Top-pair defencemen and No. 1 goalies. Bridge candidates and budding superstars who need to be locked up ASAP.
The 2024 summer class of unsigned restricted free agents offers a little bit of everything.
And while several potential ’23 RFAs avoided the drama and uncertainty by signing well before July 1 (Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek chief among them), plenty of intriguing young names remain unsigned for 2024-25 after the madness of July 1.
As these RFAs look to bank off their platform campaigns and managers wonder how to spend their newfound cap space, plenty of tense negotiations (or trades?) are on deck.
The situations in Carolina and Detroit are particularly compelling.
Salary arbitration hearings will be held from July 20 to Aug. 4. Players headed to arbitration cannot sign an offer sheet.
Here’s where things stand with the top nine RFAs of 2024 still looking for a deal.
1. Jeremy Swayman (Boston)
Age: 25
Position: Goaltender
2023-24 salary cap hit: $3.475 million
Arbitration rights: Yes — but did not file
Bargaining chips: World junior medallist. 2023 William Jennings Trophy co-winner. Career save percentage of .919. Three consecutive 20-win seasons. 2024 All-Star Game representative. Big hugger. Playoff stud.
The latest: Despite sharing the Boston Bruins’ crease with pal Linus Ullmark, Swayman played an integral role in the club’s run to the 2023 Presidents’ Trophy and took over as the team’s go-to goalie in the 2024 post-season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in early March that Swayman and GM Don Sweeney had begun negotiating his next contract, which should be a biggie now that the goaltender has sparkled during his one-year prove-it pact.
Swayman politely declined comment on the report but did not deny that talks were underway.
The goalie, remember, went through arbitration last summer, where he said he was subjected to “hearing things that a player should never hear” before getting a one-year award.
The inevitable raise for Swayman prompted Boston’s trade of hug buddy Ullmark (locked into a $5 million cap hit) to Ottawa.
The price to keep Swayman happy only jumped with his .933 save percentage in the post-season.
He’s the real deal.
“Sway is a big part of this whole dynamic of what we’re trying to put together. It’s a priority for us. We’re going to continue to find a negotiated landing spot,” Sweeney said on July 1. “However long that takes. It’s not impacted by what we did (in free agency). We’re in a great spot to find the best-negotiated deal we can find for both sides.”
Swayman did not exercise his arbitration rights this time around.
With training camp looming on Sept. 18 and the Bruins down to $8.6 million in cap space, there is pressure to give most of that (or more?) to Swayman on a long-term deal.
2. Moritz Seider (Detroit)
Age: 23
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $863,333
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Top-six draft pick. 2022 Calder Trophy winner. Silver medallist at the 2023 World Championship. Named to the 2021 and 2023 World Championships all-star team. Six-foot-three, 205-pound right-shot horse with edge. Can run a power play and kill a penalty. Led all Red Wings in ice time (22:22). Capable of 50 points while taking on hard matchups. Only NHLer with 200 blocks and 200 hits this season.
The latest: Seldom do rebuilding clubs mess around trying to nickel-and-dime their young stud defencemen.
Consider how swiftly Ottawa locked up Jake Sanderson with an eight-year, $64.4-million extension. Or how Buffalo gave Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power monster offers they couldn’t refuse to secure their prime seasons.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman should be willing to ink Seider the maximum term of an eight-year extension and make the German his highest-paid defenceman by a mile.
“He battles hard every game,” Yzerman said after the season ended. “He blocks shots, gets hit, makes plays. We’re asking him to do a lot. He’s got the mental toughness to weather it all.
“As our team gets better around him, Mo’s role might change a little bit. He’ll be used a little bit differently, which I think will allow him to display the offensive side of his game.”
How does an AAV around $8.6 million sound?
That would tuck Seider in just below team captain and payroll leader Dylan Larkin ($8.7 million cap hit).
“It’s not a big secret I want to be a Red Wing,” Seider said.
“I’m also confident enough that I could be a good asset for this organization, and that really matters to me. I think then you can talk about numbers, lengths and how long the contract should be, but those two first parts fit well — and they do — then I’m pretty confident we’ve got something done.”
3. Lucas Raymond (Detroit)
Age: 22
Position: Right wing / Left wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Fourth-overall pick. World junior star twice over for Sweden. Two-time 20-goal, 57-point forward. His age fits well with Red Wings’ trajectory for improvement. Led Detroit in scoring in 2023-24 (72 points) and played all 82 games.
The latest: While Yzerman keeps his plans under lock and key, the Detroit GM’s previous actions may tell us where things may go with Raymond.
