

Batherson has produced at or close to a top-line rate in the past three seasons heading into this one and is putting up points at a similar clip this year. That makes him a nice bargain and if this keeps up, he could find himself closer to the $8MM range in 2027. Amadio came over from Vegas after putting up back-to-back 27-point seasons. He hasn’t fit in quite as well despite an uptick in playing time but as a bottom-six forward, it’s not a steep overpayment.

Zub has had some challenges staying healthy but when he is in the lineup, he’s a legitimate top-four blueliner, one that flies under the radar a little bit. With his limited production, he’s not on a bargain contract but it’s not a bad one by any stretch. Like Jensen, his next deal likely starts with a five.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Ridly Greig ($3.25MM through 2025-26 through 2027-28, RFA)
F Josh Norris ($7.95MM through 2029-30)
D Jake Sanderson ($8.05MM through 2031-32)
F Tim Stutzle ($8.35MM through 2030-31)
F Brady Tkachuk ($8.206MM through 2027-28)

Stutzle signed this contract coming off the second year of his entry-level deal, a clear sign of confidence from then-GM Pierre Dorion. He has rewarded their faith in him with his two best offensive seasons coming in the two years since then while he’s hanging around the point-per-game mark this year. He’s a legitimate top-line forward and at 23, there’s still some hope that he has another gear to get to from a production standpoint. Notably, the Sens have had Stutzle playing center off and on over the past several seasons. While he hasn’t made the switch full-time, the more time he spends down the middle, the more appealing he could become if he hits the open market with how rarely impactful middlemen get to free agency. That could help boost Stutzle’s value at that time even further.

Tkachuk has become a legitimate top-line power forward and when he’s on, he’s one of the more impactful wingers in the league. Having that type of player locked up at this price for several more seasons is a tidy piece of business. He’s well on his way toward a double-digit AAV and a max-term contract on his next deal.

Norris was signed with the hopes that he could be Ottawa’s long-term solution at the center position. However, injuries have taken their toll in recent years and it’s fair to say they haven’t received good value for their money just yet. But if he can get back to staying healthy and into the 30-goal range – a mark he has reached before – this could still work out for them. Greig signing an early bridge deal was a bit surprising as it’s usually long-term pacts that are signed a year in advance. But it gives both sides a bit of cost certainty while putting him in good shape in 2028 when he’ll be owed a $3.9MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights.

Buyouts

F Colin White ($625K credit in 2024-25, $875K from 2025-26 through 2027-28)

Retained Salary Transactions

G Joonas Korpisalo ($1MM through 2027-28)

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Batherson
Worst Value: Norris

Looking Ahead

While the Sens are in a position to potentially try to add to their roster before next week’s trade deadline, doing so could be a challenge. They are into using LTIR on two of their lowest-paid players which comprises their available cap space at this point. As a result, they’re one of the teams that will be in a money-in, money-out situation.

GM Steve Staios will get a little more flexibility starting this summer with more than $17MM in cap room, albeit with as many as ten players to sign. That should leave them enough room to re-sign or replace Giroux and then round out the roster with lower-cost options. They’ll have another $11MM come off the books for 2026-27 which, coupled with the anticipated increase to the cap at that time, will be their next real opportunity to try to add a core piece to their roster.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens

February 22, 2025 at 2:11 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Montreal Canadiens

Current Cap Hit: $90,661,575 (over the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

G Jakub Dobes (one year, $925K)
D Kaiden Guhle (one year, $863.3K)
F Emil Heineman (one year, $897.5K)
D Lane Hutson (two years, $950K)
F Juraj Slafkovsky (one year, $950K)
D Jayden Struble (one year, $867.5K)

Potential Bonuses
Guhle: $420K
Hutson: $750K
Slafkovsky: $3.5MM
Struble: $57.5K
Total: $4.7275MM

Slafkovsky has already signed an extension so we’ll just look at the bonuses here. The $2.5MM in ‘B’ bonuses aren’t going to happen but he also has four ‘A’ bonuses worth $250K apiece. He’s on his way to getting one for ATOI while another for assists is within reach. Heineman is in his first full NHL season and was off to a good start before being struck by a car while in Utah. With limited experience (less than 50 games thus far), it’s hard to see him landing a long-term deal. Instead, a two-year bridge deal around the $1.5MM to $1.75MM range might be where his next contract lands.

Hutson has been quite impressive in his freshman year, leading all rookies in scoring, making him a Calder Trophy contender in the process. He’s tracking to hit his three ‘A’ bonuses; he already has reached ones for assists and points while ATOI is all but a lock at this point as well. Meanwhile, he seems like a strong candidate to be the next Montreal youngster to bypass a short-term second deal in favor of a long-term pact. In recent years, the team has effectively operated within an internal cap, trying to keep all contracts below that of their captain. However, with the big jumps coming to the Upper Limit, that might be harder to do with Hutson who could be heading for something in the $8.5MM range unless the Canadiens opt for less than a max-term contract.

Like Slafkovsky, Guhle has already signed his next contract so we’ll only look at the bonuses here. He’s on pace to hit both of his ‘A’ bonuses with ATOI and plus/minus although if his recent injury keeps him out for the rest of the season, he could get passed for the latter. Struble, meanwhile, has been the seventh defender for most of the year but is no longer waiver-exempt, leading to a less-than-optimal situation. With the limited usage, a bridge deal is all but a certainty; whether it’s a one or two-year pact is the only question. A one-year might check in around the $1MM mark while a two-year agreement could be closer to $1.3MM. Meanwhile, his bonuses are games played-based so while he won’t max out on those, he could still get a bit of that. At the moment, Montreal is tracking toward having at least $1.42MM in reached bonuses, a number that would be charged against next year’s cap unless they can get out of LTIR and bank that much in cap room by the end of the season.

Dobes took over as Montreal’s backup goaltender after the holiday break and impressed early on before struggling in recent weeks. If the Canadiens are prepared to commit to him as the full-time backup, his bridge deal could check in around $1.25MM but a one-year pact worth closer to his $874K qualifying offer could also happen if they envision him being back in the minors next season.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Joel Armia ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Christian Dvorak ($4.45MM, UFA)
F Jake Evans ($1.7MM, UFA)
F Michael Pezzetta ($812.5K, UFA)
G Cayden Primeau ($890K, RFA)
D David Savard ($3.5MM, UFA)

Dvorak was acquired to be an impactful center, being acquired less than an hour after the team declined to match Carolina’s offer sheet for Jesperi Kotkaniemi. However, his role has become more and more limited as has his offensive production. He’ll still generate interest on the open market this summer but it’ll be as a bottom-six faceoff specialist, putting his possible price tag around half of what it is now. Armia cleared waivers last year but has rebuilt some of his value since then as a double-digit scorer and penalty killer. Matching this money might be tough to do but he could still get a multi-year deal somewhere close to that price point.

Evans, on the other hand, has seen his market value go up considerably this season. He’s the most-used forward on the penalty kill in the NHL this season while he’s on the verge of setting new career highs offensively and should surpass the 30-point mark. Given the high demand for centers, doubling this price tag is very realistic, if not a bit more. Pezzetta, meanwhile, has been a frequent healthy scratch this year and played very limited minutes when he has played. It’s hard to see him landing a raise; a drop to the league minimum seems more likely.

Savard has seen his playing time drop considerably this year as he has become more of a third-pairing option at five-on-five. While he’ll still generate interest as a veteran who can kill penalties and provide some edge, it would be surprising to see him get this much on the open market this summer. A two-year deal could still be doable, however, but it’s more likely to start with a two.

Primeau started the season as Montreal’s backup but lost the job at the holiday break. However, he has played quite well in the minors since then and could get another look with the Canadiens over the next couple of months. Owed a $1.068MM qualifying offer, he’s probably heading for non-tender territory unless the two sides can agree on a new deal before the end of June.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Kirby Dach ($3.363MM, RFA)
F Patrik Laine ($8.7MM, UFA)
D Mike Matheson ($4.875MM, UFA)
G Carey Price ($10.5MM, UFA)
D Arber Xhekaj ($1.3MM, RFA)

Columbus had to part with a second-rounder to offload Laine’s contract in full to Montreal (while receiving depth defender Jordan Harris in return). He has been quite streaky in limited action since returning from a knee injury and certainly hasn’t rebuilt his value to the point where it could be suggested that he’s in line for an extension anywhere near this cost. There’s a lot riding on how things go next year to see what type of contract he could realistically command. Dach missed almost all of last season due to injury and hasn’t been able to show much this year. Notably, he’ll be owed a $4MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights in the 2026 offseason but right now, his play likely doesn’t warrant that cost. It wouldn’t be shocking if the two sides ultimately work out a short-term agreement before then, buying some more evaluation time.

