with-the-celebrini-contract-question-answered-focus-shifts-to-next-years-unrestricted-free-agents
Raw Charge
Poor Kirill Kaprizov. Well, not really. He is the exact opposite of poor. However, the Minnesota Wild forward never truly got to enjoy his reign as the top paid player in the NHL. Despite garnering headline after headline last summer with his then record-setting extension that topped out at $17 million per season, he never actually skated a single game as the highest-paid player in the league. Since then he’s seen Leo Carlsson and now Macklin Celebrini surpass him in the salary game. Before the puck drops on the 2026-27 season, will Kaprizov fall even further down the list?
<p>There is a pattern to the off-season. As the Stanley Cup winners revel in drunken celebration the general managers start reworking their rosters at the draft. They do it by selecting the next franchise cornerstone (Gavin McKenna) or slinging some trades around (Mason MacTavish, Sebastian Cossa, Pavel Dorofeyev). Then comes the unbridled gluttony that is unrestricted free agency. Once the fervor over the top available players, there are a few minor signings, but the focus then shifts to the restricted free agents.</p>
<p>This summer had the added drama of a couple of offer sheets (both matched) and some months-long negotiations that resulted in a stop-gap measure (Jason Robertson). There were arbitration hearings scheduled and then cancelled as agreements were made in all fifteen cases that were filed. Sprinkled among those were extensions for some of the top-tier players who had finished up their entry-level deals. Connor Bedard agreed to what now seems to be a reasonable $15 million a season contract and most recently Celebrini ascended to new contract heights with his record-setting, five-season, $18.5 million average annual value deal with the Sharks that kicks in for the 2027-28 season.</p>
<p>For the most part the big name RFAs are now under contract. With all due respect to Cutter Gauthier, Adam Fantilli, and Alexander Nikishin, their new contracts aren’t going to break any records. They will just have to settle for being multi-millionaires at relatively young ages. </p>
<p>So what comes next? Well, much like thunder follows lightning, the focus shifts to the extension-eligible players. Those players entering the final season of their current contracts who, since July 1, have been able to sign new deals. Tampa Bay Lightning fans are familiar with the situation as they wait patiently for any type of news about Nikita Kucherov. They aren’t the only fan bases who use every day that goes by without an announcement as “proof” that things will end badly. Further west, in Colorado and Minnesota, there are fans not-so-patiently waiting for reports to emerge about Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes respectively. </p>
<p>Much like Kucherov, the two defensemen are set to cash in on lucrative deals. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that at least one of them will set a record. Makar probably stands the best chance to set, at the very least, a new high for defensemen. Right now, Erik Karlsson holds the title at $11.5 million per season, but he will be dethroned by Bowen Byram, whose $12.5 million AAV extension (the same money Connor McDavid makes) begins in 2027-28.</p>
<p>Makar will undoubtably top both players as he has the benefit of still being relatively young (27) and really, really good. The Avalanche will do everything they can to keep him in the Mile High City, and that might mean signing him to a deal that lurks near the Celebrini/Kaprizov/Carlsson level. Despite the level of play around him, losing Makar would pretty much erase Colorado’s chances of winning another Stanley Cup any time soon.</p>
<p>For the Wild, things aren’t quite so engrained. Hughes has been there less than a season, and while he’s warmed to the idea of staying in the frozen tundra that is Minnesota, there are other factors, such as playing with his brothers Jack and Luke, that might prevent him from signing a long-term deal, or any type of contract that keeps him in the green and white. Still, Bill Guerin has found ways to get things done, and his owner is <a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/owner-says-minnesota-wild-will-sign-quinn-hughes-to-new-contract">already on record</a> stating that they will re-sign him, the only question lingering is the length of the deal. </p>
<p>The same goes for Kucherov as <a href="https://www.rawcharge.com/delving-into-a-nikita-kucherov-extension-tampa-bay-lightning-free-agency-new-contract/">has been discussed</a>. Much like Hughes, albeit for different reasons, the length of the deal is just as important as the AAV. For Kucherov, it likely centers on how long he wants to keep playing, and if he’s willing to sign a deal that will take him to the end of his career with the Lightning. </p>
<p>It seems negotiations are ongoing for all three players (and one would assume others such as Pavel Zacha, Alex Debrincat, and Drake Batherson) and once one signs a new deal, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a few more follow suit. Could it be closer to the beginning of the season like it was last fall when Kaprizov, McDavid, and Jack Eichel all signed deals within basically a week of each other at the end of September/early October (and denying fans an absolutely rip-roaring fun UFA summer in 2026)? </p>
<p>It seems worth noting that Kucherov’s first “big” contact was signed on October 11, 2016. The 23-year-old RFA didn’t agree to a three-year, $4.76 AAV contract until two days before the season began. So, he’s no stranger to biding time. And, for all the guff that Julien BriseBois gets for some of the contracts he hands out (and at times deservedly so) he is pretty good at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7471312/2026/07/29/nhl-contract-efficiency-rankings-2026/">maximizing value</a> out of his roster. </p>
<p>There is no real urgency for any of the players to get a deal done today, tomorrow, or three Thursdays from now. It’s not going to change how they prepare for the season or how their general managers build their roster. The players have contracts and will report to training camp in just over six weeks time. Perhaps being in closer proximity to each other will help spark some conversations that bring some of these deals to the finish line.</p>
- <p>Would it have been less stressful for all of the fan bases if their players had announced new deals at the beginning of July? Of course, but just because the calendar is flipping to August doesn’t mean it’s time to abandon hope and hammer down the panic button. The rhythm of the NHL offseason hasn’t been disrupted just yet. So sit back and relax. </p></p>
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