When Yzerman signed stud RFA Alex DeBrincat to a four-year contract averaging $7.875 million per season, he suggested a preference for mid-term commitments instead of longer deal — like, say, the seven-year, $49-million whopper Anaheim gave to RFA Troy Terry last summer.
“You’re starting to see more players, at least this off-season, and I think it might be a trend, signing shorter-term contracts, not necessarily going the full seven, eight years,” Yzerman said.
“I’m not sure I have a hard-set philosophy on contracts. There’s risk in every deal. There’s the short-term risk you lose control of the player. On the back end, the long-term risk is a lot of things can happen that affect a player’s ability to perform on a long-term deal.
“What is my philosophy? I try to make a deal with the player and try to understand what they’re looking for and what’s important to them, but ultimately, I’m comfortable. I like these mid-term deals.”
Something to keep in mind when talks heat up.
“What I do know is that I love this team,” Raymond said. “I love the city, and I want to be here.”
At his pre-draft availability, Yzerman raised eyebrows when discussing the unsigned Seider and Raymond.
“Ultimately, I can’t force anything. They’ll get done in due time,” the GM said. “I prefer to have them done. But to be quite honest, I don’t anticipate that happening at this stage. And we’ll just work around it and make decisions along the way fully aware… that we will try to get them under contract or plan to get them under contract.”
4. Seth Jarvis (Carolina)
Age: 22
Position: Right wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $894,167
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: First-round pick. Always produces in the playoffs. Ripped career highs in goals (33), points (67) and plus/minus (+23). Hurricanes need his offence. Carolina has gobs of cap space opening for 2024-25.
The latest: The benefits of buying out Patrick Marleau’s Maple Leafs contract are now paying off big-time for the Hurricanes. Jarvis — drafted with the pick Carolina obtained from Toronto to take an ageing Marleau’s bad money — is emerging as an impact winger who delivers on the power play and in clutch situations.
While rookie GM Eric Tulsky already oversaw a slew of roster turnover in unrestricted free agency, keeping Jarvis in the fold is a no-brainer.
Because Jarvis is just now emerging from his entry-level deal, the team holds the hammer.
Does Tulsky wish to go bridge?
Or will the Canes bet big that Jarvis could break out and lock him up long-term the way they did with Andrei Svechnikov as he wrapped his ELC?
Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reported that based on deals regarding similar players, Jarvis’s camp could ask for an eight-year extension with an $8.35 million AAV.
Tulsky has said publicly that he is “not worried about offer sheets” because the Canes have the cap space to match: “It’s not really a route I expect anyone to take.”
According to Canes Corner podcast host Adam Gold, Carolina and Jarvis are both seeking a maximum eight-year commitment north of $8 million per season. Gold suggests the sides could agree on a dollar figure shortly.
5. Thomas Harley (Dallas)
Age: 22
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $863,333
Arbitration rights: No
The latest: The emergence of a slowly groomed Harley has an incredible subplot for the Dallas Stars this season as they sped toward another Western Conference final.
General manager Jim Nill, you’ll recall, bridged his last breakout RFA, Jason Robertson, so he may well do the same with Harley — who only has one full NHL campaign on his resume and lacked the arbitration leverage of Ty Dellandrea (traded to the Sharks) and Sam Steel (re-signed).
Whether it’s this summer or one down the line, Harley is building a sturdy case for a significant windfall.
Nill already has veteran lefties Heiskanen and Esa Lindell under contract for 2024-25 and supplemented the loss of Ryan Suter and Chris Tanev with Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin. But Harley’s youth and offensive acumen will be needed.
Nill, you may recall, bet big on a young John Klingberg coming out of his entry-level deal in 2015, securing that D-man’s best seasons at a bargain rate.
6. Matty Beniers (Seattle)
Age: 21
Position: Centre
2023-24 salary cap hit: $897,500
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: 2021 World junior gold medallist and world championship bronze medallist, as the youngest player on both teams. 2022 Olympian. Second-overall draft pick and first-ever selection by the Seattle Kraken. 2023 Calder Trophy winner. Scored 24 goals and 57 points as a rookie.
The latest: If Beniers could swap last season’s stat line and this season’s, he probably would.
A victim of the sophomore slump, Beniers’ down year production-wise (15 goals and 37 points) aligned with the Kraken’s tumble out of the playoff picture and resulted in an underwhelming platform campaign.
His bargaining position is compromised, which has us betting that a short-term deal is the solution here.
GM Ron Francis revealed at his trade-deadline press conference that he held preliminary extension discussions with Beniers’ camp over the summer. Those were tabled until the off-season.
“I have no concerns about Matty’s game long-term. He’ll be a big part of this organization for a lot of years moving forward,” Francis assured upon season’s end.