Matheson had a breakout year last season, finishing in the top ten in scoring among all NHL defensemen. Had that continued, he could have been eyeing a long-term deal with a raise of several million per year. That hasn’t been the case, however, and with Hutson in the fold, Matheson’s offensive opportunities have dried up to a point. Even so, he could plausibly command in the $7MM range on the open market in 2026. Xhekaj took a bridge contract after having a limited role in his first couple of NHL seasons. Not much has changed on that front so another shorter-term agreement appears likely at this point, one that should push past $2MM with arbitration rights.

Price hasn’t played since 2022 when he suited up five times down the stretch of that season and isn’t expected to play again. Since then, he has been on LTIR. Notably, his base salary for 2025-26 is just $2MM (with insurance covering a big part of that) so after his $5.5MM signing bonus is paid on July 1st this summer, it’s possible he’s flipped with another asset to a team with plenty of cap room to allow the Canadiens to exit LTIR.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Josh Anderson ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Alexandre Carrier ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Brendan Gallagher ($6.5MM, UFA)
G Sam Montembeault ($3.15MM, UFA)
F Alex Newhook ($2.9MM, RFA)

Gallagher has been a regular in Montreal’s lineup for 13 years now but his production and role have taken a dip the last few seasons. While he was a 30-goal scorer a couple of times, his output is closer to 30 points now which is far from a good return on their investment. If the Canadiens decide they need some extra cap room, he could be a buyout candidate. Anderson is also underperforming relative to his contract. He has become more of a checker this season compared to the past and has held his own in that role. Still, someone in that role should be making a couple million less at least although his size and physicality will give him a stronger market in 2027.

Newhook had a good first season with Montreal, setting a new benchmark in points despite missing 27 games due to injury. But things haven’t gone quite as well this season with his output cut in half. Notably, unlike Dach, Newhook’s qualifying offer checks in at just $2.1MM (with arbitration rights) so even if his struggles continue for the next couple of years, it won’t be too risky to tender him in 2027.

Carrier was acquired earlier this season for Justin Barron with Montreal deciding that another veteran on the back end was needed. He has fared better since the swap and has locked down a spot in their top four. He likely would have ended up with a deal like this had he tested the market and not re-signed with Nashville last summer but barring an uptick in production, his next deal shouldn’t cost too much more than this.

Montembeault has come a long way from being a short-term waiver claim to cover until Price returns, moving from a backup role to a platoon piece to now Montreal’s starter. He’s in that role while being at the price point of a platoon player. His numbers have largely been mediocre but playing behind an inexperienced back end probably hasn’t helped. Over the course of this deal, he needs to show if he can be a true number one. Otherwise, he’s likely to stay closer to this price tag on his next contract.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Cole Caufield ($7.85MM through 2030-31)
D Kaiden Guhle ($5.55MM from 2025-26 through 2030-31)
F Juraj Slafkovsky ($7.6MM from 2025-26 through 2032-33)
F Nick Suzuki ($7.875MM through 2029-30)

Suzuki was signed to this contract by former GM Marc Bergevin but current GM Kent Hughes has used it as the yardstick in negotiations for players he has signed with Caufield and Slafkovsky not coincidentally signing for just below that. The captain hasn’t been able to produce as a top-end player just yet but a solid all-around game has eased some of the questions of whether he’s a true top-32 center across the league. Having a player like that locked up long-term at a price tag that should become more team-friendly in the coming years will certainly help although because of the pending jump in the cap, it’s going to be difficult for that to be the benchmark for much longer.

Caufield has become one of Montreal’s top scoring threats but still has yet to clear the 30-goal plateau so from a production standpoint, the early returns on this deal suggest the price tag is a bit high. But considering he’s only 24 and is showing year-to-year improvement, the pendulum should shift the other way in the next year or so. It will probably take longer for that to be the case for Slafkovsky, however. A strong second half last season that saw him lock down a spot on the top line helped earn him this contract but he has taken a step back this year where his production has been more at the level of a second-liner or a higher-end third-liner. Still just 20, it’s fair to say there’s an expectation of improvement but it may take a few years for him to get to the level where this becomes more of a club-friendly pact.

Unlike the three forwards, Guhle didn’t receive a max-term contract for his extension. His contract only bought two extra years of club control but also helped to keep the AAV down. Guhle has been in Montreal’s top three since his rookie season and as long as he can stay healthy and in that role, they should get a decent return on this contract.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

G Jake Allen ($1.925MM in 2024-25)
D Jeff Petry ($2.344MM in 2024-25)

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Montembeault
Worst Value: Gallagher

Looking Ahead

While Montreal has ample LTIR space at its disposal, one of the questions heading into the upcoming trade deadline will be if they can get out of that. As noted earlier, they’re trending toward a seven-figure bonus carryover penalty for the third straight year and this would be the highest one yet. If they can move most of their expiring contracts, they might be able to at least get out of it and absorb some of that cost this season. As far as 2024-25 goes, that’s what to watch for.

Looking to next year, they have a little over $80MM in commitments although that includes Price. If he’s still around, they could stay in LTIR or if they can offload the contract, they’ll have a lot more flexibility. They have seven or eight players that need to be signed with their roughly $15MM in current cap room, including filling several spots that will be vacated by the veterans on expiring contracts so next summer might not be the one where they try to make a splash. They’ll have more than $50MM in space the following offseason and while a new deal for Hutson will take up a fair-sized chunk, that looks like the summer where they can try to flip the switch and add a core piece or two.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Florida Panthers

February 17, 2025 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

Florida Panthers

Current Cap Hit: $87,250,999 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Mackie Samoskevich (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
None

This is Samoskevich’s first full NHL season (aside from a brief cap-related stint in the minors). He’s holding down a regular spot in the bottom six but players in that role can’t command a long-term second contract. A two-year bridge deal in the $1.5MM to $1.75MM range feels like the right fit for him.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Sam Bennett ($4.425MM, UFA)
F Jesper Boqvist ($775K, RFA)
D Aaron Ekblad ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Tomas Nosek ($775K, UFA)
D Nate Schmidt ($800K, UFA)

Bennett is arguably Florida’s biggest decision to make when it comes to their upcoming free agents. He’s on pace for a career year offensively which certainly doesn’t hurt his cause but that’s only a part of his game. After splitting time at center and the wing in Calgary, he has become a full-time middleman with the Panthers. And, of course, his physicality makes him stand out at a position that doesn’t have a lot of power forwards. Bennett will hit the open market at 29 so a long-term deal will carry some risk but that’s unlikely to act as a deterrent for a lot of teams. If he signs elsewhere, a max-term seven-year agreement isn’t out of the question while adding at least $2MM to his current price tag.

Boqvist has rebounded nicely after a tough year in Boston that saw him get non-tendered. He already has set a new benchmark in goals and is close to matching his career high in points. That could allow him to double his current price tag with arbitration rights but that eligibility could work against him if the Panthers need to keep their end-of-roster spots at or near the league minimum. Nosek has largely stayed healthy this year which helps but he’s not as impactful at the faceoff dot as he used to be while his production is quite limited. A small raise could happen but if Florida wants to keep him, it wouldn’t be shocking if they tried to bring him back at the minimum.

Ekblad is the other free agent of significance that GM Bill Zito will need to try to re-sign. The 29-year-old has been an anchor on their back end for 11 years already after being the top pick in 2014. He hasn’t been able to get back to the top offensive level of a few years ago but he’s still a top-pairing, right-shot blueliner. A big raise might not be likely as the contract will have some of his declining years but a near max-term deal around this price point could be doable. Schmidt quickly caught on with the Panthers after Winnipeg bought him out and he has held down a spot on the third pairing. If a team still views him as a second-pairing piece, he could get back into the $2.5MM range or so but if he’s valued in a fifth or sixth role, his market value might be closer to $2MM.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Uvis Balinskis ($850K, UFA)
G Sergei Bobrovsky ($10MM, UFA)
F Jonah Gadjovich ($775K, UFA)
F A.J. Greer ($850K, UFA)
G Spencer Knight ($4.5MM, RFA)
D Niko Mikkola ($2.5MM, UFA)

Greer has become a capable fourth line energy winger in recent years but doesn’t provide much offense to go along with that which limits his market to a point. Still, now that he’s a bit more proven in that role, he could make a case to push past $1MM on his next deal. Gadjovich has had to take a minor league deal before and with the limited role he has, he’s quite likely to stay at the minimum moving forward.

Mikkola has been counted on more since joining Florida, playing regularly in their top four while playing more of a throwback shutdown role. While he’s not much of a point producer, his defensive play and physicality should give him a much stronger market in 2026 which could push his cost past $4MM per season. Balinskis is Florida’s sixth defender and has even played up front a bit. His limited playing time will likely keep him viewed as a sixth or seventh blueliner which will probably keep him at least close to this price tag.

