The NHL has finalized the offer sheet tiers for this summer. For those unaware, per PuckPedia, an offer sheet is “a contract offered to a restricted free agent (RFA) by a team other than the player’s current team.”
If the player signs that offer sheet, their original team then has the opportunity to match the contract terms and keep the player, or receive compensation for the player in the form of draft picks. The more expensive the contract, the more compensation a team can receive.
For offer sheets this season, the following guidelines have been provided:
| Offer Sheet AAV | Compensation |
|---|---|
| $1,575,969 or less | None |
| $1,575,969 to $2,387,832 | Third-round pick |
| $2,387,832 to $4,775,666 | Second-round pick |
| $4,775,666 to $7,163,498 | First- and third-round picks |
| $7,163,498 to $9,551,332 | First-, second-, and third-round picks |
| $9,551,332 to $11,939,166 | Two firsts, one second, and one third* |
| $11,939,166 or more | Four first-round picks* |
All departing draft picks, except for those in the final two levels of compensation, will come from the 2027 NHL Draft, and they must be the compensating team’s own selections. No picks acquired from other teams can be included in offer-sheet compensation.
In the case of the second-to-last level of compensation, a team will have to send two of the first-round picks from the next three drafts (2027 onward). In the final level, the four first-round picks must come within the next five drafts (2027 onward).
Several high-profile players are eligible to sign offer sheets this offseason, including big names like Jason Robertson (DAL), Connor Bedard (CHI), Leo Carlsson (ANA), Adam Fantilli (CBJ), Zach Benson (BUF), Brandt Clarke (LAK), Trevor Zegras (PHI), and Pavel Dorofeyev (VGK).
Teams can start talking to restricted free agents on the night of June 30, but nothing can be signed until free agency officially begins on July 1. No players were signed to offer sheets last year, but two summers ago, the St. Louis Blues pried both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers.
