With the fairly significant rise in cap set to take effect next season, it should be a pretty interesting summer for the National Hockey League. There are going to be teams with more room to spend and teams with cap obligations that still push them up against the cap ceiling. And, then, there are teams that need to reach the cap floor of $76.9 million, either by trying to make drastic improvements to their roster this season or taking on cap dumps for those cap-strapped teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins] are one of those teams well below the cap floor this summer — and it gives GM and POHO Kyle Dubas a whole lot of wiggle room to get creative in a pursuit to “take a big step” next season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/3-big-takeaways-from-dubass-end-of-season-press-conference]. Although he alluded to exploring the trade market, there is another option. And that is RFA offer sheeting. Dubas himself admitted last summer that the Penguins were not in a great position to offer sheet, and he also pointed out the rising cap as a complication to being successful in those endeavors — especially with offer sheet compensation rising with the totals shown below [https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/compensation-thresholds-for-2026-nhl-offer-sheets-revealed/]. However, with the Penguins having a lot of draft capital to spare and a lot of cap space to spend, there are a few cases where an offer sheet for a RFA might make some degree of sense for them. Screenshot courtesy of Sportsnet Canada [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/ec1110ef-6f20-4a79-b365-0170622fb8e7.png] Screenshot courtesy of Sportsnet Canada So, with that, here are four players the Penguins and Dubas should keep an eye out for in the offer sheet market. 3 Big Takeaways From Dubas's End-Of-Season Press Conference [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9a575901-63f1-4a99-a20b-92f93b7f3432.jpeg] 3 Big Takeaways From Dubas's End-Of-Season Press Conference On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas met with the media to discuss the 2025-26 season and what's next for the organization this summer. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/3-big-takeaways-from-dubass-end-of-season-press-conference] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C MAVRIK BOURQUE - DALLAS STARS The Dallas Stars [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars/] will be one of the league’s more interesting teams to keep an eye on this summer, as an extension for Jason Robertson [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars/latest-news/elliotte-friedman-says-stars-have-a-line-on-robertsons-contract-and-wont-cross-it] is going to mean that other players will, unfortunately, become cap casualties. As it stands now, the Stars have only $10.1 million in cap space, all of which Robertson is expected to occupy — at a minimum. So, it’s the perfect opportunity for the Penguins to target a young player with upside like Mavrik Bourque [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars/players/another-rfa-challenge-awaits-dallas-following-breakout-season-for-mavrik-bourque]. The 24-year-old center broke out last season, registering 20 goals and 41 points in a full 82 games. There is still a lot of untapped potential there, too, as he didn’t even spend the entire season in the top-six but played on the top line with Robertson and Wyatt Johnston in the playoffs. Bourque is a player that Dallas will not want to lose. However, with a good enough offer, the Penguins could just force their hand enough that they’re unable to keep him if they want to keep Robertson. After all, they still have to fill out the rest of their roster, too. Another RFA Challenge Awaits Dallas Following Breakout Season For Mavrik Bourque [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/3b1d40a7-0091-4882-b34c-ab09cdab858e.jpeg] Another RFA Challenge Awaits Dallas Following Breakout Season For Mavrik Bourque As Jason Robertson’s contract looms, Dallas must secure its breakout depth star. Mavrik Bourque’s versatility and affordable scoring offer a vital solution to the Stars' tightening cap crunch. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars/players/another-rfa-challenge-awaits-dallas-following-breakout-season-for-mavrik-bourque] C COLE PERFETTI - WINNIPEG JETS Unlike Dallas, the Winnipeg Jets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets/] have a bit more cap flexibility heading into the summer, and they don’t have nearly as much roster-filling to do. However, five seasons into his still-young NHL career, Cole Perfetti, 24, hasn’t exactly been able to find much consistency at the NHL level. After a promising 2024-25 campaign with 18 goals and 50 points in 82 games, an early-season injury stunted Perfetti’s 2025-26 season, and he had just 12 goals and 32 points in 68 games, a bit of a decline from his previous campaign. At this point, Perfetti has yet to