News: 2025 RFA offer sheet compensation thresholds revealed

[Marc the Habs Fan]

OFFER SHEET AAV	COMPENSATION
$1,544,424 or less	None
Over $1,544,424 to $2,340,037	Third-round pick
Over $2,340,037 to $4,680,076	Second-round pick
Over $4,680,076 to $7,020,113	First- and third-round picks
Over $7,020,113 to $9,360,153	First-, second-, and third-round picks
Over $9,360,153 to $11,700,192	Two firsts, one second and one third
Over $11,700,192	Four first-round picks

All draft picks must be available in the next immediate draft, unless multiple picks are owed in the same round, then the team can spread the number of picks over one extra year (for example, two first-round picks would need to be available within the next three years, while four first-round picks would need to be available within the next five years)

And remember that, in determining the AAV of an offer sheet, you divide the salary by term length or five — whichever is lower.

 

[miscs75]

Going to be some teams coughing up 2nd this year and winding up with solid players in return. Especially if someone’s in an Edmonton situation this summer and pushed to the cap limit already.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

So Bourque is getting $4.6M, then.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Somebody can get Rossi for 1st+3rd if they want, though probably not a whole lot of teams willing to do that in a McKenna draft.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Where are the hot spots? Bourque in Dallas has been mentioned frequently. Tampa's only notable (using this term loosely) RFA is Goncalves. Could $4.68 mil for Cuylle cause the Rangers a problem?

 

[Brodeur]

Quick scan of teams who are missing 2026 1sts-3rds (or have a condition attached):

1st: Colorado (Nelson), Vegas (Hanifin), Tampa (Bjorkstrand), Toronto (Carlo), Edmonton (Walman), Florida (Jones), NY Rangers (Miller, option to give up 2025 1st), Dallas (Rantanen)

2nd: Colorado, Columbus, St. Louis, NY Islanders, Winnipeg, Toronto, NY Rangers, Buffalo, Ottawa, Minnesota

3rd: Colorado, Vancouver, Washington, Carolina, San Jose, Dallas

It's not an impossible task to reacquire a pick, but sometimes the other GM doesn't want to be an enabler; In 2008, Tampa tried to get back its 2009 3rd from Pittsburgh (to offer sheet Andrej Meszaros) but Ray Shero thought he was doing the honorable thing by not trading it back.

 

[oXo Cube]

Amusingly, Evan Bouchard seems like one of the more obvious potential targets.

I don't think it would work this time though.

 

[Canovin]

Just curious, would Islanders match 11.7M on Dobson? That's 2x1st, 2nd and 3rd

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

Just curious, would Islanders match 11.7M on Dobson? That's 2x1st, 2nd and 3rd

Yikes...

 

[MrLunatik]

Amusingly, Evan Bouchard seems like one of the more obvious potential targets.

I don't think it would work this time though.

It's hard to say, depends how much he's offered elsewhere. If a team offers Bouchard 9.36m x 5... would the Oilers match? They only have 9.41m in space currently and almost everyone making 2m or more has some form of trade protection, many having full NMCs... it really seems like a they're f***ed if they do and f***ed if they don't situation

 

[Canovin]

It's hard to say, depends how much he's offered elsewhere. If a team offers Bouchard 9.36m x 5... would the Oilers match? They only have 9.41m in space currently and almost everyone making 2m or more has some form of trade protection, many having full NMCs... it really seems like a they're f***ed if they do and f***ed if they don't situation

That's an easy yes as I see the Oilers giving him 9.5M x 8. The Oilers can bring back everyone except for Jeff Skinner, Arvidsson and Emberson and be right there at 95.5M. If the Oilers move on from Stuart Skinner, that opens up another 1.6M if we sign a goalie for 1M

 

[oXo Cube]

It's hard to say, depends how much he's offered elsewhere. If a team offers Bouchard 9.36m x 5... would the Oilers match? They only have 9.41m in space currently and almost everyone making 2m or more has some form of trade protection, many having full NMCs... it really seems like a they're f***ed if they do and f***ed if they don't situation

They would match that faster than it could be emailed into the league office.

If you want to try to pry him away for real your target number is 11.69. I don't think that would work either but you never know with this management group.

