The Pittsburgh Penguins just dropped a stunning contract on the NHL, signing restricted free agent Ville Koivunen to an eight-year, $32 million contract ($4 million AAV).
That sound you may hear is the cash register for Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten's eventual contract extensions next summer, as they're both set to become RFAs following the end of the 2026-27 season.
If the Boston Bruins had wanted to finalize long-term extensions for either forward ahead of next summer, it just got a lot more expensive.
Koivunen, 23, played 39 NHL and 34 AHL games this past season, with a total of 47 career NHL games.
In 2025-26, he posted two goals and seven points. In his career, he has just five more assists, a total line of 47 GP, 2G, 10A, 12Pts. His AHL numbers are elite, but that's never a guarantee of any NHL success.
It's a massive, massive contract from the Penguins. While the cap is rising exponentially and indefinitely, given an unproven RFA eight years and a solid enough cap hit is a big bet on the player's future.
Koivunen's now signed until he's age 31, and if he hits as a solid middle-six forward, it'll age fantastic for Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, for the Bruins, things just got more expensive.
Khusnutdinov just posted 15 goals and 33 points in 77 games. Minten posted 17 goals and 35 points while emerging as a great, young two-way center with a lofty ceiling.
Minten's a center, so using an RFA winger as a comparison is never a great start, but it shows the bar. If Boston wanted to sign Minten to an eight-year contract today, you'd have to think it would cost upwards of $7 million annually with the rising cap, and the estimated future contribution Minten will have.
Khusnutdinov, meanwhile, on a long-term deal, would command more than what Koivunen just got. Koivunen's one-year younger, but does not have the point production Khusnutdinov showed this year.
If the Bruins wanted to give Khusnutdinov an eight-year deal today, it would have to be at least $1-$1.5 million more annually, with a cap hit around $5-$5.5 million as a baseline.
The bar for RFA forwards has been raised.