have a true breakout season, and the Jets are an aging team caught between a rock and a hard place. The Penguins are a team with a ton of cap room that needs to get to the cap floor. If they offer enough - and enough within reason in terms of offer sheet compensation - they might just be able to pry Perfetti from Winnipeg. That said, they may end up paying less in the sign-then-trade market. Now That Malkin Is Signed, It's Time For The Chinakhov Extension To Be Finalized [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f558c77a-a010-4b5e-b343-881afe2d2eef.jpeg] Now That Malkin Is Signed, It's Time For The Chinakhov Extension To Be Finalized The Pittsburgh Penguins took care of business Tuesday when they re-signed Evgeni Malkin, but there is still more work to be done — and the priority has shifted to young Russian winger Egor Chinakhov, a pending-RFA. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/now-that-malkin-is-signed-its-time-for-the-chinakhov-extension-to-be-finalized] RD MICHAEL KESSELRING - BUFFALO SABRES The Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/]’ cap situation this summer isn’t quite as dire as Dallas’s, but they still have some obligations and decisions to make [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/3-sabres-who-could-be-traded-to-free-up-cap-space]. They have $11.9 million in cap space, but they need to tender RFA Zach Benson - who is due for a slight raise - and they may look to upgrade their goaltending and bolster their forward depth. If they want to do all of that, they won’t have much wiggle room with the cap. The Penguins can offer sheet up to $4.775 million without having to surrender a first-round pick, and the 26-year-old Michael Kesselring - a right defenseman - makes a lot of sense for where they’re at right now. Kesselring is a steady presence on the right side, which is something the Penguins need given the overall play of Kris Letang this season and the uncertainty surrounding the readiness of top defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke. If the Penguins offer sheet Kesselring in that higher second-rounder range, the Sabres simply may not want to match that much to keep him around, as it would hamper their ability to add elsewhere. This is someone the Penguins should definitely keep an eye on. Two Potential NHL Trade Fits For Sabres' Michael Kesselring [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/04425832-9a41-43b2-b985-d7aab4886411.jpeg] Two Potential NHL Trade Fits For Sabres' Michael Kesselring Which teams could look to acquire Sabres trade candidate Michael Kesselring this summer? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/two-potential-nhl-trade-fits-for-sabres-michael-kesselring] RW PAVEL DOROFEYEV - VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS Now, this one is a long shot, but it’s not impossible. Every team is going to be after Pavel Dorofeyev, who leads the playoffs with 10 goals and has 14 points in 16 playoff games. The 25-year-old also had 37 goals and 64 points in 82 regular season game, proving himself a bona fide goal-scorer in the league and ensuring a hefty raise for his next deal, which should be a long-term one. The Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights/] only have $4.625 million in cap space available this summer, and Dorofeyev alone is going to cost more than that. The Knights should be pulling out every stop necessary to make the signing happen, but they are going to need to subtract a whole lot elsewhere on their roster to do so. So, if Dubas is feeling spicy? This is a player you pay up for. He is worth a first-round pick and more. If he offers a long-term deal in the $7.02-$9.36 million range - which is a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a third-round pick - that might force Vegas’s hand. And that’s an offer sheet Pittsburgh can afford to make - both assets-wise and cap-wise - because they have a lot of both and because they can likely recoup those assets if they wanted to by offloading a veteran or two. But this guy is getting better every year, and this might be the Penguins’ only opportunity to snag him — and they could actually end up paying less than they would on the trade market, which is rare in these cases. If Vegas doesn’t extend him as a first order of business, Dubas should be all over this. What Would It Take For Penguins To Land 3 'Big Fish' In Trade Market? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/99948038-a3e7-41f6-9bd8-24310009210f.jpeg] What Would It Take For Penguins To Land 3 'Big Fish' In Trade Market? Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas made it clear that he is ready to activate in the trade market this summer. So, what would it cost for him to go after names like Auston Matthews, Robert Thomas, and Jason Robertson? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/what-would-it-take-for-penguins-to-land-3-big-fish-in-trade-market] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