Bobrovsky has been hit or miss throughout his tenure in Florida with last season being one of the high points. But he’s the highest-paid active netminder in the league (until next season) and that type of volatility isn’t the most ideal. Notably, Bobrovsky will be entering his age-38-year on his next deal. If he’s still a full-fledged starter then, he could land around $6MM or so but a lot could change between now and then. Knight, meanwhile, is back up after spending last year in the minors, hardly great value for his price tag. He’s done well so far and is starting to make a push for more playing time. Florida’s hope will be that he can be their starter of the future and the limited action the last two years might keep the cost a little lower. Still, he’ll be owed a $4.5MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights so if the Panthers want to keep him around, it will likely cost $5MM to do so, more if he’s the full-fledged starter by then.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Eetu Luostarinen ($3MM, UFA)
F Evan Rodrigues ($3MM, UFA)

After his run through free agency in 2022 didn’t go as planned, Rodrigues jumped at the stability of a four-year offer from Florida the following summer, one that looked pretty team-friendly then and that hasn’t changed. A versatile player who can play up and down the lineup for this price is a good deal. Rodrigues should be able to command more on the open market next time out but there was a case for that to happen on his last two trips on the open market too. Luostarinen has worked his way up the depth chart which helped secure this extension last season. If he can get back to being a 40-point player as he was a couple of years back, he could add another million or so on his next deal. If not, the raise could be a bit smaller for him.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Aleksander Barkov ($10MM through 2029-30)
D Gustav Forsling ($5.75MM through 2031-32)
D Dmitry Kulikov ($1.15MM through 2027-28)
F Anton Lundell ($5MM through 2029-30)
F Sam Reinhart ($8.625MM through 2031-32)
F Matthew Tkachuk ($9.5MM through 2029-30)
F Carter Verhaeghe ($4.167MM in 2024-25, $7MM from 2025-26 through 2032-33)

For years, Barkov was viewed as arguably the most underrated top center in the NHL while being one of the more underpaid number one middlemen as well. Both of those have since changed as Barkov is now much more recognized for his contributions while his salary is now in the upper echelon league-wide which better reflects what he brings to the table. He very quietly is averaging over a point per game for the fifth straight season and that, coupled with his strong defensive play (he’s the reigning Selke Trophy winner) makes him the total package for a top center. It’s hard to say that a $10MM price tag is a bargain but if nothing else, the Panthers are getting a strong return on their investment thus far.

The Panthers made a big commitment to Tkachuk after trading two core players (Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar), one that carried some risk. But it has worked out quite well for them as he had a career year in his first season and has still been over a point per game since then. He’s one of the top wingers in the league locked up at a reasonable price tag for several more years. Reinhart had a breakout year last season which earned him the long-term security he had been coveting going back to his days with Buffalo. While repeating 57 goals was unlikely, if he can be a consistent 40-goal scorer even, they’ll do just fine with this contract. He’s on his way to hitting that mark this season.

Verhaeghe has gone from being a castaway with a couple of organizations to a legitimate top-six winger in Florida, capped with back-to-back years of more than 70 points before this season. That helped him earn this early-season extension, a fair price tag for someone who has become one of their better scorers. In the meantime, he’s getting high-end third-line money (or low-end second-line) on his current deal, one of the better bargains they’ve had. Lundell’s offense hasn’t come around as much as Florida might have hoped by now but he’s on pace for a career year this season and remains one of their stronger defensive players. In the new cap environment that’s coming, this is higher-end third-line money and Lundell is already at that level with the belief there’s another gear for him to find. This contract should age quite well.

Forsling has been one of the top NHL waiver claims in recent memory, going from largely being an afterthought to a top-pairing defender. He’s not a high-end point producer which limited his negotiating power to an extent last year when this contract was signed but any time you can get a top-pairing piece locked up for less than $6MM, they’ll happily take it. Kulikov opted for long-term stability, signing this four-year deal at 33. In doing so, he signed for the rate of a depth defender, giving the Panthers some good value on the cap, even as his role likely decreases as the deal goes on.

Buyouts

D Keith Yandle ($1.242MM in 2024-25)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Verhaeghe (this season)
Worst Value: Bobrovsky

Looking Ahead

The Panthers are carrying close to a minimum-sized roster, allowing them to bank a bit of cap room; they can spend around $3.5MM at the deadline in full-season salary as things stand. That’s enough to add a depth option or two but they’ll have to get creative to add an impact piece. Still, that’s more flexibility than a few other contenders have.

The $7.5MM jump in the cap next season gives Florida a chance to keep both Bennett and Ekblad or give them enough flexibility to sign a replacement. Keeping the full core or close to it intact is a great sign for them. Then in the 2026 summer, they currently project to have more than $50MM in cap room and while that will go down with new deals for Bennett and/or Ekblad, they’ll still have a lot of wiggle room to potentially add to that core group. For as tight as they’ve been to the Upper Limit lately, the Panthers are in solid shape on the cap front moving forward.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Detroit Red Wings

February 15, 2025 at 2:16 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

Detroit Red Wings

Current Cap Hit: $85,238,023 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Simon Edvinsson (two years, $894.1K)
F Marco Kasper (three years, $886.7K)

Potential Bonuses
Edvinsson: $850K
Kasper: $1MM
Total: $1.85MM

Kasper’s first full NHL season has been solid thus far with the Red Wings not throwing a lot at him, allowing him to ease his way in. That doesn’t necessarily bode well for him from a bonus perspective but development-wise, it’s not a bad strategy. At this point, it would seem like a bridge contract would make sense for his next contract but a breakout effort next year could change those plans.

Edvinsson has certainly been an impactful blueliner in his first full NHL campaign. The offensive numbers don’t jump off the chart but defensively, he’s quickly becoming a core piece. Speculatively, he’s someone Detroit might want to bypass a bridge deal with in 2026 and if his production stays around the level it is now, he won’t be able to command top dollar. He could seemingly use Kaiden Guhle’s contract as a barometer ($5.5MM AAV for six years) although in a higher cap environment, the comparable could push past the $6MM mark on a deal of that length. Bonus-wise, he’s well on his way to reaching two of his four ‘A’ bonuses (ATOI and plus/minus) while he’s within striking distance hitting the other two with blocks and assists.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Jonatan Berggren ($825K, RFA)
D Albert Johansson ($775K, RFA)
F Christian Fischer ($1.125MM, UFA)
G Ville Husso ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Patrick Kane ($4MM, UFA)
G Alex Lyon ($900K, UFA)
F Tyler Motte ($800K, UFA)
D Jeff Petry ($2.344MM, UFA)*

*-Montreal is retaining $2.344MM on Petry’s deal while Pittsburgh is retaining an additional $1.563MM.

Potential Bonuses
Kane: $2.5MM

Kane’s second season with the Red Wings hasn’t gone quite as well as his first. After hovering near the point-per-game mark in 2023-24, he isn’t producing close to that level this year while dealing with some injuries. Nonetheless, the bonus-laden structure shields Detroit a bit. Speaking of those bonuses, he has already reached $1.5MM of those and if he stays healthy the rest of the way, he’ll get at least another $250K. The other $750K ($500K for making the playoffs and $250K for making the playoffs and getting 60 points) are less likely although if Detroit was to move Kane to a contender at the trade deadline, he could still reach that. With how this year has gone, a similar one-year deal could still be doable, perhaps with a bit less guaranteed money in there.

Fischer is having a rough year and while he has a track record of being a good fourth liner, a small dip into the six figures still seems likely for him. Berggren has arbitration eligibility and with a 28-point rookie season under his belt and being on pace for a similar number this year, doubling his current price tag could be doable. If Detroit doesn’t want to take the risk of an award from a hearing, he could be a non-tender candidate as well. Motte has been just above the minimum salary the last couple of years and although he’s a serviceable penalty killer, it’s possible he might wind up dropping to the minimum salary of $775K for next season.

For many years, Petry was a solid top-four defender who could handle top-pairing minutes when needed. That’s not the case anymore. He’s more of a fourth or fifth option at this point and at 37, there’s a risk of the decline being fairly steep. Accordingly, he’s likely looking at going year-to-year now. Something around the price that Detroit is responsible for on his current contract might be reasonable with some incentives pushing the potential total past the $3MM mark as well. Johansson is in his first NHL season and has had a limited role thus far. He’s arbitration-eligible as well which should allow him to get more than his $813K qualifying offer. Something a little closer to the $1MM mark could be doable.

