Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – March 29, 2026
What could new contracts for some of this summer’s top restricted free agents look like? Could the Kraken re-sign Bobby McMann? Find out in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.
NEW CONTRACTS FOR YOUNG PENDING RFA STARS COULD AFFECT THE MARKET
TSN: Chris Johnston recently said that Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks, and Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets could reset the market when they sign their new contracts later this year.
Bedard, Carlsson, and Fantilli are restricted free agents coming off their entry-level contracts and lack arbitration rights. They’re also the top-line centers on their respective teams.
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson (NHL Images)
Johnston believes the reason Bedard, Carlsson, and Fantilli remain unsigned is that they’re holding off due to shifting market dynamics. He also thinks those three wouldn’t mind if a younger player, such as Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks, signed an extension beforehand to establish the market.
Those players could get eight-year contracts before the maximum limit is reduced to seven years on Sept. 26.
DAILY FACEOFF: Felix Sicard of the Crash the Pond Podcast projected that Carlsson and teammate Cutter Gauthier could each land contracts of eight years with average annual values between $9 million and $10 million.
Sicard anticipates that Carlsson’s AAV will be over $10 million, given his role as the Ducks’ first-line center. Gauthier could get close to $10 million as he’s poised to reach 40 goals this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The sharp rise in the salary cap is the main reason behind what Johnston called shifting market dynamics. We saw it earlier this season when all the biggest stars eligible to unrestricted free agency this July were signed to expensive long-term extensions.
Celebrini has established himself as a superstar during his sophomore season, sitting fourth overall in league scoring with 98 points. Barring injury or a late-season slump, he’ll likely finish with at least 105 points, more than the single-season best numbers of Bedard, Carlsson, Fantilli, and Gauthier.
The Sharks will be keen to lock up their franchise player for as long as possible, preferably the current maximum of eight years. Celebrini could earn an average annual value of around $15 million.
Bedard, Carlsson, and Fantilli probably won’t get as much as that, but they would be assured of long-term deals worth over $10 million annually. Gauthier will get around $10 million, especially if he exceeds 40 goals this season.
The Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, and Ducks have the cap space to re-sign those players. However, it could cost the Ducks over $20 million to ink Carlsson and Gauthier, which could limit their efforts to re-sign or replace pending UFAs Jacob Trouba, John Carlsson, Radko Gudas, and to re-sign RFAs Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek is a tough negotiator with players coming off entry-level contracts, as current Ducks center Mason McTavish and former Ducks forward Trevor Zegras can attest. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles this summer’s contract talks with Carlsson and Gauthier.
KRAKEN HOPE TO RE-SIGN BOBBY MCMANN
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Seattle Kraken have shown an interest in retaining Bobby McMann, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1.
The 29-year-old McMann has seven goals and four assists in eight games since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the March 6 trade deadline. Friedman said the two sides haven’t gone too far down the road with this yet.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was rumored that one reason why the Maple Leafs parted with McMann was that his camp sought a multi-year extension worth around $5 million per season. Maybe the goal-starved Kraken would be willing to meet that price.
I can see young guys like Carlsson Gauthier and Celebrini getting those numbers but if my Sabers give Tuch the Kempe number they are nuts. That contract will age just like Skinners did. Adams bought out Skinner a year to soon and it will cost the Sabres 6.444mil against the cap next year. The most I’d give is 8mil for 5 yrs
I was wishing the Sabres had traded for McMann, would have been insurance for when/if Tuch leaves
Verbeek had good reason to play hard ball with McT and Zegras. McTavish is bound to be traded too!
Verbeek rolled over in the Lacombe negotiations, he will do the same for Cutter and Leo.
Johnny Z: Verbeek will probably “roll over” for Gauthier and Carlsson because of their value to the Ducks. However, that’s not what he did with LaCombe. The difference there was that LaCombe had arbitration rights, whereas he had more leverage with McTavish and Zegras, who did not.
Reading this exchange got me wondering if, by and large, NHL GMs play more – or less – hardball in RFA contract negotiations when the player has arbitration rights.
So I Googled the query and got this AI overview:
By and large, NHL General Managers play more hardball in RFA contract negotiations when a player has arbitration rights, although this often leads to a quick settlement just before the hearing.
The presence of arbitration rights creates a specific, antagonistic dynamic because it imposes a binding third-party decision on salary, forcing teams to adopt a defensive posture to justify a lower valuation. Here is how the dynamic works:
• The “Hardball” Strategy (Justifying the Low Offer): To win in arbitration, teams must argue why a player is worth less. This often involves detailed arguments focusing on a player’s deficiencies, such as poor performance, injuries, or lack of leadership, which can feel personally disrespectful to the player.
• Leverage Shift: Arbitration rights shift leverage toward the player, as it allows them to force a salary increase beyond what the team might voluntarily offer. To combat this, GMs play hardball to avoid an unfavorable ruling.
• The “Settle or Else” Tactic: While filing for arbitration is common (a “hardball” move to set a deadline), the vast majority of cases settle before the hearing. The threat of the hearing allows teams to squeeze the player, knowing that if they don’t reach a deal, the arbitrator might render a decision that could sour the player-team relationship.
• The “Walk-Away” Option: If a player is awarded a high salary ($3.5M+ in some contexts), the team has the right to “walk away,” making the player a UFA. GMs will sometimes use the threat of this to force a lower, long-term deal rather than a one-year award, which is a form of aggressive negotiation.
In summary: While the process is designed to result in a fair contract, the threat of arbitration forces GMs to take a more aggressive, critical stance in negotiations, leading to more hardball tactics rather than fewer.”
Even if Verbeek signs both at $10M AAV, he will have $21M to sign 11 others. Trouba and John Carlson should take up $13M of that, Guda walks. Then $9M to sign 9. Not bad. McT gets traded for more D help, bring up the yutes!
If I’m Buffalo, Tuch isn’t going anywhere. He’s a western NY guy who went to the Sabres during their lowest point. Part of trade for Eichel who begged out. Hes key to resurgence. Someone will pay him if Sabres don’t. He’s a goal away from 30 for 3rd time in last 4 seasons. A 6 year deal takes him to age 35 season. Nowadays that’s not that old. They can go 8 if they want a lower cap hit. What message are you sending long suffering fans if you finally get back to playoffs, and then let him walk for nothing. 3rd on team in points. 2nd in goals.
Defence is important too. Who is a better candidate than the (not young) Darren Raddysh, who might well be poached from the cap strung Lightning. No, he’s not a Hutson Brother, but he’s now a proven NHL top 4 with serious power play capabilities
One has to wonder if Darren Raddysh is another Jeff Petry who had his best years from 30-35.
It’s a position that some players get better at in the tail end of their careers relying on smarts, angles, positioning.
This is where the GMs make the biggest mistakes. When they have the hammer on restricted free agents most treat them like UFAs and give into their demands. In today’s NHL you need to win when they are still restricted agents. That is when Chicago won all their cups. Once you overpay for players who haven’t won anything it is hard to fill out the roster with quality players. I do 4-5 year bridge deals for all of them. $8 million max per season. This keeps both the players and management accountable. Winning cures all hurt feelings.