July 1 brings the usual free-agent frenzy, but it also opens the door for a different kind of business: contract extensions for stars who still have time left on their current deals. And when the names at the top of the list are this big, the money talk gets loud fast.
The headliners are the kind of players teams build around, not let walk away. From proven icons to younger stars just entering their prime, these are the five players eligible to work out new deals with their current clubs as of July 1.
Sidney Crosby is still doing Sidney Crosby things, which is wild to say this deep into his career. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain signed a two-year extension in September 2024 at his symbolic $8.7 million per season, and now he’s eligible for another new deal. In 68 games last season, Crosby put up 29 goals and 74 points at age 38, a reminder that even in the final years of his career, he’s still producing like a star.
Macklin Celebrini is the youngest name on the list, but his place here speaks to just how fast he’s rising. Coming off a 115-point regular season in his sophomore campaign, the 20-year-old San Jose Sharks center looks like a player who could be the best in the league next season.
The Sharks have every reason to lock him up early and for as long as possible. He’s lower on the list only because he’ll be an RFA on July 1, which means San Jose still has control and the odds of him leaving are slim.
He can sign his first standard NHL contract this summer once his entry-level deal expires in 2027.
Nikita Kucherov is another superstar reaching the end of a major contract, and the Tampa Bay Lightning winger has already made his case for a hefty raise. He just won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP after another monster season, finishing with 130 points and matching his career high with 44 goals.
That marked his sixth 100-point season. His current eight-year deal pays him $9.5 million per year, but at 33, and with production like that, a bigger number feels inevitable.
Then come the two defensemen who could reshape the top of the market. Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild is one of the most electric skaters in hockey, and his arrival helped push Minnesota into Stanley Cup contender territory.
If the Wild want to keep that going, GM Bill Guerin is going to have to pay up. Hughes is finishing a six-year deal that carried a $7.85 million cap hit, and his next contract should put him among the highest-paid players in the league.
A blueliner who can lead the NHL in ice time and still pile up 90 points is not a bargain.
Cale Makar sits at No. 1, and it’s easy to see why. Everything said about Hughes applies here too, only with an even louder resume.
Makar’s previous contract was also six years, and it expires after next season. He earned $9 million against the cap on that deal, but The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported he could become the highest-paid player in the NHL, topping Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov and his $17-million average annual value.
Makar is coming off what was labeled a down year, yet he still scored 79 points. He’s also got the hardware to back up the salary talk: a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and two Norris Trophies, plus multiple 90-point seasons already on his ledger.
In Other News...
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For a club that has spent years cycling through depth pieces and support roles, it was a reminder of just how wide the Penguins old network still reaches. Teddy Blueger, Conor Sheary, Connor Clifton, Vincent Desharnais, Zach Aston-Reese and others all found new homes, leaving Pittsburgh with a little less familiarity around the league and a few more spots to monitor as the rest of free agency unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Lose Another Blue Line Depth Piece Fans Were Watching
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Alexander Alexeyevs departure leaves Pittsburgh with one fewer defenseman in the pipeline to evaluate, and it comes after a season spent with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. For a club that is always trying to balance short-term roster needs with longer-term depth, losing another potential call-up option narrows the picture a little more, even if the bigger questions on the blue line still remain unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Made A Savvy Blue Line Move Fans Didn't See Coming
The Penguins quietly made a blue line move that fits the kind of careful roster work front offices have to do when the margins get tight. Parker Wotherspoon gave them a strong season beside Erik Karlsson, but with the defenseman headed into the final year of his deal and due for a raise, Pittsburgh had reason to think ahead rather than wait for the price to climb.
Kaedan Korczak gives the Penguins a different kind of answer. He is younger, has handled a depth role well in Vegas, and comes with the kind of long-term contract security teams like when they are trying to balance present value with future flexibility. For a club trying to stay competitive without boxing itself in, it was the sort of move that could matter more than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]