Lyon has become quite a bargain for Detroit. Originally viewed as a third-string option, he took over as the starter last year and has improved on those numbers this season albeit in more of a backup role. With the way the market has gone for higher-end backups lately, a short-term deal around the $3MM mark is where his market could fall. Husso, on the other hand, was supposed to be the starter when acquired but has played his way down to third-string status. It’s hard to see him getting an offer to be a backup goalie this summer but because he has done well in the minors and has a bit of a track record in the AHL, he could land a deal similar to what Lyon’s getting now, a one-way pact worth more than the minimum to be an experienced third option.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Ben Chiarot ($4.75MM, UFA)
D Erik Gustafsson ($2MM, UFA)
D Justin Holl (3.4MM, UFA)
G Cam Talbot ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Vladimir Tarasenko ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Joe Veleno ($2.275MM, RFA)

Tarasenko had to settle for a one-year deal in 2023 and, despite having a solid season, he didn’t seem to have a strong market last summer, yielding this two-year pact at a small pay cut instead. This season hasn’t gone well for the 33-year-old and it’s possible that Detroit looks to try to move him to get out of the second year of the contract. If this production carries over into next season, he could be dropping closer to the $3MM range on his next deal. Veleno has never been able to carry over his offensive success in junior to the pros although he has become a capable checker. His deal is a little front-loaded, meaning the qualifying offer only checks in at $1.75MM which is notable as if his usage continues as more of a fourth liner, that’s more of the price range he should be in. He’ll be arbitration-eligible and a likely non-tender candidate if a deal can’t be reached by the start of the 2026 free agent period.

Chiarot’s contract drew some ire when it was signed a couple of years ago as a high price for someone who’s probably best served in a fourth role. He plays enough to make the price tag somewhat reasonable although for someone who doesn’t contribute a lot offensively, it’s still on the high side and it’s one Detroit could try to get out of if they want to open up some flexibility this summer. He’ll be 35 for his next trip on the open market and it’s hard to imagine he’d get this type of money again. A deal with an AAV starting with a three might be more plausible.

Holl’s contract seemed like quite an overpayment given his limited usage late in his time with Toronto. Unfortunately for them, that has largely been the case. He cleared waivers in October but has spent most of the year with Detroit in a limited role. He’s a possible buyout candidate or could be moved with retention. Either way, his next deal might not be worth half of this one. Gustafsson had a strong year with the Rangers which allowed him to get a multi-year contract for the first time since 2018. He hasn’t produced at the same level with the Red Wings but the cost is low enough that it shouldn’t be much of a burden. He’ll need to pick up the pace in terms of his points though as otherwise, he’s probably back in the year-to-year territory with a cost closer to half of what he’s making now.

Talbot opted for the security of a two-year deal last summer over going year-to-year which, at 37, probably wasn’t a bad strategy for someone viewed as more of a platoon option at this point. He has been more than that for Detroit as he has been their primary netminder while putting up numbers above league average. That said, if there’s another contract coming, it’d be for his age-39 year so the cost will likely be low even if he keeps up this level of performance.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Andrew Copp ($5.625MM, UFA)
F Alex DeBrincat ($7.875MM, UFA)

DeBrincat and the Red Wings couldn’t work out a long-term deal after he was acquired so the sides settled on a medium-term pact instead. It’s working out reasonably well so far although the price tag is a little high for someone whose production is in the lower-end range for a top-line winger. That said, by the time DeBrincat reaches free agency (when the salary cap is much higher), he could still be in line for a raise if he stays in the 25-30-goal, 60-plus-point range. Copp received this contract coming off a career year, one he hasn’t been able to repeat since then. He’s more of a bottom-six pivot getting paid as a second-liner which isn’t great value but he is a valuable secondary piece nonetheless.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F J.T. Compher ($5.1MM through 2027-28)
F Dylan Larkin ($8.7MM through 2030-31)
F Michael Rasmussen ($3.2MM through 2027-28)
F Lucas Raymond ($8.075MM through 2031-32)
D Moritz Seider ($8.55MM through 2030-31)

Larkin has never reached the point-per-game mark in his career though he came quite close in 2022-23 which is when this deal was signed. In the current cap landscape, it feels like this is a bit of an overpayment but with the big jump coming in the salary cap over the next few years, that shouldn’t be the case for too long. Raymond skipped the bridge contract last summer though it took until right before training camp to get it done. The early returns have been promising as he’s on pace for another career year while he’s still only 22. If he keeps this up, this will become a team-friendly deal pretty quickly.

Compher was GM Steve Yzerman’s other big swing to add an impactful middleman in recent years. He wasn’t too far off his career-bests in his first year with the Red Wings which was a decent first impression although things aren’t going as well this season. If he can get back to his 2023-24 performance, this deal should hold up okay. Rasmussen’s contract is almost like a longer second bridge deal. It gives both sides a bit of security but is one that should be movable if things don’t go well. The 2017 ninth-overall pick probably isn’t going to live up to his draft billing but all he needs to do to justify this contract is hold his own on the third line. So far, so good on that front. But he’ll need to show more offensively if he wants to beat this deal on the open market down the road.

Seider was an impactful player right from the get-go, taking home the Calder Trophy in his rookie season while recording 42 points in the next two. On top of that, he was an all-situations piece from the beginning. That made a bridge deal quite unlikely. Like Raymond, it took a long time for it to get done but eventually, the two sides settled on this, a price tag very close to the one Brock Faber signed for his extension with Minnesota. Generally speaking, when a player skips the bridge contract and goes to the long-term one, the first year or two of the new deal might be a bit of an overpayment with the hope he’ll outplay the price tag by the end. Seider is already playing up to the price tag of this contract and with the cap jumping considerably soon, this could become a team-friendly pact fairly quickly.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

F Justin Abdelkader ($1.056MM through 2025-26)
F Kailer Yamamoto ($533.3K in 2024-25)

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Lyon
Worst Value: Husso

Looking Ahead

Detroit will hit the trade deadline with around $2MM in cap room (equivalent to over $9MM in room on deadline day), at least on paper. Knowing that Kane has hit $1.5MM of his bonuses already with a shot at a bit more and Edvinsson being within striking distance of his $850K as well, that money is pretty much already accounted for unless they’re willing to take the overage penalty next season. How these next few weeks go will ultimately determine whether it’s worth adding and taking what’s likely to be a $2MM-plus penalty or if they should sell and finish the year with enough room to absorb those bonuses.

The Red Wings should have some flexibility moving forward though. They have around $25MM in room on next year’s cap with only seven or eight spots to fill and only one pricier player (Kane) to re-sign or replace. The following year, several of their pricier mid-tier contracts come off the books. Better days should be on the horizon from a cap perspective as a result.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Buffalo Sabres

February 6, 2025 at 7:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Buffalo Sabres

Current Cap Hit: $82,494,010 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Zach Benson (two years, $950K)
F Jiri Kulich (three years, $886.7K)
F JJ Peterka (one year, $855.8K)
F Jack Quinn (one year, $863.3K)

Potential Bonuses
Benson: $650K
Quinn: $850K
Total: $1.5MM

Benson had a solid rookie season last year after somewhat surprisingly making the team out of training camp. However, his per-game output has actually dipped this season which isn’t ideal and has him on pace to miss his ‘A’ bonuses. At this point, it would be surprising to see the Sabres prioritizing a long-term deal on his next contract; a bridge pact with an AAV around the $3MM mark is the likelier outcome. Kulich is just starting out in the NHL which makes his next agreement difficult to forecast. Based on his early production though, he’d be trending toward a bridge deal as well.

Quinn is someone who Buffalo likely hoped would be a candidate for a long-term pact but injuries last year didn’t help in that regard, nor have his struggles this year. A bridge contract could still land around the $4MM mark, however, and with there still being some uncertainty about him, it makes sense for both sides to lean that way. In the meantime, he’ll need to pick up the pace offensively to have a shot at any of his ‘A’ bonuses. Peterka is someone who should get consideration for a long-term deal, however. After putting up 50 points last year, he’s on pace to beat that this season and has established himself as a legitimate top-six winger. With another big increase in the salary cap coming, there’s a chance Peterka could become their highest-paid forward, surpassing the $7.15MM mark on a long-term agreement.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Nicolas Aube-Kubel ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Jacob Bryson ($900K, UFA)
D Bowen Byram ($3.85MM, RFA)
D Dennis Gilbert ($825K, UFA)
F Jordan Greenway ($3MM, UFA)
D Henri Jokiharju ($3.1MM, UFA)
F Ryan McLeod ($2.1MM, RFA)
G James Reimer ($1MM, UFA)
F Jason Zucker ($5MM, UFA)

Zucker has been a very nice pickup in his second straight year of playing on a one-year pillow contract in the hopes of restoring his market value. The last one didn’t go so well but this one has as he’s playing at an offensive pace close to his career year back in 2017-18. That should help his chances of securing at least a multi-year agreement this time around. However, because of his age (33) and his inconsistency with other teams in recent years, Zucker may be hard-pressed to command top dollar on that multi-year deal. Instead, that deal might not cost a whole lot more than what he’s getting now if teams have any doubts about his ability to fit in with them based on what happened elsewhere.

