7 NHL Restricted Free Agents Ready to Cash In

When the NHL's annual free-agent market opens July 1, the attention will be on the big-name players slated to become unrestricted free agents. Fans and pundits will focus on which notable players such as Patrick Kane and Ryan O'Reilly might sign with and how much they'll make on their new contracts.

Restricted free-agent stars, however, are less likely to move. Unless they get traded, there are just two other ways they'll change teams. One is signing an offer sheet that their current club won't match. The other is their current team walking away from an arbitration-awarded contract. Those last two scenarios rarely occur in today's NHL.

Almost all restricted free agents sign with their current teams, usually before the free-agency period begins. That doesn't mean they won't get expensive new contracts, though. Previous RFA stars like Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews are among the highest-paid stars in terms of their annual salary-cap hit.

Several rising young NHL stars are poised to cash in as restricted free agents by next summer. Some, such as the Anaheim Ducks' Trevor Zegras, are franchise players due for big raises after completing their entry-level contracts. Others, like the New Jersey Devils' Jesper Bratt, will seek lucrative long-term contracts after completing their current short-term deals.

Zegras and Bratt are among the seven notable restricted free agents in line for significant raises on their next contracts. Feel free to express your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.

Overshadowed by teammates (and former No. 1 draft picks) Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt emerged last season as a star in his own right. The 24-year-old Swede is second to Hischier among the club's leading scorers in total points (232 to 230) since their debut seasons in 2017-18.

A gifted playmaker who can skate on either wing, Bratt's breakout performance was his team-leading 73 points last season. Coming off a two-year contract last season with an average annual value of $2.8 million, he and the Devils avoided arbitration with a one-year, $5.5 million deal.

Bratt will be eligible again for arbitration next summer and a year away from unrestricted free-agent eligibility. With 27 points in 25 games, he's among their leading scorers and on pace to exceed 80 points. He could seek an eight-year deal between Hischier's $8 million average annual value and Hughes' $7.3 million.

Joining the Montreal Canadiens fresh out of the NCAA late in 2020-21, Cole Caufield proved himself in the heat of playoff competition with 12 points in 20 postseason games. After managing just one goal and eight points in his first 30 games last season, the Wisconsin product thrived under new head coach Martin St. Louis to finish the season with 23 goals and 40 points.

A fleet-footed skater with a quick, accurate shot, Caufield's solid second half to his rookie season has carried over into his sophomore campaign. The 21-year-old left winger is tied with linemate Nick Suzuki for the team lead in goals with 13, plus he's second in points with 22 in 24 games. He could reach 40 goals and 70 points by season's end.

Caufield is in the final season of his entry-level contract with a cap hit of just over $880,000 and bonuses bringing his pay to $1.3 million. His lack of arbitration rights could prompt management to sign him to an affordable three-year deal. They could also attempt to ink him to an eight-year contract worth just under Suzuki's $7.9 million average annual value.

Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in July, Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat was coming off a season that saw him tally 41 goals for the second time while reaching a career-best 78 points. A talented scorer, the 24-year-old left winger was brought in to help the Senators over the rebuilding hump and into playoff contention.

DeBrincat is in the final season of a three-year contract with an average annual value of $6.4 million. However, he's earning $9 million in actual salary, which is what it'll cost the Senators to qualify his rights before July 1. Completing his second NHL contract, he'll have arbitration rights while sitting a year away from unrestricted free-agent eligibility.

With six goals and 19 points in 24 games thus far, DeBrincat is well off last season's pace. Nevertheless, his representatives could seek an eight-year deal worth $9.5 million per season based on his previous production. Having given up a 2022 first-round pick as part of the return for DeBrincat, the Senators could have little choice but to pay up.

Now in his third season with the Winnipeg Jets, Pierre-Luc Dubois has settled in well as one of their leading scorers. After finishing third among Jets scorers last season with 28 goals and 60 points, the 24-year-old sits second this season with 21 points in 22 games, putting him on pace to reach 80 points for the first time.

A versatile two-way forward who plays center or left wing, Dubois has tallied 48 or more points four times in his previous five NHL campaigns. He's on a one-year, $6 million contract with arbitration rights next summer. He'll be a year away from UFA eligibility in July 2024.

The Jets could offer Dubois an eight-year deal comparable to Blake Wheeler's team-high cap hit of $8.25 million. Complicating things, however, are rumors that Dubois intends to go to test the free-agent market in 2024. He downplayed that speculation after signing his current contract in July, saying he intends to see how things unfold next summer.

Now in his seventh NHL season, all of them with San Jose Sharks, Timo Meier has established himself as their first-line winger. Since his debut in 2016-17, he sits fourth among Sharks scorers with 288 points. He's tallied 21-plus goals four times, including a career-best of 35 goals and 76 points in 2021-22 to finish as their leading scorer.

Meier, 26, is in the final season of a four-year contract with an average annual value of $6 million. With 12 goals and 24 points in 27 games, he's on pace for another 35-goal, 70-plus point campaign. That will put the Swiss in line for a substantial raise on his contract.

Eligible for UFA status in 2024, Meier has arbitration rights next summer. He's also earning $10 million in actual salary this season. That's what it'll cost the Sharks just to qualify his rights unless they can agree to a long-term deal with a lower annual cap hit.

Having tallied 20 points or fewer in his first three full seasons with the Ducks, Troy Terry enjoyed a breakout performance in 2021-22 with a team-leading 37 goals and 67 points. Skating alongside center Trevor Zegras, the 25-year-old right winger has 26 points in 25 games, putting him on pace to exceed 80 points.

Terry is completing the final season of his three-year contract with an average annual value of $1.5 million. He will also have arbitration rights for the first time next July and will also be a year away from unrestricted free-agent status.

The combination of Terry and Zegras is the low-scoring Ducks' best offensive punch. He'll seek a significant raise over his current contract, though how high management is willing to go could depend on what Zegras seeks on his next contract. They could attempt to keep Terry to under $8 million annually on an eight-year deal.

Chosen ninth overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 draft, Trevor Zegras wasted little time establishing himself as their franchise player. A finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy with a 61-point performance last season, the 21-year-old has 22 points in 25 games thus far, putting him within reach of 70 points.

Zegras' dazzling stickhandling and creative playmaking make him the type of foundational player the Ducks will build around. The talented center is in the final season of his entry-level contract with an annual cap hit of $925,000, though his performance bonuses take him up to $1.8 million.

The Ducks could take advantage of Zegras' lack of arbitration rights to sign him to an affordable short-term contract. Given his skills, however, they could also make him their highest-paid active player by locking him in for an eight-year deal at $8 million per season. That could prove to be a bargain over the long term as Zegras hits his playing prime.

Stats (as of Dec. 4, 2022) via NHL.com. Salary info via CapFriendly.