 

[Draiskull]

It's hard to say, depends how much he's offered elsewhere. If a team offers Bouchard 9.36m x 5... would the Oilers match? They only have 9.41m in space currently and almost everyone making 2m or more has some form of trade protection, many having full NMCs... it really seems like a they're f***ed if they do and f***ed if they don't situation

9.36M is an easy match, 9.4M would make them think with an extra 1st added.

Oilers have 10M+ in cap space once you send guys like Josh Brown and Max Jones to the minors.
They will likely have to walk away from Frederic and Klingberg after the playoffs but rest of the squad could remain the same even if Bouchard gets 9.5M per

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

Who's the asshole to throw 5 x $9.35M at Knies?

 

[McHelpus]

Amusingly, Evan Bouchard seems like one of the more obvious potential targets.

I don't think it would work this time though.

Unless a team is willing to give Oilers 4 1st round picks, he will be an Oiler.

 

[Zman5778]

Where are the hot spots? Bourque in Dallas has been mentioned frequently. Tampa's only notable (using this term loosely) RFA is Goncalves. Could $4.68 mil for Cuylle cause the Rangers a problem?

It makes zero sense to most.....but Buffalo is in a REAL interesting cap situation. We've got ~$8ish M of cap space and the following RFAs to sign: McLeod, Quinn, Peterka, Byram, Bernard-Docker, R. Johnson, Levi

I don't think that any team will tender an offer sheet to McLeod or Peterka that Buffalo doesn't snap-match. I don't think any team would tender an offer sheet to Byram that makes sense.

HOWEVER......Quinn could be a REAL interesting one to watch. He cost himself a LOT of money from the Sabres this year. But if a team out there thinks that there's legitimate bounce-back potential -- I don't think Buffalo matches a 2nd round RFA offer sheet and would have to think REAL hard about a 3rd round offer sheet.

 

[Draiskull]

Who's the asshole to throw 5 x $9.35M at Knies?

**crickets**
The man isnt worth that much to any club.

Could be the next Bunting or the next Hyman.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

**crickets**
The man isnt worth that much to any club.

Could be the next Bunting or the next Hyman.

Bunting is an absolutely rancid comp for Knies.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Who's the asshole to throw 5 x $9.35M at Knies?

I would go 11.7M for Knies for 1 year.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

I would go 11.7M for Knies for 1 year.

There's a very short list of teams that could sling almost $12M in cap at one guy and not be bad enough to raise concerns over how high those two firsts would be.

That's hard to word... Trying again: The good teams that'll pick in the bottom 10 can't afford that kind of cap, and the bad teams that can afford that kind of cap are picking so high that it's probably not worth it. Especially when McKenna is on deck.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

Tom Fitzgerald said in his exit interview that he expects offer sheets to be used. No idea if he was alluding to NJ trying to do one or just a comment on what he's thinking is happening in the league.

 

[Forge]

Tom Fitzgerald said in his exit interview that he expects offer sheets to be used. No idea if he was alluding to NJ trying to do one or just a comment on what he's thinking is happening in the league.

I feel like Fitz probably won't do it, but I think Zetterlund is definitely a guy that you'd give consideration to signing if he wants to come back. Given the short tenure with Ottawa, they may not feel any real pull to match an offer sheet and just take the compensation unless they plans for him.

Fitz will probably have to free up some money first though.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

Tom Fitzgerald said in his exit interview that he expects offer sheets to be used. No idea if he was alluding to NJ trying to do one or just a comment on what he's thinking is happening in the league.

Yzerman said in his that he doesn't really see much opportunity with teams having pressure on them. I kinda agree. The cap hike is good for teams tight against the cap.

Maybe Dallas? Which is why Bourque's name keeps circulating.

 

[RationalExpectations]

Going to be some teams coughing up 2nd this year and winding up with solid players in return. Especially if someone’s in an Edmonton situation this summer and pushed to the cap limit already.

Less likely due to the cap increasing. Except DAL with Bourque I don t see any team having that kind of issue (of course it can change if some UFAs get overpaid before signing RFAs)

 

[TGWL]

Somebody can get Rossi for 1st+3rd if they want, though probably not a whole lot of teams willing to do that in a McKenna draft.

Ideally, I think a lot of teams would do that if the cost is only 1st + 3rd. That means you're getting Rossi long term way cheaper than 7, or you'r getting him at 6.8-7 over 5.

I think teams take that as many won't be in the bottom lotto. The issue becomes taking out the teams that don't have the 1st anymore. But even with that, teams would definitely be interested.