Greenway has shown flashes of being an impact player since being acquired two years ago but staying healthy has been a concern. Nonetheless, a 6’6 power forward is going to garner plenty of interest on the open market. Missing more than half the season so far with injuries won’t help his cause but even with that, a small increase in pay and another multi-year agreement should be coming his way.

McLeod has fared well in his first season since coming over from Edmonton and is nearing his career highs offensively from last year. Assuming he reaches those thresholds, the improved production and arbitration eligibility could push him closer to the $3.5MM range on a contract that buys a year or two of team control. Aube-Kubel has had some success as a fourth liner in the past but that hasn’t happened yet this year. He had enough of a market to garner more than expected last summer but recently cleared waivers and was sent to the minors where he still partially counts against the cap. As a result, his next deal seems likely to come in close to the minimum salary.

Byram is the headliner among the defensemen. He’s on pace to shatter his personal bests offensively, plays in all situations, and has stayed healthy which is notable for someone with his concussion history. While the Sabres could opt for another short-term deal, the likelier outcome is a long-term agreement. With his output this season and arbitration rights, that could push his price tag into the $7MM range. Can they afford that long-term with two big deals already on the books on the back end? That’s a decision they’ll have to make.

Jokiharju has seen his stock fall sharply. He’s no longer in Buffalo’s top four on the back end and his level of play has suffered for it, hardly ideal heading into his first trip through unrestricted free agency. Still, he’s going to be a rare 26-year-old UFA (thanks to reaching seven years of service time) and is a right-shot player who has logged 20 minutes a game in the past. Accordingly, even with his decline in performance, he could still come in pretty close to this price tag in July. Bryson took a greater than 50% pay cut to stay with Buffalo in the summer and has had a very limited role thus far. With that in mind, he’ll likely stay around this price point as will Gilbert who has played even less.

Reimer was originally signed to be the veteran third-string option but after being reacquired on waivers early in the season, the plan changed and he stayed in Buffalo while Devon Levi went to the minors to play more minutes. (While Levi has gotten a spot start here and there since then, he’s not on the verge of meeting any bonuses which is why he wasn’t mentioned with the entry-level players.) Reimer has played limited minutes and is more of a lower-end backup or third-string option so he could wind up coming closer to the league minimum of $775K next time out.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Connor Clifton ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Peyton Krebs ($1.45MM, RFA)
F Sam Lafferty ($2MM, UFA)
F Beck Malenstyn ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Alex Tuch ($4.75MM, UFA)

Tuch was a legitimate top-line point-per-game player in 2022-23 but hasn’t been able to produce at the same level since then and his numbers are down again this year. Even so, he’s still an all-situations player in a prominent role while making second-line money. Even with the drop in scoring, he’d likely pass the $7MM mark if he hit the open market today, a number that would only go up if he gets back to his level of production from a couple of years ago. Lafferty was brought in as part of the revamp on the fourth line and hasn’t been as impactful as the team expected. If that continues into next season, a small cut in pay seems likely though his overall track record is good enough to prevent him from facing any sort of steep drop.

Krebs hasn’t been able to become an impactful producer just yet at the NHL level. One of the key pieces of the Jack Eichel trade, he has been more of a depth middleman than a top-six center of the future. He’s at least doing better than last season which should buy him more rope from a development perspective but it’s hard to see him landing a long-term agreement on his next deal if this continues. But with arbitration rights, doubling his current price tag is doable. Malenstyn was the other player brought in to change up the fourth line and has fit in well in that role while playing less than he was in his career year with Washington last season. If he remains a prominent hitter, he could push past $2MM in 2026.

Clifton’s contract was a bit of a headscratcher at the time and it hasn’t panned out thus far. Being a right-shot defender certainly helps his value but being limited to third-pairing duty doesn’t. Assuming he stays in this role moving forward, he might land closer to $2.5MM next time out, even with a higher salary cap by then.

Signed Through 2026-27

None who aren’t on an entry-level contract.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Dylan Cozens ($7.1MM through 2029-30)
D Rasmus Dahlin ($11MM through 2031-32)
D Owen Power ($8.35MM through 2030-31)
D Mattias Samuelsson ($4.286MM through 2029-30)
F Tage Thompson ($7.143MM through 2029-30)

Thompson’s contract seemed risky at the time considering he only had the one breakout year. But he followed that up with an even better showing in 2022-23 and after a down year last season, he’s close to the point per game mark in 2024-25. Having a top-line middleman locked up at this price tag is certainly well below market value and taking the risk with the early extension in 2022 has yielded a nice reward. The same can’t be said for Cozens, however. He signed his deal when he was in the middle of a career year, one that saw him put up 68 points in his second full season. But his output dropped sharply last year and is down again this season. Even if he can get back to second-line production, this deal should hold up okay but he has some work to do to get there.

Going with a bridge contract worked out quite well for Dahlin. After his entry-level deal ended following his quietest season yet, the two sides opted to do a short-term second contract, one that saw Dahlin become a three-time All-Star and become one of the better offensive blueliners in the league while stepping into a legitimate all-situations number one role. With only one year of club control left coming off his bridge agreement, Dahlin had the hammer and was able to make himself one of the highest-paid defensemen in NHL history. It’s a lofty deal to live up to and it’s hard to think it could be called a bargain but if he keeps playing as he has in recent years, they’ll do just fine with his contract.

While Buffalo went the bridge route with Dahlin, they didn’t with their other top pick on the back end, handing Power one of the priciest post-ELC deals given to a defender. His first two NHL seasons were pretty strong and his output pretty consistent. For his role and output now, the deal is a little on the high side but as is often the case with these contracts, the expectation is that the contract will become team-friendly before too long as he continues to improve. Samuelsson signed this deal when he only had 52 career NHL games under his belt with the club hoping he’d become a lockdown defender at a below-market price before long. That hasn’t exactly been the case as he has spent a lot of time on the third pairing and has even been a healthy scratch this season. He’s only 24 and can turn it around still but this feels like a deal they might like to try to get out of.

Buyouts

F Jeff Skinner ($1.44MM through 2025-26, $6.44MM in 2026-27, $2.44MM from 2027-28 through 2029-30)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Tuch
Worst Value: Samuelsson

Looking Ahead

GM Kevyn Adams wasn’t able to spend much over the offseason despite plenty of efforts to do so, meaning Buffalo entered the season with ample cap space and they’ve banked lots more since then; they project to have over $25MM in room before the trade deadline. That has them well-positioned to add if they want to try to make a splash or to perhaps act as a facilitator and add some money that way depending on how much budget space they have.

Turning to next summer, the Sabres have a little over $62MM on the books, giving them around $32MM in space to work with. RFA deals for Byram, Peterka, and Quinn will eat up more than half of that while they’ll want to retain or replace Zucker as well but there will still be enough flexibility to try to take a swing and add a core piece again. As far as cap situations go around the league, theirs is one of the cleanest overall.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Boston Bruins

January 9, 2025 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, first up is the Bruins.

Boston Bruins

Current Cap Hit: $87,387,497 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F John Beecher (one year, $925K)
D Mason Lohrei (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Lohrei: $250K

Beecher spent most of last season in Boston, albeit in a limited role, one that has carried over to this season. He’s having a decent season on their fourth line but players like this tend to sign a short-term second contract. He should be able to add a few hundred thousand to his current price tag on a two-year deal.

Lohrei performed well in Boston last season, getting into half of their games, helping him secure a full-time spot this year. His role has largely been limited – he’s often on the third pairing – but a regular role on the power play has him sitting second in scoring among Bruins blueliners. A bridge deal is likely for him as well but it should check in around double of what Beecher winds up with.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Justin Brazeau ($775K, UFA)
F Trent Frederic ($2.3MM, UFA)
F Morgan Geekie ($2MM, RFA)
F Cole Koepke ($775K, UFA)
F Brad Marchand ($6.125MM, UFA)
F Oliver Wahlstrom ($1MM, RFA)
D Parker Wotherspoon ($800K, UFA)

Marchand is by far the most notable among Boston’s potential free agents. The captain has been on a team-friendly deal for pretty much the majority of his career, even with his production starting to drop – though he’s still second in scoring this season. Given the pricier deals that management has handed out in recent years, it’s reasonable to expect that Marchand will be looking for a raise as well, even with his output going in the wrong direction. He’ll be 37 when his next deal starts so it’ll be a short-term one, likely between one and three years. Three years would likely allow for a lower AAV than a one-year pact but with the cap going up, Marchand should still be in line for a raise next year.

Frederic came into this season coming off his best two offensive years, seemingly putting him in line for a nice jump closer to the $3.5MM mark. However, his production has tailed off this season which won’t help his cause. That said, he has enough of a track record as a solid and physical checker that there should be enough interest to put him around the $3MM range even if his offense doesn’t come around. Geekie had a career year offensively last season, his first with Boston after being non-tendered by Seattle to avoid giving him arbitration eligibility. That concern could come into play for him again over the summer, especially with his output dropping as sharply as Frederic’s. He’s worth a raise to the $3MM area but if the Bruins think he could get more from an arbitrator, he could be a non-tender candidate as well.

