A day into the 2025-26 NHL regular season, the depth of star talent potentially available in next summer's UFA market shrank considerably. It began on Sept. 30, when the Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild] signed left winger Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year extension. Six days later, center Connor McDavid signed a two-year extension with the Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers]. Two more notable names came off the list on Wednesday, as the Winnipeg Jets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets] re-upped Kyle Connor on an eight-year deal, followed by Jack Eichel agreeing to an eight-year extension with the Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights]. That leaves New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers] left winger Artemi Panarin and Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky as the most noteworthy remaining talent. Panarin turns 34 on Oct. 30 and is in the final season of a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $11.642 million. The 37-year-old Bobrovsky is also finishing a seven-year deal, with an average annual value of $10 million. Panarin reportedly [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/latest-news/artemi-panarin-reportedly-declined-team-friendly-proposal-from-rangers-as-he-remains-without-a-contract-extension] turned down a team-friendly offer during the summer. As this season begins, he and Rangers management have kept mum about his contract status. Despite Bobrovsky's age, the defending champion Panthers could re-sign him if he keeps them in the Stanley Cup hunt. George Richards of Florida Hockey Now speculated [https://floridahockeynow.com/what-a-new-contract-for-bobrovsky-may-look-like-with-the-panthers/] in August that he could get between $6.5 million and $7 million annually from the Panthers on a five- or six-year deal, or $8 million annually for four years. Other UFA-eligible notables include Los Angeles Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] winger Adrian Kempe, Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche] forward Martin Necas and Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres] power forward Alex Tuch. Reports: Golden Knights' Jack Eichel Signs Fifth-Richest Contract In NHL History [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/4f622861-17f5-4817-9d7d-af7b60b47232.jpeg] Reports: Golden Knights' Jack Eichel Signs Fifth-Richest Contract In NHL History The Vegas Golden Knights reportedly re-signed Jack Eichel to an eight-year contract extension. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/golden-knights-jack-eichel-signs-fifth-richest-contract-in-nhl-history] Meanwhile, in Montreal, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/insider-trading-where-things-stand-on-hutson-extension-talks/] the Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] recently made an eight-year contract extension offer to Lane Hutson. The 21-year-old defenseman won the Calder Trophy last season and is in the final year of his entry-level contract. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman cited sources [https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/32-thoughts-mcdavid-giving-oilers-every-chance-to-win-stanley-cup/] claiming that the Canadiens' offer was “slightly below 8 by $9 million,” adding that he believed Hutson wanted to sign a new deal before the start of this season. The two reporters believed the Canadiens' offer had some salary deferral in it. At the same time, Friedman noted recent reports out of Montreal claimed they also pitched Hutson's camp on a Canadian retirement compensation arrangement (RCA) that many players used to soften the tax burden. However, neither option was of interest to the blueliner's representatives. Both sides are reportedly pausing talks to let things cool down a bit. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes remains optimistic that an extension will be done at some point, reminding nervous Habs fans that Hutson isn't UFA-eligible until 2031. The Canadiens hold most of the leverage in these negotiations. PuckPedia indicates [https://puckpedia.com/player/lane-hutson] that Hutson not only lacks arbitration rights coming off his entry-level deal but is also ineligible to receive an offer sheet from a rival club next summer. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
