The official beginning of the new season on July 1 brings with it a long-awaited event: NHL free agency. As such, the frenzy of UFAs re-signing with current teams or moving on to new homes will capture the narrative for days to come.
For weeks now, insiders and pundits have done their best to gauge where trends could be heading. With as much intelligence as possible, here’s an educated guess at three predictions for Day 1 of NHL free agency.
3 Prediction on Day 1 of NHL Free Agency
Nico Hischier Won’t Be Testing NHL Free Agency
One of the biggest under-the-radar situations could have come out of New Jersey. The Devils’ captain will be entering the final year of his current seven-year contract. That situation sent warning signs throughout the organization.
And it also prompted discussions about a potential trade.
But those fears will likely subside. According to insider Elliotte Friedman, Hischier won’t even come close to NHL free agency, much less a trade. Friedman predicts that Hischier will sign an extension under $12 million AAV.
Considering the direction the salary cap is heading, it’s not crazy to think that Hischier would sign a shorter-term extension. Perhaps something in the four-year range might not be out of the question.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the cap ceiling will be $123 million for the 2028-29 season. That’s three years away, and the timeline some potential free agents have to be thinking about when signing this season.
Bowen Byram Extends in Chicago
Another interesting prediction ahead of NHL free agency pertains to Bowen Byram. The Chicago Blackhawks made a bold move ahead of the draft last month, trading the fourth-overall pick for the former Buffalo Sabres defenseman.
Byram came with one more year on his current contract. But that will only be a formality as Friedman predicts that the Blackhawks will extend their new blueliner.
The insider predicts a deal in the $12 million range. Like Hischier in New Jersey, this won’t be a seven-year extension. Some of the recent chatter suggests that Byram will be taking something around a three or four-year contract.
That timeline lines up with the last projected increase in the cap ceiling. The league won’t announce another increase for another couple of seasons. That’s why players thinking about NHL free agency will keep this potential timeframe in mind.
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Rasmus Andersson Remains in Sin City
Another prediction that’s more fact than soothsaying is Rasmus Andersson staying in Vegas. This was likely the reason why the Golden Knights traded Pavel Dorofeyev. Yes, Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon made it clear that they couldn’t afford to keep him. So, trading the Russian winger was the best recourse.
But one also has to think that Andersson’s next contract played a key role. The conversation has been that Andersson and the Golden Knights have had a handshake deal for a while. As such, waiting till July 1 to officially sign the contract was pretty much just a formality.
The reason the team had to wait until the opening of NHL free agency was due to salary cap reasons. The team needed to clear up enough space to avoid going over the cap. It’s worth noting that teams can go over the cap by 10% during the offseason.
So, that’s that. Seeing Andersson re-sign in Vegas was naught more than a game of patience.
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