Wahlstrom was a non-tender candidate last summer with the Islanders but eventually settled on this deal, a last chance type of contract. Things didn’t go well and he wound up on waivers where Boston recently picked him up. Being arbitration-eligible, it’d be surprising to see him get qualified this summer unless he is able to rediscover his scoring touch in the second half of the season.

Brazeau was a feel-good story last season, turning an AHL deal into a two-year NHL agreement. Since then, he has been a productive bottom-six winger. Now that he has shown himself to be a capable NHL winger, it wouldn’t be shocking for him to at least double this on the open market. Koepke has been a nice addition to Boston’s fourth line but he’s 26 and in his first full NHL season. That will limit his market to a point but he should be able to push past the $1MM mark at least if he stays a regular the rest of the way.

Wotherspoon played in half of Boston’s game last season, helping secure a one-way salary for the first time in his career. But playing time has been harder to come by this year. As a result, he’s trending toward heading back to a two-way contract for next season, one that probably will be at $775K at the NHL level.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Charlie Coyle ($5.25MM, UFA)
D Jordan Oesterle ($775K, UFA)
D Andrew Peeke ($2.75MM, UFA)

Coyle has been quiet offensively this season but before that, his previous three seasons saw him produce at a second-line level so it’s fair to suggest he’ll get back to that level and the market will view him as that. Having said that, he’ll be 34 on his next deal so he’s likelier to land around three or four years and an anticipated drop in production at the end of that term might drive the price down to something relatively close to where he is now.

Peeke struggled in the first year of this contract, often being scratched in Columbus before being acquired by Boston at the trade deadline. He has played more regularly with the Bruins but has primarily been on the third pairing. If that holds up over the next year and a half, it wouldn’t be surprising for Peeke to be looking at a small pay cut while Boston’s preference may be to have someone cheaper in that roster slot. Oesterle has split time between the NHL and AHL the last couple of years and is likely to continue to stay at or near the minimum salary moving forward unless he can lock down a full-time spot in Boston’s lineup.

Signed Through 2026-27

D Brandon Carlo ($4.1MM, UFA)
F Pavel Zacha ($4.75MM, UFA)

Zacha has found another gear offensively since joining Boston in 2022. In his first season with them, he set new benchmarks in goals, assists, and points. Last year, he tied or beat them, putting up 59 points in 78 games. Like many this year, he’s off to a slower start but even so, his numbers are comparable to his best seasons in New Jersey. Assuming he can get back to putting up second-line production, this contract should age pretty well for the Bruins and it’s plausible that he pushes past the $6MM mark in 2027.

After his bridge deal, Carlo signed this agreement, a six-year pact. Through the first half of it, he continued to be a strong defensive specialist and that has continued into this year. For someone often on the second pairing, the price tag is reasonable but his very limited offensive upside will limit him on the open market. While top stay-at-home players have seen their markets improve in recent years, Carlo might not be able to command much more than $5MM per season, even with an anticipated jump in the cap.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Mark Kastelic ($835K this season, $1.567MM from 2025-26 through 2027-28)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($3MM through 2027-28)*
F Elias Lindholm ($7.75MM through 2030-31)
D Hampus Lindholm ($6.5MM through 2029-30)
D Charlie McAvoy ($9.5MM through 2029-30)
F David Pastrnak ($11.25MM through 2030-31)
G Jeremy Swayman ($8.25MM through 2031-32)
D Nikita Zadorov ($5MM through 2029-30)

*-Ottawa is retaining another $1MM on Korpisalo’s contract.

Pastrnak had Boston in a bind in 2023. In his contract year, he blew past his previous career highs offensively and was among the top scorers in the league. That landed him a near-$5MM raise, moving him from the bargain category to a high-priced one. But to his credit, Pastrnak has continued to produce at a high-end pace and as long as that keeps him, they’ll do just fine with this contract. Lindholm had a particularly rough platform year which made this contract a bit of a surprise. He’s getting low-end top center money for someone whose production might narrowly qualify him as a second-liner. Granted, his defensive play is consistently strong but while he filled a big need, he’s doing so on a contract that will be hard to get value from.

Kastelic came over in an offseason trade from Ottawa and has fit in extremely well, anchoring the new-look fourth line while being above average at the faceoff dot. That allowed him to nearly double his current price tag with his recent extension while buying some extra club control.

McAvoy was the first Bruin to truly break past the notion that their top players all take team-friendly deals to help build the core. He did so on an early extension too, one that has held up relatively well all things considered. His best offensive season happened to be the one he signed the extension in so even had he gotten to the offseason when he would have been arbitration-eligible, McAvoy still would have landed something in this area as an all-around number one option. As long as he can produce at a high-end rate for a defender, this contract will be fair value. Having said that, McAvoy’s production has ticked down the last couple of seasons and he’s off to a rough start this year so if that trend continues, this could become a bit of an issue for Boston.

Lindholm wasted little time signing this extension after the Bruins acquired him in 2022. While his first full season was a breakout one, he went back to his usual form last season, in that 25-35-point range while logging big minutes in all situations. Paid as a number two blueliner, Lindholm should hold down that role for a while although the final couple of years could be a little rougher if he needs to taken on a lesser position on the depth chart as he gets older. Zadorov was Boston’s other prominent addition in free agency, receiving a better deal (both in term and dollars) than some expected. He’s playing a bit higher on the depth chart than he was in Calgary and Vancouver so if he can stay in that top-four role, they’ll get some value out of the deal but with a limited track record offensively, it’s likely to be an above-market pact.

Swayman waited a long time over the offseason, holding out through training camp before signing this deal. It’s in the upper tier for a starter but his performance – though in limited play – had been at that level. This season hasn’t gone as planned but if he can bounce back to top-ten form even, this contract should hold up alright. Korpisalo’s only season in Ottawa was a rough one, to put it lightly. Boston’s hope is that with a better defense in front of him, he can rebound and the early return on that belief is good. $3MM for a quality backup is more than reasonable in today’s market although with a pricey starter on the books as well, it might not be a luxury they can afford for too long.

Buyouts

D Mike Reilly ($1.33MM in 2024-25)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Marchand
Worst Value: Lindholm

Looking Ahead

Cap space was tight heading into the season but Boston has been aggressive with paper moves and not carrying the maximum number of players, allowing them to bank a bit of room thus far. If they can stay healthy over the next couple of months, they should be able to add at least a depth upgrade or two without necessarily having to match money. But in terms of making a bigger swing, that will either require retention on the other end or the Bruins putting a regular player in to balance things out.

Boston already has over $70MM on the books for next season to just 13 players with a new deal for Marchand (or a replacement if he leaves) set to add to that considerably. There might be room for a free agent of some note but beyond that, the rest will be earmarked for filling out the roster. Meanwhile, with only three expiring contracts in 2026, there may not be much flexibility there either. The Bruins are set up to keep their core in place without much issue but adding to that core may come down to how much the salary cap increases in the coming years.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights

December 25, 2024 at 6:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Vegas Golden Knights

Current Cap Hit: $87,344,447 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Alexander Holtz (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses
Holtz: $850K

Holtz was acquired from New Jersey over the offseason in the hopes that a change of scenery would help him reach some of the potential that made him the seventh overall pick in 2020. That hasn’t come to fruition so far as his role and production have been as limited as they were with the Devils. It’s still too early to give up on him but he’s heading for a short-term bridge deal that shouldn’t cost too much more than his entry-level deal does. At this point, his bonuses are unlikely to be reached.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Nic Hague ($2.294MM, RFA)
G Adin Hill ($4.9MM, UFA)
F Victor Olofsson ($1.075MM, UFA)
F Tanner Pearson ($775K, UFA)
G Ilya Samsonov ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Cole Schwindt ($800K, RFA)

Olofsson didn’t have a great platform year with Buffalo last season, leading to this deal where he hoped that a strong showing with Vegas could give him a stronger market next summer. Injuries have limited him thus far but he still has seven goals in 14 games. If he can stay close to that level, he should be able to get closer to the $3MM or $4MM mark albeit likely on another short-term agreement.

Schwindt was claimed off waivers at the start of the season and has held down a spot on the fourth line for most of the year. He’s arbitration-eligible which could work against him as this is a roster spot that Vegas will want to keep close to the minimum. If Schwindt is open to a short-term deal around this price point, that could be enough to keep him around. Pearson converted a preseason PTO into a minimum salary deal. While he has fit in well in a limited role, it’s hard to see him landing much more than this next offseason.

