The 2025 off-season could be the summer of offer sheets. With a shallow unrestricted free agent class, teams around the league could be looking at some restricted free agents to help improve their roster for the 2025-26 season. NHL organizations may also be more willing to hand out this type of contract, considering how well it worked out for the St. Louis Blues this year.
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Overall, the 2025 restricted free agent class is stacked with young players with bright futures. Some notable names include Evan Bouchard, Matthew Knies, Marco Rossi, and Mason McTavish. While some of these players may need to be signed to massive contracts to prevent their previous team from matching, the rising cap may turn some of the deals into steals in the near future.
Offer sheets are unique as they require draft pick compensation based on the AAV of the signed contract. Every year, the NHL releases a tier system, which details what draft picks must be sent if a team wants to sign a restricted free agent. The tier system for the 2025 off-season looks like this.
- Below $1,544,424: No Compensation
- $1,544,425 - $2,340,037: 2026 3rd
- $2,340,038 - $4,680,076: 2026 2nd
- $4,680,077 - $7,020,113: 2026 1st, 2026 3rd
- $7,020,114 - $9,360,153: 2026 1st, 2026 2nd, 2026 3rd
- $9,360,154 - $11,700,192: 2x 1st (Total of two from the 2026, 2027 and 2028 drafts), 2026 2nd, 2026 3rd
- Above $11,700,193: 4x 1st (Total of four from the 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 20230 drafts)
To add to the complication, teams must own their original pick in order to sign an offer sheet. For example, if a team has traded away their 2026 second-round pick, they can not sign a player to an AAV between $2,340,038 and $4,680,076. If the pick is already traded, teams can re-acquire the selection in order to sign an offer sheet with a specific AAV.
From the Vancouver Canucks perspective, their options are limited this off-season. Since they dealt their 2026 third-round pick to the Calgary Flames for Nikita Zadorov, there are only three tiers the Canucks qualify for. Here is a look at the ranges Vancouver can offer to pending restricted free agents this off-season.
- Below $1,544,424: No Compensation
- $2,340,038 - $4,680,076: 2026 2nd
- Above $11,700,193: 4x 1st (Total of four from the 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 20230 drafts)
If Patrik Allvin and his staff are going to sign a player to an offer sheet, they will need to get creative. One of the most likely options would be signing a player to a contract with an AAV of $4.679 million, which would keep them in the 2026 second-round tier. Ultimately, this off-season could be very interesting as offer sheets may come into place more frequently than they have in the past.
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