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32 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\nWhen we think of offer sheets like the massive one Leo Carlsson signed last week, your mind naturally drifts to the player side of the equation as you scout around the league wondering who \u2014 if anyone \u2014 could be next.<\/p>\n
Before we address that, though, what about the other side of the coin?<\/p>\n
Will teams see the Philadelphia Flyers\u2019 bold play \u2014 general manager Daniel Briere threw $90 million over five years at Carlsson \u2014 and view it as the off-season version of, \u201cWhy not us?\u201d<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re talking about trying to lure a young player to your team, it really widens the field in terms of what type of club \u2014 as in, where they are in their competitive arc \u2014 could conceivably be interested.<\/p>\n
Philly is an up-and-coming squad trying to surge forward. Couldn\u2019t the same, more or less, be said of Montreal, Buffalo, Utah and Pittsburgh?<\/p>\n
What about rebuilding squads near the bottom of the standings trying to expedite what can be a long process? On one hand, you could see a team in that position balking at a price like four first-round picks \u2014 which is what the Flyers would fork over to the Anaheim Ducks if the latter doesn\u2019t match the offer to Carlsson by Friday \u2014 during a down phase for the franchise. On the other, why leave your fate up to lottery luck? Instead, make a strong play for one immaculate, known entity who has already shown real promise in the league and is on the precipice of his best seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Could a bottom-feeder like the Seattle Kraken \u2014 who already have a decent prospect cupboard and had big-money plays for Artemi Panarin and Jason Robertson thwarted in 2026 \u2014 go that route?<\/p>\n
At the other end of the standings, a contender with cap space \u2014 and, boy, that upper limit is rising higher and higher \u2014 could take the unconventional route of offer-sheeting a young player to put them over the top.<\/p>\n
The only consideration there, of course, is you must have the draft capital to complete the transaction. If we\u2019re talking about an offer that features an AAV of (basically) $12 million or above, four teams currently can\u2019t fulfill the obligation of handing over four first-rounders in the next five drafts, thus making them ineligible to tender an offer sheet in 2026: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers.<\/p>\n
In terms of having cap space, remember the upper limit for the 2027-28 campaign is expected to be $113.5 million. That means, by the second season of his new five-year contract, Carlsson\u2019s AAV will be taking up only 16 per cent (the maximum for one player is 20 per cent) of either the Flyers or Ducks cap. In 2025-26 terms, that\u2019s basically a $15 million AAV.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With all that in mind \u2014 and with a huge assist from the heroes over at Puckpedia \u2014 let\u2019s take a look at some high-profile and\/or intriguing RFAs and potential RFAs from now until 2028.<\/p>\n
Adam Fantilli, Columbus Blue Jackets<\/p>\n
For a minute there, it seemed like things could really slide off the rails this summer in Ohio. But both Zach Werenski \u2014 with two years to go before he can become a UFA \u2014 and Kirill Marchenko \u2014 who is offer-sheet eligible as an RFA in 2027 \u2014 remain with the club. For now.<\/p>\n
Surely the Jackets see Adam Fantilli, picked one spot after Carlsson at third overall in 2023, as the centrepiece they need to lock down. Fantilli hasn\u2019t truly exploded offensively yet, but he\u2019s a big No. 1 centre with all kinds of leverage given some of the big-picture question marks in Columbus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you were a team seriously contemplating an offer to Carlsson, any chance you\u2019d pivot to Fantilli?<\/p>\n
Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n
You knew there was still a long road ahead when the Hawks took Bedard first overall in 2023, but three years into his career, Chicago has yet to even sniff a playoff spot.<\/p>\n
Bedard, who sustained an apparent shoulder injury during off-season training last week, is due for a new deal and it will be interesting to see how long-term he commits. Will he take an eight-year deal \u2014 which can only be offered until September, when new CBA stipulations will limit term to seven years \u2014\u00a0or a shorter deal that offers more flexibility in coming years.<\/p>\n
Chicago paid a heavy price to acquire and sign defenceman Bowen Byram; now it\u2019s time to lock down the franchise centre.<\/p>\n
Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n
Like everyone who is a potential 2027 RFA, Celebrini is eligible to ink an extension any day now. Would it surprise anyone if Celebrini\u2019s next deal supplanted Kirill Kaprizov\u2019s contract ($136 million over eight years) as the richest deal in NHL history? If you\u2019re San Jose, no question you\u2019re hoping to secure Celebrini\u2019s services for as long as possible. An eight-year deal \u2014 which is eating into pricey UFA years \u2014\u00a0at, say, $19 million per season would come in at a total of $152 million.<\/p>\n
And, honestly, it might soon seem like a bargain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matvei Michkov, Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n
If the Flyers don\u2019t land Carlsson, they can turn their attention to extending the Russian winger who fell to them at No. 7 in 2023. It hasn\u2019t been all smiles and sunshine for Michkov during his first two years in the league, but the talent is there.<\/p>\n
Where a situation like this gets interesting \u2014 beyond the obvious curiosity of whether teams will target Philly after its play for Carlsson \u2014\u00a0is if Michkov doesn\u2019t ink an extension this summer, has another 20-goal season and doesn\u2019t seem like a slam-dunk for a monster deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Would a team swoop in and make a big bet that he can be their guy in a different situation?<\/p>\n
Kirill Marchenko, Columbus Blue Jackets<\/p>\n
As noted above, Marchenko has one year left on his deal it and it sure doesn\u2019t seem as though he\u2019ll be putting pen to paper in Columbus any time soon.<\/p>\n
A lot can change in a year, but this will be a serious situation to monitor if Marchenko remains unsigned next summer \u2014 assuming he\u2019s not traded in the interim.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s provided crazy value for Columbus on his current three-year bridge deal, which packs an AAV of just under $4 million.<\/p>\n
His next AAV could be nearly quadruple that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
32 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\n
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.<\/p>\n