Hague has been a fourth or fifth defender for most of his career although his role and playing time have been reduced this season. That’s not ideal as he’s heading toward having to be qualified at $2.7MM with arbitration rights that could push the cost closer to $4MM per season. If he stays in more of a sixth role, he could become a non-tender candidate.

With Logan Thompson being moved to Washington, Hill became the undisputed starter, a good spot to be in considering it’s a contract year. That said, his play has been a bit inconsistent which will make it difficult for him to command much more than he’s making now. That said, he should be able to get something around this price point on a longer-term agreement than the two-year pact he’s playing on. Samsonov had a rough year with Toronto in 2023-24 resulting in Samsonov looking for a place to try to rebuild his value. He has performed a little better than a year ago but certainly not to the point where teams will be looking at him as a starter. That said, a strong second half could allow him to approach the $3MM to $3.5MM mark as a backup who can play starters minutes when needed.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Pavel Dorofeyev ($1.835MM, RFA)
F Jack Eichel ($10MM, UFA)
D Ben Hutton ($975K, UFA)
D Kaedan Korczak ($825K, RFA)

Eichel has become the number one center that Vegas was hoping he’d be when they acquired him in 2021. That said, he never has really had high-end point production before this season which might limit his market value to a point. A small raise should still be expected on a max-term agreement but unless he can get to that 100-point threshold, he might be hard-pressed to beat someone like Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson ($11.6MM) barring a big jump in the salary cap by then. Dorofeyev impressed in limited action last season and is producing at a better rate so far this year, making him a strong value piece on his bridge deal. He’ll have arbitration rights in 2026 and if he continues to score at the pace he’s on, he could jump past $5MM per season on his next contract.

Hutton has been a capable depth defender for several years now which has helped earn him some stability with Vegas. But these types of pieces generally stay low-cost and it would be surprising to see Hutton land any sort of notable raise on this deal, especially as teams will want to keep the back-of-the-roster spots as close to the minimum as possible. Korczak is in a similar situation, although he’s young enough (23) to still change those fortunes. If he stays in a depth role, he’s in the same boat as Hutton and his arbitration eligibility could work against him. If he locks down a full-time spot, he could push for something more in the $1.5MM range.

Signed Through 2026-27

F William Karlsson ($5.9MM, UFA)
D Alex Pietrangelo ($8.8MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Roy ($3MM, UFA)
F Mark Stone ($9.5MM, UFA)

When healthy, Stone is a legitimate top-line two-way threat, one that’s a key part of this lineup. Of course, staying healthy has been a challenge for him over the years as he has missed significant time due to injuries over the past several years. That will hurt him when it comes time for his next deal, as will the fact he’ll be 35 at that time. Even in what should be a more favorable cap environment by then, Stone will likely be heading for a pay cut. It wouldn’t be shocking to see a longer-term deal with an eye on getting the cap hit lower, similar to what Pittsburgh did with Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin in the past (though Stone’s price tag should come above theirs).

Karlsson has been a solid second option down the middle throughout most of his tenure with Vegas and the price tag for those players has shot up over the years. That said, he’ll be 34 which means there’s a good chance his next contract is his last one. Assuming it’s a longer-term one to keep the AAV down, it’s possible Karlsson’s price tag stays in this range. Roy has held the third center role for the bulk of his time with the Golden Knights and has been above-average on the production side for the last few seasons. It’s already a below-market deal and if he stays in that 40-point range, his next contract should start with a four.

In his prime, Pietrangelo was a high-end two-way threat from the back end. However, he turns 35 next month and his production and ice time have dropped in recent years. When he started in Vegas, Pietrangelo was worth this price tag, if not more. But as the offensive numbers go down and he slips a bit more on the depth chart (or they at least try to manage his minutes a bit more), the perception of this deal will flip to an above-market one, an outcome that shouldn’t come as much surprise as that was the expectation at the time it was signed. Having said that, he’s still playing a big enough role to give Vegas a decent return and that should continue for at least a little while longer.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Ivan Barbashev ($5MM through 2027-28)
D Noah Hanifin ($7.35MM through 2031-32)
F Tomas Hertl ($6.75MM through 2029-30)
F Brett Howden ($1.9MM in 2024-25, $2.5MM from 2025-26 through 2029-30)
F Keegan Kolesar ($1.4MM in 2024-25, $2.5MM from 2025-26 through 2027-28)
D Brayden McNabb ($2.85MM in 2024-25, $3.65MM from 2025-26 through 2027-28)
D Shea Theodore ($5.2MM in 2024-25, $7.425MM from 2025-26 through 2031-32)
D Zach Whitecloud ($2.75MM through 2027-28)

*-San Jose is retaining an additional $1.3875MM on Hertl’s deal.

Hertl was a surprising acquisition at the trade deadline and has given the Golden Knights enviable depth at center, allowing them to shift Karlsson to the wing at times. Even with retention, this is a bit of a high price tag for a player who has only surpassed 65 points once in his career but he should be able to hold down a spot on the second line for the bulk of the remainder of this agreement which means Vegas should get a good return on their investment. Barbashev’s offensive improvement over the past few years helped earn him this contract and he has taken that production to another level this year, hovering near the point-per-game mark. If that holds, he’ll be a considerable bargain in a hurry while positioning himself for a big raise down the road.

Howden hasn’t been a big point producer before this season (where he has a career-high 13 goals already). That helped keep the price tag on his extension down. They’ll be counting on him routinely putting up around 25 points a season to justify the higher price tag but that’s a reasonable goal for him to try to reach based on his uptick this season. Kolesar opted to avoid testing free agency with this deal from just a couple of weeks ago. It’s on the higher side for someone who has spent a lot of time on the fourth line in his career but he has been playing more than lately which would have helped him on the open market. As a physical player who is showing a bit of a scoring touch this season (he also has a new personal best in tallies already with nine), there’s a good chance he’d have made more than this had he waited until free agency to sign.

When healthy, Theodore has been one of the more impressive offensive performers in recent years among NHL defenders. However, like Stone, staying healthy has been a challenge. That almost certainly played a considerable role in the blueliner getting $7.425MM per season on his extension when his open-market value would have been a lot higher, especially if he manages to stay in the lineup more often in 2024-25. For an all-around blueliner that logs around 22 minutes a night, this new price tag is still a team-friendly deal. The $5.2MM that Theodore is making this season is one of the better back-end bargains across the NHL.

Vegas got creative last season to add Hanifin with double retention and they wasted little time signing him to this deal a month after he was acquired. For someone who has only been above average in terms of production for the last few years, there’s a bit of risk but he’s in the prime of his career and is a high-end defensive player which helps to mitigate that. Top defensive players don’t often get this type of commitment but he’s one of the exceptions.

McNabb has never been a big point-getter which has limited his market in the past. However, he’s still a reliable fourth defender and a good shutdown option which would have given him a good market in free agency even though he’ll be 34 when he starts that contract. As long as he stays in that fourth role, they’ll do fine with this deal. As for Whitecloud, he has been a regular on the third pairing for the past five years but hasn’t progressed from that point as they were hoping when they gave him this deal back in 2021. It’s not a bad-value contract – especially as a right-shot player, the side in high demand – but it’s on the higher end for more of a limited piece.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Theodore
Worst Value: Pietrangelo

Looking Ahead

With Robin Lehner’s contract not counting against the books this year, Vegas hasn’t had to use LTIR as frequently, allowing them to bank in-season flexibility for the first time in a long time. That said, they’re still tight enough to the cap ceiling that as things stand, they won’t be able to take much money on though it shouldn’t be a true money-in, money-out situation.

With the Golden Knights handing out several early extensions this season, they’ve spent up a lot of their flexibility for next summer as they have over $79.5MM in commitments on the books already to 17 players. Knowing they need to sign a goalie tandem, potentially re-up Hague, and fill out the rest of the roster, GM Kelly McCrimmon likely won’t have a lot of spending room to add next summer. With the long-term commitments they have now and those upcoming (Eichel, for example, is heading for another big-ticket contract), it’s going to be difficult for them to make another big splash without parting ways with a key veteran to do. Of course, they’ve demonstrated that they’re willing to do just that before so if anyone can get creative to add a core piece, it will be McCrimmon and his team.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vancouver Canucks

December 22, 2024 at 6:29 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

Vancouver Canucks

Current Cap Hit: $86,793,708 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Aatu Raty (one year, $837K)

Potential Bonuses
Raty: $32.5K

Raty was one of the key pieces acquired in the Bo Horvat swap but his opportunities at the NHL level have been relatively limited so far. He has played in the bulk of Vancouver’s games thus far this season (which bodes well for his games played bonus) but strictly on the fourth line. As a result, he’s heading for a short-term bridge deal, one that shouldn’t cost much more than this one.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Brock Boeser ($6.65MM, UFA)
D Erik Brannstrom ($900K, RFA)
D Derek Forbort ($1.5MM, UFA)
G Kevin Lankinen ($875K, UFA)
D Noah Juulsen ($775K, UFA)
F Pius Suter ($1.6MM, UFA)

Boeser seemed like a candidate for a longer-term deal a couple of years ago but wound up with what amounted to a second bridge contract. That has worked out well for him as he had his best offensive performance last season and has started strong this year. That should have him in line to add a couple million or so per year to his next deal, one that will be close to a max-term one this time around. Suter didn’t have much success on the open market last time but basically produced at the same level last season as his first three years and is off to a better start this season. He’s not the type of player who should be commanding a massive raise but a multi-year agreement with a price tag starting with three should be reachable.

