A Tuesday deadline looms before the maximum term for NHL contracts drops from eight years when re-signing with a team to seven.
Any player currently set to enter the season on an expiring contract and any remaining restricted free agents are still eligible to sign for an eight-year term, until a change in the Collective Bargaining Agreement takes effect Wednesday.
Vancouver Canucks defenceman Zeev Buium is the latest and potentially final player to sign for eight years, inking a $75.04 million deal that carries an average annual value of $9.38 million earlier this month.
Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar signed a record-setting eight-year contract worth a total of $163.8 million last month, which carries a jaw-dropping average annual value of $20.4 million. Makar’s cap hit fell just under the maximum allowable salary of $20.8 million, which is 20 per cent of the current salary cap.
A total of nine players have signed eight-year contracts this summer in Buium, Makar, Ville Koivunen, John Marino, Tyson Foerster, Eetu Luostarinen, Ivan Demidov, Alex Tuch and Darren Raddysh.
Koivunen’s max-term deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins was likely the most surprising as he signed for a $4 million AAV after posting just two goals and 14 points in his first 47 NHL games.
Tuch ($10.5 million AAV) with the Washington Capitals and Raddysh ($8.5M AAV) with the Toronto Maple Leafs, inked their new deals as part of sign-and-trades ahead of unrestricted free agency. Marino, Foerster, Luostarinen and Demidov all inked extensions that will kick in next summer.
Several of the league’s young stars opted to sign shorter-term deals this summer, with Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard both inking five-year contracts after Leo Carlsson signed a five-year offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers that was eventually matched by the Anaheim Ducks.
Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier headlines the unsigned RFAs remaining along with Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli, Detroit Red Wings blueliner Simon Edvinsson and Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Alexander Nikishin, whose name has been floated in trade rumours throughout the off-season.
It remains unclear when any of them will sign, though pressure would appear to be building as training camps open around the league this week.
There are some big-name pending unrestricted free agents for 2027, but an eight-year deal may not be in the cards for any of them.
Quinn Hughes headlines the list as the eyes of the league continue to wait and see whether his long-term future is with the Minnesota Wild. An eight-year deal appears unlikely for Hughes, who could walk unrestricted free agency at the same time as his brother, Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils if he signs for a three-year term. To date, though, Hughes has yet to firmly commit to a future in the Twin Cities.
“This is going to be done whenever I feel like it needs to be done,” Hughes said as part of the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas last week. “I don’t feel backed up against a wall. I’m very thoughtful. I want to make sure I’m taking my time on everything and make sure I’m making a decision that is going to be good for everyone. That’s kind of where my head has been at.”
Reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov is a pending UFA, but at 33, an eight-year deal appears to be unlikely offer from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sidney Crosby, Ryan O’Reilly and Erik Karlsson can all safely be put among that group as well.
Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat posted the third-most points among potential 2027 UFAs and appears to be at the right age at 28. Detroit, however, is continuing to search for the team’s new general manager after Steve Yzerman moved to a senior advisor role last month. It would appear unlikely therefore that the team will make any major signings before Wednesday’s deadline.
Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson and Pavel Zacha of the Boston Bruins could also be possibilities to ink eight-year deals. Zacha, however, was floated as a possible trade candidate this off-season, making his future in Boston unclear.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports that while an eight-year deal may be ideal for Batherson and the Senators, the winger is also believed to be open to a six or seven-year term.
Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson, who finished behind only Kucherov in points among potential 2027 UFAs, turned down an eight-year deal at a cap hit of roughly $15 million earlier this year in a failed a sign-and-trade with the Seattle Kraken. After inking a one-year, $12 million contract to stay with the Stars, Robertson is ineligible to sign a new deal until January.
As of Wednesday, the max term for players re-signing while under contract will be seven years, while the maximum for players signing with new teams will be six years.
You can follow every signing leading up to the deadline and beyond right here on TSN.ca.
