A wave of restricted free agent deals hit the NHL on Tuesday, and the money on the table made one thing clear: not every general manager is playing the same game.
Cutter Gauthier headlined the rush. The Anaheim Ducks winger landed a six-year deal worth $13.5 million per year, a contract that puts him in Jack Eichel territory.
He’s not the only young player cashing in, either. Luke Evangelista signed a five-year deal with the New Jersey Devils at $7.25 million AAV, another sizable payday for a player in the middle of his rise.
Those contracts also threw a spotlight on how different Kelly McCrimmon tends to operate with restricted free agents. The Vegas Golden Knights general manager does not appear eager to dive into huge second contracts for young players. His pattern is simpler than that: lock a player up early, or move on from him.
Braeden Bowman fits the first lane. He signed a six-year deal worth $3.4 million AAV and does not have any no-trade protection. He’s in the final year of his current deal before the new contract kicks in next season.
The second lane is just as familiar. Pavel Dorofeyev was dealt to the New York Rangers when Vegas wanted to avoid paying him $11 million per year, and the Rangers later gave him that money. Nicolas Hague followed a similar path, getting traded to the Nashville Predators last summer before signing a four-year deal worth $5.5 million AAV.
That approach looks very different from the one that has led some other teams into expensive RFA situations. Anaheim’s handling of its young talent has turned into a costly business, with Gauthier now getting Jack Eichel money after Leo Carlsson was nearly offer-sheeted by the Philadelphia Flyers. Names like Mason McTavish and Chris Kreider also surfaced in the shuffle, adding to the sense that the Ducks’ process has been messy.
The Devils, by contrast, took a more manageable route with Evangelista, giving him a deal that still reflects a big commitment without reaching the extreme levels seen elsewhere.
For McCrimmon, the lesson seems unchanged: don’t overpay just because the market is heating up. If the price gets too high, he’ll trade the player instead. And with the way these RFA deals have unfolded, that might be exactly why the Golden Knights keep coming out ahead.
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