Forbort received this deal in free agency in the summer and he was hoping to rebuild some value after a tough, injury-riddled year in Boston. However, the early going this season has been tough and injury-riddled. At this point, another drop in money might be coming his way while he’ll likely want another one-year deal. Brannstrom was non-tendered by Ottawa over the summer and has already cleared waivers this season which doesn’t bode well for his situation. His arbitration eligibility makes him a likely non-tender again but he could plausibly land a small raise to get back into seven figures. Juulsen has largely been a seventh defender with Vancouver, a role he’d probably have with several other organizations. Accordingly, teams will want him at or near the league minimum salary he’s currently making.

Lankinen didn’t get the type of contract he wanted early in free agency, resulting in him waiting it out. That seven-figure deal didn’t come but he has been a terrific fit with the Canucks which should give hit market value a big boost if he can keep it up. A jump back into the $2MM range might be an option for him but if he wants to stay in Vancouver, he will probably have to accept less than that.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Teddy Blueger ($1.8MM, UFA)
G Thatcher Demko ($5MM, UFA)
D Vincent Desharnais ($2MM, UFA)
F Conor Garland ($4.95MM, UFA)
F Danton Heinen ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Kiefer Sherwood ($1.5MM, UFA)
G Arturs Silovs ($850K, RFA)
D Carson Soucy ($3.25MM, UFA)

Garland has seemingly been on the trade block off and on for a couple of years now but overall, he has been relatively consistent with Vancouver. Over the first three seasons of this contract, he has recorded at least 16 goals and 46 points while his maximums over that stretch are 20 and 52, respectively. While they didn’t have much luck finding the right trade for him, his contract isn’t a significant overpayment by any stretch but the price tag and term remaining made it hard to move for full value. While his smaller stature would work against him to a point on the open market, it’s quite possible that Garland is able to command a similar contract to this one next time out both in term and salary.

Heinen had to settle for a PTO a year ago but had more success in free agency back in July with this deal. As long as he can provide some secondary scoring and hold a regular role in the middle six, they should do fine with it. Blueger took a small pay cut in June to remain with Vancouver despite matching his career-high in points. If he can hold that uptick in production, he could push past the $2MM mark on his next deal, a mark he reached at the end of his time with Pittsburgh. Sherwood impressed in his first full NHL season last year, earning this deal in July. He’s playing on the third line and is on pace to shatter the NHL record for hits in a single season. We’ve seen players like this before command sizable deals on the open market so if he keeps this up, doubling this and then some is a realistic outcome.

Last year wasn’t a great one for Soucy who dealt with some injury trouble. He’s a veteran fifth defender who can play up in a pinch but not contribute much offensively. The market for those players is more stagnant so while it’s possible he could land another raise in 2026, it’s likely going to be of the marginal variety. Desharnais only had one full NHL year under his belt as he reached free agency which likely limited his market to an extent. He’s being deployed as more of a depth defender with Vancouver and if that holds, he’ll be hard-pressed to command much more than that with a lot of teams trying to keep the back-of-the-roster spots cheaper now.

Demko was the runner-up for the Vezina last season and it looked like a long-term deal with a sizable raise would soon be coming his way. But the continued knee struggles dating back to the playoffs will hinder his market and likely take the types of deals that Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman ($8.25MM) received off the table. It wouldn’t be shocking for both sides to want a short-term agreement at a small raise to give Demko time to prove that he can fully get past the injury issue. Silovs is the presumptive backup of the future after a solid run in the playoffs in relief of Demko although he’s off to a rough start this year. If Silovs can do well in that role next season (assuming Lankinen moves on), doubling this price tag with arbitration rights could be the minimum increase. But if he struggles or stays in a third role, he’ll stay around that price tag for his next deal.

Signed Through 2026-27

D Quinn Hughes ($7.85MM, UFA)
D Tyler Myers ($3MM, UFA)

Hughes skipped the bridge deal and went straight to this one, though it was two years shy of a max-term deal to help keep the cap hit lower. While Vancouver is certainly benefitting from that now, Hughes will hit the open market at 27. At that point, a max-term contract is all but a certainty considering he has emerged as a premier offensive blueliner. That deal could plausibly come in around $11MM per season if he keeps this up. Myers took a 50% cut from his last contract to remain with the Canucks for what should be a decent value deal for now as long as he can have some success on the second pairing. That said, he’ll be 37 when this expires and will quite likely be going year to year from there at a lower rate than this, assuming he’s a little further down the depth chart at that time.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Jake DeBrusk ($5.5MM through 2030-31)
F Nils Hoglander ($1.1MM in 2024-25, $3MM from 2025-26 through 2027-28)
D Filip Hronek ($7.25MM through 2031-32)
F Dakota Joshua ($3.25MM through 2027-28)
F J.T. Miller ($8MM through 2029-30)
F Elias Pettersson ($11.6MM through 2031-32)

Pettersson would have been owed a qualifying offer of $8.82MM with salary arbitration rights back in the summer and could have easily elected to file for a hearing, get what he could get, and hit the open market at 26 with seven NHL seasons under his belt. That leverage helped earn him this extension back in March, ensuring he’d remain with the Canucks for the long haul. For the price they’re paying him, they’ll need him to produce at the 100-point level he reached in the 2022-23 season. He didn’t get there last year and is at a lower rate so far this season. Pettersson is a number one center on a lot of teams but this is a contract that puts him in the elite tier, one he hasn’t been able to stay in with much consistency just yet.

There are some justifiable questions about the sustainability of Miller’s deal, one that expires when he’s 37. While he’s playing like a top-liner now (and has been for a few years), he might not be by the end of it. That said, he’s providing a fair bit of surplus value in the early going of this agreement so Vancouver should wind up doing relatively well with it over the life of the contract. DeBrusk received this deal in free agency back in July. While he has notched 25 goals or more three times in his career, he also only cracked the 50-point mark once which makes this contract a bit of a potential overpayment although that’s also par for the course for most notable UFA agreements.

Joshua was a part-time player when he first joined the Canucks but quickly emerged as a reliable and physical bottom-six forward who can take a regular turn on the penalty kill and chip in with double-digit goals. That helped earn him a substantial raise (he was at $825K before) as he’d have been one of the more sought-after role players had he made it to the open market. Hoglander had a breakout year last season, notching 24 goals despite barely averaging 12 minutes a game of ice time. The Canucks opted for the early extension, a decision that hasn’t worked out well so far, leading to some teams inquiring about his potential availability for a trade. He’ll need to hover around the 20-goal mark per season if he’s going to beat his new price tag in his first trip through unrestricted free agency.

Buyouts

D Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($2.347MM in 2024-25, $4.767MM in 2025-26 and 2026-27, $2.127MM from 2027-28 through 2030-31)

Retained Salary Transactions

F Ilya Mikheyev ($712.5K through 2025-26)
D Tucker Poolman ($500K in 2024-25)

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Hughes
Worst Value: Pettersson

Looking Ahead

While the Canucks could have placed Demko on LTIR and gave themselves some early-season flexibility, they’ve elected not to do so in the hopes of banking enough cap space to make an addition at the trade deadline. Now with Demko back and if they can stay relatively healthy for the next few months, they might be able to do just that. That said, they’ll be hard-pressed to make a splash until closer to the March 7th deadline as they haven’t banked much space so far.

Looking to the offseason, Vancouver already has nearly $76MM in commitments for 2025-26 and a long-term deal for Boeser (or a similar replacement) will take up a big chunk of what they have to work with. As a result, it won’t be easy for GM Patrik Allvin to make any other big moves until the 2026-27 offseason when a lot of contracts will come off the books, giving them some flexibility to try to reshape the roster if needed at that time.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Salary Cap Deep Dive 2024

Toronto Maple Leafs

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Looking Ahead

Tampa Bay Lightning

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Looking Ahead

Ottawa Senators

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Looking Ahead

Montreal Canadiens

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Looking Ahead

Florida Panthers

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Looking Ahead

Detroit Red Wings

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Looking Ahead

Buffalo Sabres

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Looking Ahead

Boston Bruins

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Looking Ahead

Vegas Golden Knights

Entry-Level Contracts

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

Signed Through 2025-26

Signed Through 2026-27

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer