{"id":343452,"date":"2026-05-31T08:38:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T03:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=343452"},"modified":"2026-05-31T08:38:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T03:08:32","slug":"could-the-top-rfas-break-the-bank-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/31\/could-the-top-rfas-break-the-bank-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Could The Top RFAs Break the Bank this Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Which RFAs Will Make the Most Money This Summer<\/h2>\n

Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period joined Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Power Play Segment with Steve Kouleas and Anthony Stewart on Tuesday. There, he was asked concerning the restricted free agents like Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, together with others, and whether or not they could receive larger AAV numbers than expected.<\/p>\n

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

NHL Rumors: Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Cutter Gauthier<\/p>\n

Kouleas: RFAs, RFAS,<\/p>\n

Pagnotta: \u201cRFAs are interesting. Yeah, the RFAs are really interesting, since it\u2019s not interesting within the sense that that is going to be, I do know you would like silly season and the offer sheets and all that, since it\u2019s so spicy and sexy to discuss, but more so the cash, the variety of dollars which might be going to exit to the Bedards, the Carlsons, Gauthiers, Robertsons, etc. even Zach Benson to a distinct degree, but all of those numbers I feel are going to start out, they\u2019re going to look a bit high.<\/p>\n

I feel everyone\u2019s going to have a look at these and go, \u201d This guy just got how much, and it\u2019s going to be a product of the way in which that the league is trending. The caps as much as $104 million, it\u2019s going as much as $113.5 million, give or take, next season, it\u2019s going to go within the 120s, the next season, we\u2019re going to be pushing 130 in three, 4 seasons, so these numbers are going to be reflective of that.<\/p>\n

NHL Rumors: Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, and the Top NHL Trade Candidates<\/p>\n

And I feel it\u2019s, I\u2019m not intrigued necessarily by the potential of offer sheets, I\u2019m more intrigued by the numbers which might be going to come back out of this, especially if some guys go full term, we could see $16, $17, $18 million to set a brand new one, after which (Macklin) Celebrini a yr later, and he\u2019s eligible to sign on July 1 as well.<\/p>\n

So there\u2019s going to be some very interesting numbers, I feel, thrown around this offseason with respect to a few of the RFAs which might be able to hit the market.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

NHLRumors.com Note:<\/strong> It’s an enormous summer for the restricted free agent class, which incorporates Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars<\/a>, Zach Benson of the Buffalo Sabres, Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, Simon Nemec of the Latest Jersey Devils<\/a>, and Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier of the Anaheim Geese. As well as, Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks is eligible for an extension.<\/p>\n

There’s a way that Celebrini and Bedard could break the bank on their next contracts. Could they get as high as Kirill Kaprizov\u2018s $17 million AAV? Probably not. However the expectation is that each will probably be the highest-paid players on their respective clubs.<\/p>\n

NHL Rumors: Will Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers Make a Deal?<\/p>\n

All signs are pointing to the Dallas Stars and Jason Robertson getting an extension done. We all know Geese GM Pat Verbeek is a troublesome negotiator, but he’ll wish to get Gauthier and Carlsson signed quickly so he doesn’t repeat history, as Mason McTavish, Trevor Zegras (now in Philadelphia), and Jamie Drysdale (also in Philadelphia) missed training camp.<\/p>\n

It can be an interesting offseason, more so on the RFA market than the UFA market.<\/p>\n

Have you ever\u00a0subscribed to our YouTube channel<\/a>? Rumor roundups and hot topics from across the league. We\u2019re also posting some stuff on Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For those who love our reporting, select NHLrumors.com as a preferred source on Google.<\/em><\/p>\n