It is almost free agency season, and the RFA market is hotter than it's ever been. With a rising cap in the NHL, and a glut of significant players on the market, the concept of striking out at the RFA market is more tempting than ever.
Players like Noah Dobson, Evan Bouchard, K'Andre Miller, Bowen Byram, Mason McTavish, Gabe Vilardi, Cam York, Marco Rossi, Luke Hughes, Kaapo Kakko, Matthew Knies, and more all might be available for the right price and compensation package.
If you're wondering what salary levels correspond to specific compensation levels, so was I, which is why I wanted to write this in the first place. The salary and draft pick equivalents are listed as follows.
$1,544,424 or below: No Compensation
Up to $2,340,037: Third-round selection
Between $2,340,038 and $4,680,076: Second-round selection
Between $4,680,077 and $7,020,113: First and Third-round selections
Between $7,020,114 and $9,360,153: First, Second, and Third-round selections
Between $9,360,154 and $11,700,192: Two First-round selections, a second, and a Third
More than $11,700,192: Four First-round selections
Now, this might look like fair compensation considering what type of talent and numbers a player may have, but you have to keep in mind that a team has to dish out their own draft pick as compensation.
For example, last offseason, the St. Louis Blues decided to throw offer sheets at Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, but needed their 2nd round pick to do so. In exchange, they had to send two picks to the Penguins to get the pick they had originally sent to the Pens in the Kevin Hayes deal.
So, say that the Predators took a run at signing Marco Rossi. That means that they'd have to send the 5th pick, rather than the 23rd or the 26th draft pick. The same thing applies to the other rounds. If they had to send a 2nd round pick, then it would be the 35th overall pick, not the 55th.
Now, if the Predators want to overpay for a player and have to send multiple first-round draft picks, it still has to be their own picks, but from multiple years. So that would mean goodbye to your 2026 as well as the 2025 picks if you're really star hunting.
Now, it is entirely possible that RFA action is cool this year, because of the rising cap. Teams aren't going to be as strapped for cash as they have been in recent years. There is money to be thrown around by all of the teams now, so pressing a team and putting them in a position where they can't match an offer isn't as likely to happen.
Now, if you have a general manager who values draft picks highly, you might be waving goodbye to some players. Then again, if you have a general manager who doesn't want to let go of his draft picks, then you'll probably find your team sitting out of the action. Trotz has the assets, but might not have the desire to participate in the RFA market this year.