{"id":753742,"date":"2026-07-10T01:59:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T01:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/753742\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T01:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T01:59:16","slug":"offer-sheet-drama-leading-to-franchise-defining-decision-plus-when-to-pull-the-goalie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/753742\/","title":{"rendered":"Offer sheet drama leading to franchise-defining decision. Plus: When to pull the goalie"},"content":{"rendered":"

Red Light newsletter\u00a0\ud83c\udfd2\u00a0| This is\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0hockey\u00a0newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to receive Red Light directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning to everyone except the cable company bean-counters who seem intent on ending sports radio in Canada. All the best to the talented people at Vancouver\u2019s Sportsnet 650 and Calgary\u2019s Sportsnet 960, both of which were shuttered this week by Rogers. This industry stinks sometimes.<\/p>\n

On to a dramatic week in the NHL, where the suspense is building on what could be a franchise-defining decision for two teams.<\/p>\n

Well, things have certainly slowed down since the last time we were in your inbox. One week ago, we were digging out of the chaos of a week of blockbuster trades and star-adjacent UFA signings, blissfully unaware that the monster Leo Carlsson offer sheet was about to change the financial landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This week? There\u2019s not quite as much news to chew on. But there\u2019s some, including a resolution to that other offer sheet\u2026<\/p>\n

The Mammoth match on Hayton<\/p>\n

Admittedly, in the aftermath of the Carlsson deal, the New Jersey Devils\u2019 offer sheet to the Utah Mammoth\u2019s Barrett Hayton feels almost quaint. A one-year deal worth just under $5 million? Compensation that didn\u2019t include any first-round picks, let alone four of them? Adorable!<\/p>\n

But while the Devils\u2019 attempt didn\u2019t force us to rethink modern salary structures, it was tricky in its own way. Remember, teams that match an offer sheet can\u2019t trade the player for a full year. In Hayton\u2019s case, that means that if the Mammoth matched, they\u2019d walk him right up to unrestricted free agency a year from now and risk losing him for nothing. Would they really roll the dice on that outcome, or would they take a second-round pick from New Jersey and call it a day?<\/p>\n

Now we know: The Mammoth have matched the offer<\/a>, meaning Hayton stays in Utah and the Devils come out empty-handed.<\/p>\n

This always felt like the most likely outcome, even as there was enough uncertainty to make it worth the Devils\u2019 while to find out. The Mammoth will now get one more season from the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft, with the possibility of an extension still on the table down the road. They\u2019ll no doubt be hoping he improves on last year\u2019s 10-goal, 25-point output; his career high is 46 points in 2024-25.<\/p>\n

As for the Devils, they miss out on the player but now have nearly $5 million in cap space that they can work with. Is there anyone left on the market for them to use it on? Not really<\/a>, but new GM Sunny Mehta is clearly willing to think outside the box.<\/p>\n

And with the offer sheet undercard now taken care of, we can move on to the main event.<\/p>\n

Decision day for the Ducks<\/p>\n

The clock is ticking. And by tomorrow, Pat Verbeek has to make his call.<\/p>\n

The Anaheim Ducks GM is facing one of the tougher decisions in years: Does he blow up his team\u2019s salary structure by making Leo Carlsson the highest-paid player (by AAV) in the league? Or does he take four first-round picks from the Philadelphia Flyers and let Carlsson walk, essentially hitting reset on what had looked like a successful rebuild effort?<\/p>\n

If it sounds like a question without a right answer, well, that\u2019s mission accomplished by Daniel Bri\u00e8re and the Flyers. We\u2019ve seen offer sheets in the past where the \u201cmatch\u201d option seemed so obvious<\/a> that you wonder why the signing team wasted everyone\u2019s time. And in theory, we could see one where the offer was so outlandish that there was no question it would go unmatched, which would imply a serious miscalculation by the signing team. But this one manages to thread the needle, with a case to be made on both sides.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve missed any of our coverage so far, let\u2019s get you caught up:<\/p>\n

And now, we wait. But not for much longer. Tick tick tick. And then, ka-ching. But from whom? We\u2019re about to find out\u2026<\/p>\n

Trivia time\ud83d\udca1: We\u2019ll keep it nice and simple today. How many Hockey Hall of Famers can you name who signed an offer sheet during their career?<\/p>\n

A few hints: First, the number is probably way higher than you might think. It includes:<\/p>\n

