Training camps open in under two weeks, yet some key NHL restricted free agents remain without contracts.
The news gush of July 1’s signing frenzy and August’s arbitration season cleared up the futures for many a twentysomething, ensuring they will be ready to go for preseason.
Yet, among the RFAs who played at least one game for their rightsholder in 2022-23, seven still have business to settle. The situations in Anaheim and Ottawa are particularly interesting.
With no arbitration rights among this group, inking an (unlikely) offer sheet, threatening to play in Europe or declining to show up at camp are the only leverage points available to the players.
Yet some of their general managers, too, feel stress to make a trade or agree to a figure that fits under their salary cap.
Here is where things stand with all seven of the remaining RFAs of 2023:
1. Trevor Zegras
Age: 22
Position: Centre / Left wing
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2021 world junior gold mediallist. Top-10 draft pick. Skills for days. NHL23 video game coverboy. One of the NHL’s most marketable young stars. Two-time 20-goal, 60-point man.
The latest: Zegras continues to play the waiting game as GM Pat Verbeek patiently ticks the boxes of his off-season salary plan.
Pat Brisson, Zegras’s agent, told Pierre LeBrun that the sides were fine ignoring negotiations in-season.
But now that Anaheim’s other high-profile RFA, Troy Terry, has put pen to paper (seven years, $49 million) and training camp is around the corner, all eyes are on Zegras.
The growing trend leaguewide is to skip the bridge and go long-term with talented young forwards (Jack Hughes, Nick Suzuki, Matt Boldy, Dylan Cozens, Cole Caufield et al.).
But in the case of Verbeek — who is relatively new to the office — we don’t have a firm handle on his philosophy when it comes to building a roster.
Thus far, he’s mostly torn down.
“Having flexibility with the cap is vital moving ahead. At the end of the day, there’s only so much money to go around,” Verbeek said mid-season. “We have to make sure we can all fit it in.”
Cap space is no immediate issue here, as the rebuilding Ducks sit $16.6 million under the ceiling.
However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the Sept. 4 edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast that it is “likely” Zegras and the Ducks go the bridge route here.
If Verbeek does wish to give Zegras term, Boldy, Terry and Cozens’ deals (seven years around $7 million per) could be used as comparables.
Zegras told NHL.com on Aug. 3 he is hopeful a deal will materialize and that he would not return to Anaheim without a contract complete.
“I feel like it’s all kind of up in the air,” Zegras said in Stamford, Conn., where he is training with Chris Kreider.
“Obviously, I’d love to get back to play as my teammates get back, but that’s kind of out of my control at the moment. I’ve got a pretty good setup here in terms of working out and skating. Wherever we are with the contract, I know I’ll be doing good stuff to help me get ready for the season.”
2. Shane Pinto
Age: 22
Position: Centre
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2020 world juniors star for Team USA. 32nd-overall draft pick. Young, two-way centre with excellent upside. Was Rookie of the Month in October. 20-goal man. Put up 43 points in first 99 NHL games.
The latest: Responding well from his surgery setback in 2021-22, Pinto played all 82 games and broke out with a quality 20-goal freshman season and put himself in a fantastic position to barter for either a short- or long-term raise.
Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion has hinted that he’d prefer to buy term here, but Pinto and agent Lewis Gross might be wise to go for a two-year pact and allow Pinto’s play to increase his bargaining power under an elevated salary cap down the road.
Talks between Dorion and Gross have yet to yield a deal, and Pinto has yet to join the Senators for informal skates.
“The sense is the two sides have a significant gap to bridge,” Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reported on Sept. 5. “Both sides want to get something done so that Pinto is in camp, but the reality is he doesn’t have a lot of leverage and it’s important for him to be there when players report for medicals.”
Recent RFA comparables for the middle-six centre include Montreal’s Alex Newhook (four years, $2.9 million) and Philadelphia’s Noah Cates (two years, $2.625 million).
Dorion’s UFA spending spree (Vladimir Tarasenko, Joonas Korpisalo, Zack MacEwen, Travis Hamonic) hasn’t left much in his wallet for Pinto’s next deal, however.
The GM may need to get creative.
Note: As a 10.2(c) RFA, Pinto is ineligible to sign an offer sheet.
Age: 23
Position: Defence
2022-23 salary cap hit: $795,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2020 world junior gold medallist, leading all defencemen in assists (eight). Young, affordable, promising right-shot defencemen don’t grow on trees. Put up 29 points in 62 games in 2023-24.
