2027 RFAs That NHL GMs Should Sign As Soon As Possible

It's been an interesting NHL off-season as training camp approaches for 2026-27. One of the biggest highlights of the summer has been the offer sheet that the Philadelphia Flyers tendered to Anaheim Ducks star center Leo Carlsson.

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek matched the offer, but it cost them $18 million per season for the next five years. That offer sheet puts Anaheim in a tough spot as it ate plenty of their salary cap space while the organization still needs to sign Cutter Gauthier for him to play this coming season.

Washington Capitals GM Chris Patrick took note and plans to get ahead, potentially receiving offer sheets for his own players who will become RFAs next summer, including right winger Ryan Leonard and center Justin Sourdif.

"I do think what happened this past summer is definitely potentially a harbinger of things to come in the league," Patrick told NHL.com. "I think my M.O. going forward really is if you have guys that are going to be restricted free agents that could potentially get offer sheets, you want to get in front of it as much as you can."

With that in mind, here are some 2027 RFAs that their respective teams must get ahead of to avoid the possibility of an offer sheet.

The Flyers better be careful when it's their turn to protect one of their star RFAs from offer sheets. GM Daniel Briere will certainly have a target on his back at the very least in the perspective of the Ducks.

Anaheim has all four of their upcoming first-round draft picks, meaning they could do damage regarding an offer sheet to get back at Philadelphia, and could acquire in a big talent like Matvei Michkov.

Michkov is entering the final year of his entry-level contract, and his time with the Flyers hasn't exactly been smooth. He and head coach Rick Tocchet have a history of disagreements, which could sway him into potentially seeking a change in scenery via an offer sheet.

The St. Louis Blues are building something interesting for the 2026-27 season. They've brought in Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael and Brandon Carlo while Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Jake Neighbours and Dalibor Dvorsky continue to grow.

Another one of those growing pieces is Jimmy Snuggerud. Snuggerud is an underrated youngster who finished in the top five of Calder Trophy voting from this past season. He scored 20 goals and 51 points in 70 games in his rookie year, and just turned 22 in June.

It would be a shame for the Blues, who appear to be growing positively, to have a major setback if they lose a player like Snuggerud. Signing the winger to a contract extension sooner rather than later should be in St. Louis' best interest.

Similarly to the Blues, the San Jose Sharks are expected to improve next season. They only finished four points away from the Los Angeles Kings for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference this past year, and as their young core continues to grow, the team should see better results in 2026-27.

Part of that young Sharks core is Will Smith. Some would say he's the Robin to Macklin Celebrini's Batman. They share the ice most of the time and are clearly close friends away from the rink.

With 24 goals and 59 points in 69 games, it wouldn't be egregious to say that Smith can be a point-per-game player this coming season. That projection alone should have San Jose GM Mike Grier looking to do anything he can to remove any possibility of an offer sheet coming his way. 

After all, with players like Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson, and Ivar Stenberg needing contracts in the future, getting ahead of Smith becoming an RFA could avoid a heavily inflated price tag, too.

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