For the Kraken to excel, the club needs Beniers to live up to his promise.
“He’s definitely felt the pressure since he came into the organization, since Day 1. We were a struggling team, and he was kind of looked at as the saviour of our team. And I’m sure he’s been hearing that a lot and knowing that is going to have a prominent role ever since he’s been drafted,” teammate Vince Dunn said.
“When you see a guy maybe going through a little slump or going through hardships, I just try to get ’em going. Make him realize how important they are to the team and how much potential they do have, and hopefully, they can bring that out in themselves.”
Francis settled a two-year extension with RFA Eeli Tolvanen on July 5, so the Beniers file sits alone atop the heap.
7. Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg)
Age: 22
Position: Left wing / Centre
2023-24 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Top-10 draft pick. 2021 World junior silver medallist and world championship gold medallist. High hockey IQ. Creative playmaker. Posted career highs in goals (19) and points (38) in 2024-25.
The latest: Perfetti heads to the negotiating table after a healthy but uneven campaign that saw him thrive for stretches in the Winnipeg Jets’ top six, but he also endured a 23-game goal drought and 11 healthy scratches.
A superstar in junior, the forward admitted to struggling mentally with his inconsistent usage and performance. And as the Jets sped toward the post-season, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff went out and rented a couple more top-six forwards, Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan, to eat up meaningful minutes.
Rick Bowness coached to win and trusted his veterans more.
Perhaps, with Monahan and Toffoli walking out the door, Perfetti gets a fresh start under new coach Scott Arniel.
“I think Cole’s a guy that really stands to gain a lot,” Cheveldayoff said at the draft.
Perfetti’s situation appears like a classic bridge-deal case: The team needs to see more, and the player doesn’t want to negotiate long-term based on a stat line that should only escalate over the next two or three seasons.
“I believe there has been communication between Perfetti and newly appointed Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel and his coaching staff where the player heard some positive things,” the Winnipeg Sun‘s Scott Billeck reported on July 23.
“I’m led to believe it could sway Perfetti to sign longer term, provided the Jets are interested in going the same route they went with Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Kyle Connor in the past.
“That’s a significant development after Perfetti seemed to fall out of favour with the retired Rick Bowness.”
8. Dawson Mercer (New Jersey)
Age: 22
Position: Right wing / Centre
2023-24 salary cap hit: $894,167
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: First-round draft pick. 2020 world junior gold medallist and 2021 world junior silver medallist. 2022 world championship silver medallist. Two 20-goal campaigns in three seasons.
The latest: Tom Fitzgerald has had a busy off-season, hiring new coach Sheldon Keefe, tweaking his blueline and goaltending via trade, and spending $15 million in the first two days of free agency.
The Devils GM now turns his attention to negotiations with his most valuable RFA, who has shined bright throughout his entry-level deal.
New Jersey still has roughly $5 million in cap space, so budget isn’t a great issue here.
Fitzgerald has been prudent with his spending and has a nice track record of getting his core forwards under contract for a reasonable AAV.
Mercer has little to no leverage here. And even if he were tempted to sign an offer sheet, Fitzgerald should be able to match.
If the sides go the bridge route, recent RFA signees Shane Pinto (two years at $3.75 million) and Kirill Marchenko (three years at $3.85 million) are apt comparables here.
9. Ryan Lindgren (New York Rangers)
Age: 26
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $3 million
Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed
Bargaining chips: World junior gold and bronze medallist. Regular in Rangers’ 2024 trip to the Eastern Conference final. Physical, reliable defensive D-man who kills penalties and plays top-four minutes.
The latest: With Chris Drury re-upping Braden Schneider to a two-year extension in mid-July, the Lindgren file becomes the Rangers GM’s most pressing piece of summer business.
Lindgren is one year shy of unrestricted free agency and has steadily made himself increasingly valuable to New York’s blueline. He filed for arbitration, so worst case, he gets a one-year deal in Manhattan when his case is heard on Aug. 2.
The Athletic‘s Arthur Staple reports that the sides remain in negotiations and that a one-year deal should cost Drury about $3.6 million. Go longer, and Lindgren’s AAV will spike due to the cost of UFA seasons.
Though Drury entertained signing Brendan Dillon in the off-season, and Jacob Trouba trade rumours churn, the safer approach appears to be re-signing his own defencemen.
More notable RFAs: Peyton Krebs, Cole Sillinger, Dustin Wolf, Nick Robertson, Nico Daws, Jordan Spence, Arbur Xhekaj, Philip Tomasino
*Player has filed for arbitration.
Contract info via the late, great CapFriendly.com.
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