The latest: Addison could well emerge as the Wild’s gem return from 2020’s deadline trade of Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh.
Projected to slot on Minnesota’s second pair with Matt Dumba and John Klingberg moving on, the 23-year-old right shot is in line for increased ice time and responsibility.
But first? A modest raise is in order.
Now that Filip Gustavsson’s price has been settled at three years, $11.25 million, Guerin knows how much budget he has left over to satisfy Addison.
Due to the Wild’s cap crunch, a bridge contract feels inevitable here.
“He really struggled 5-on-5,” Guerin told reporters, referring to Addison in May. “You can’t just be a specialty player in the National Hockey League. It’s just too good. There’s no room on a roster for just a specialty guy. So, we know he has the ability. It’s just a matter of focusing in on it and getting to work on it. He’s still a young player, and there’s more growing to do.”
Age: 21
Position: Defence
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2020 world junior gold medallist. 2021 world junior silver medallist. Skilled right-shot defender. Put up 32 points in only full NHL season.
The latest: Drysdale is a fascinating case because he is so young and full of potential, and plays a valuable position, yet his 2022-23 platform season was literally and figuratively pointless.
After eight games in October, a torn labrum sidelined the defenceman for the remainder of the season. Surely, a healthy Drysdale has the makings of a top-four regular for the Anaheim Ducks.
But the big-league resume isn’t quite long enough to have a long-term bet quite yet.
In addition to Zegras, GM Verbeek has a tricky call to make on his back end before camp opens. The last thing Drysdale needs is to miss more practice time with the team.
As a 10.2(c) RFA, Drysdale is ineligible to sign an offer sheet.
5. Tim Berni
Age: 23
Position: Defence
2022-23 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Represented Switzerland at 2018, 2019 and 2020 world juniors. Stay-at-home defender skates nearly 17 minutes a night. Made jump to NHL after less than two AHL seasons.
The latest: The Blue Jackets player made the leap stateside from the Swiss A League in 2021 and, according to a Blick interview with agent Gaetan Voisard, wishes to continue his career in Columbus.
“Everything is still open. We’re working on a solution. North America is still a priority for Tim,” Voisard told Blick.
As the Jackets improved their defence corps over the summer and expect the return of a healthy Zach Werenski, Berni has become less integral and (baring injuries) would likely need to start on the farm.
He was reportedly offered a two-way contract worth $874,125, a pay cut from the $925,000 he made in 2022-23.
“Status quo,” GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters of the Berni negotiations.
6. Egor Sokolov
Age: 23
Position: Left wing
2022-23 salary cap hit: $818,333
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2020 world junior silver medallist. Career-best 21-goal, 59-point season for AHL Belleville in 2022-23.
The latest: The Russian prospect capped off his most productive pro season with another brief NHL call-up and, in April, his first NHL goal.
Ice time for forwards on the Ottawa Senators has gotten increasingly competitive, and Pinto is the priority to re-sign.
That said, Sokolov’s stock is on the rise, he remained in Ottawa all summer and is skating with his Senators teammates sans contract.
With Dorion’s cap crunch, Sokolov might need to be patient and accept a two-way deal with a pay bump. There is more to prove here.
“Knowing this was an important negotiation, Sokolov hired Ottawa-based lawyer Andy Scott of Octagon Hockey to represent him this summer,” Garrioch reported. “There haven’t been any recent discussions between the two sides, but assistant GM Ryan Bowness has been handling these talks.”
7. Jan Jenik
Age: 22
Position: Right wing
2022-23 salary cap hit: $795,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Point per game at 2020 world juniors for Czech Republic. Erupted for 17 goals and 47 points in 51 games for AHL Tucson in 2021-22. Respectable four goals in his 17 NHL games during scattered call-ups. Cap space is no big issue for Arizona.
The latest: Jeník, who will turn 23 before the puck drops, did not accept his qualifying offer of $787,500 and lacks leverage in his negotiations with the Coyotes.
Perhaps it is no coincidence, then, that his agent, Allan Walsh, reminded on Twitter that players in his pay range are eligible for a compensation-free offer sheet.
Coyotes beat man Craig Morgan reported on Aug. 16 that Jenik is looking for a trade and would like to remain in North America rather than return to Europe — an option if a deal does not materialize.
The Coyotes don’t appear to be in any great rush to hand Jenik a raise, and, Morgan reports, they will likely invite a half-dozen players to training camp on tryouts.
Contract info via the excellent CapFriendly.com.