A player who\u2019ll be part of this year\u2019s Hall of Fame class
\nThe one player in NHL history who signed an offer sheet twice
\nOnly one player who signed an offer sheet during the cap era
\nA player who was already a Hall of Famer when he signed his offer sheet
\nCoast to coast<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd63 Fluto Shinzawa has a great piece on what it\u2019s like to feed a camp full of NHL prospects<\/a>. Hint: Bring lots of fish.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd15 The Chicago Blackhawks got some bad news about Connor Bedard\u2019s shoulder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2744\ufe0f We\u2019re a few weeks into the NHL offseason, are you feeling insulted yet? These eight fan bases should be<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfb1 The inside story of how Alex Ovechkin\u2019s return to the Washington Capitals<\/a> came together.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc76 Now that the 2026 draft is over, it\u2019s time for Corey Pronman to finally get some rest bring us his way-too-early 2027 mock<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc4f I\u2019m not sure why the Pulitzer committee hasn\u2019t called me about this one<\/a> yet, but the call is probably coming.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa8 Ever wanted to design an NHL jersey? Now you can<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f On the season finale of the Wednesday edition of \u201cThe Athletic Hockey Show\u201d podcast, the crew talk offer sheets and have maybe a bit too much fun with Daniel Alfredsson joining the Leafs. Listen here<\/a>, or watch here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Sean M. Haffey \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

No dumb questions<\/p>\n

We believe that in hockey, as in life, there are no dumb questions. So if you have something you\u2019ve always wondered about the sport, ask away by emailing us at redlight@theathletic.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To pull or not to pull<\/p>\n

If pulling the goalie is a good (albeit risky) idea at the end of a game when behind by a goal or maybe two, why wouldn\u2019t it be a good idea at some other point in the game? I have never seen a team pull their goalie until the last few minutes of the third. \u2014 Sarah K.<\/p>\n

I appreciate this question because it\u2019s one that\u2019s never really occurred to me as a lifelong hockey fan, but it makes perfect sense. If pulling the goalie for an extra attacker is such a smart move in the most crucial moment, why don\u2019t teams do it any other time?<\/p>\n

First things first: Sarah is correct about teams basically never pulling a goalie for an extra attacker until late in the game. There\u2019s been a recent trend of coaches making the pull earlier than they used to, one that\u2019s often attributed to Patrick Roy\u2019s aggressive approach. But they never do it any earlier, unless it\u2019s a situation that\u2019s essentially risk-free \u2014 a delayed penalty, or an offensive faceoff with only a second or two left in a period.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the deal? The answer comes down to the value of a goal\u00a0and how it changes over the course of a game.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a key detail: A team that pulls its goalie late in a game is always more likely to be scored on than they are to score. One estimate is that the ratio is about three-to-one<\/a>, which is to say the team that\u2019s ahead will score an empty-net goal about three times for every time the trailing team scores with the man advantage.<\/p>\n

So why do it? Because those goals aren\u2019t created equal. Let\u2019s take the typical situation where Team A is trailing by one goal, with let\u2019s say two minutes left. If they pull the goalie and Team B scores into the empty net, that matters \u2014 it all but ends the game, depriving Team A of the comeback chance they would have had if they\u2019d kept the goalie in. That empty-net goal by Team B has value.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s far less value than a Team A goal, which ties the game and makes it overwhelmingly likely that we\u2019ll get overtime. In the regular season, that means a free point and a chance at another. In the playoffs, it means the chance to turn a regulation loss into an OT win, which can end up deciding a series. Given the score, Team A\u2019s goal matters a lot more than Team B\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

To put it maybe a touch too simply: Team A doesn\u2019t really care if they get scored on, because the difference between losing a game by one goal or two goals is meaningless to it. But the difference between losing by one and being tied at the end of regulation? That\u2019s massive. So it\u2019s worth the risk.<\/p>\n

But it is a risk \u2014 a big one, that\u2019s overwhelmingly likely not to pay off. So it doesn\u2019t make sense to try it until you absolutely have to. So teams wait as long as they can before they pull out all the stops \u2014 and their goaltender.<\/p>\n

Your trivia answer\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, there are 11 players in the Hockey Hall of Fame who signed an offer sheet during their NHL career. The list includes:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Larry Robinson (with the Kings in 1989)
\nGuy Lafleur (with the Nordiques in 1989, when he was already in the Hall)
\nScott Stevens (with the Blues in 1990 and again in 1994)
\nBrendan Shanahan (with the Blues in 1991)
\nMichel Goulet (with the Blues in 1991)
\nSergei Makarov (with the Sharks in 1992)
\nTeemu Sel\u00e4nne (with the Flames in 1992)
\nKeith Tkachuk (with the Blackhawks in 1995)
\nJoe Sakic (with Rangers in 1997)
\nSergei Fedorov (with the Hurricanes in 1998)
\nShea Weber (with the Flyers in 2012)<\/p>\n

Will Leo Carlsson join the list someday? For $18 million a year, you could argue he\u2019d better.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love Red Light?\u00a0Check out The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Red Light newsletter\u00a0\ud83c\udfd2\u00a0| This is\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0hockey\u00a0newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here\u00a0to receive Red Light directly in your inbox. Good morning to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":753743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":["post-753742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=753742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/753743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=753742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=753742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=753742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}