As the National Hockey League off-season moves further and further into July the future of many coveted restricted free agents still remain undecided. The window for teams to retain such players is closing, and as we progress it looks more and more likely that a couple of the most coveted RFA’s will end up moving before the beginning of the season in October.
An RFA is a player that does not have a contract, and has not played in the league long enough to qualify for unrestricted free agency. Therefore the team that signed them to his original contract at the beginning of their career has certain advantages in trying to retain him. The club has the opportunity to make a qualifying offer to the player in question. If no offer is made then the player moves into unrestricted free agency is free to sign with any team he chooses. However, if an offer is made and the player rejects it he is still an RFA. If the player wishes to stay with the franchise but does not agree with the proposed offer her can apply for salary arbitration, once arbitration is done the team has 48 hours to decide whether or not they wish to sign him. As an RFA the player can also be signed to an offer sheet but other interested clubs. The player’s current team gets the opportunity to match the offer and retain him, or they can refuse to match and the player moves, with a penalty to the signing team of a first and third round pick.
This year sees a strong crop of RFA’s, and with the deadline for arbitration slipping away it would not be far-fetched to believe that one of these coveted youngsters could be poached.
Patric Hornqvist – Forward – Nashville Predators
It is difficult to tell how much money the Nashville Predators actually have to spend. They are a team that is never able to spend to the cap and therefore they work with less money then most NHL clubs. In addition to Hornqvist, the Predators may have to extend a offer to defenseman Dennis Grebeshkov. Hornqvist should be at the top of the Predators list to re-sign considering he led the team in points last season. However, due to the Preds inability to spend to the cap, it is not outrageous to assume that an offer sheet could be made to the 23 year old that the floundering club would not be able to match.
Bobby Ryan – Forward – Anaheim Ducks
Only 23 years old, Bobby Ryan is a huge part of the Ducks rebuild. However, Ryan would be a huge piece in any teams rebuild. Scoring 35 goals last season makes Ryan a prime target for any team in the NHL with cap space. The Ducks are another example of a team that does not spend to the limit and so it is hard to figure out just how much they have to give Ryan this off-season. The Ducks do have the advantage of having no one else of mention up as an RFA this year. Nevertheless hockey fans will remember Kevin Lowe poaching Dustin Penner from the Ducks a few years ago.
James Neal – Forward – Dallas Stars
Neal is perhaps the most likely RFA to move this off-season simply because the Stars are pressed so close to the cap. At only 22 Neal was third last year in scoring on the Stars, and looks to have a great deal of offensive upside. Many believe that Neal is worth between the $2.5-$4 million range, a tally that may prove to steep for the Stars. With Matt Niskanen and James Grossman RFA’s as well, it is likely that Neal will be moved.
Tags: