Restricted Free Agents in Line for a Big NHL Payday in the 2016 Offseason

In the budget-conscious world of today's NHL, drafting and developing players is the most economical way for a team to boost its talent quotient. But situations can get interesting when talented young players are in line for new contracts. No matter how good they are, teams sometimes can't—or choose not to—deliver the money and term length players are looking for.

Last summer, those issues caused trades of three future stars. Ryan O'Reilly went from the Colorado Avalanche to the Buffalo Sabres, Dougie Hamilton was dealt from the Boston Bruins to the Calgary Flames and Brandon Saad moved from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Columbus Blue Jackets. All three were quickly inked to lucrative long-term deals with their new clubs.

It takes a very good player to be able to trigger a trade when his contract demands aren't met. NHL players remain restricted free agents until they reach the age of 27 or have spent seven years in the league, giving them limited leverage in negotiations. Once they have completed four years of service, they become eligible for salary arbitration, which can improve their bargaining power.

General Fanager has the complete list of 403 players who will become restricted free agents on July 1, 2016. Many will receive qualifying offers that include small raises. Players who don't fit into their teams' plans won't be qualified and will be allowed to leave as unrestricted free agents.

This year, a big group of young stars will be hitting restricted free agency for the first time and will be hoping their teams are ready to make big-money, long-term commitments. Strategically, teams might be more inclined to spend their money locking up players who are getting closer to UFA status and have already proved their long-term value.

It's still early in the season, so we're not yet hearing any whispers about teams that can't—or don't want to—come to terms with their young players. The trade talk comes later. For now, let's take a first look at those who are most likely to cash in this summer. They're listed in order of age, from youngest to oldest.

Players Most Likely to Receive Bridge Contracts

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If the salary-cap ceiling continues to stagnate like it did last season, there won't be much money available for NHL teams to throw big contracts at every tantalizing young RFA on their rosters.

Younger players who have completed just three years of service won't have a lot of negotiating leverage since they're not yet eligible for arbitration. Most of them will probably be inked to shorter-term bridge contracts.

Last season, we saw such deals handed out to promising players such as Alex Galchenyuk of the Montreal Canadiens (21 years old, two-year contract with cap hit of $2.8 million) and Nail Yakupov of the Edmonton Oilers (22 years old, two-year contract with cap hit of $2.5 million). Certainly not bad money but not exactly breaking the bank in pro-hockey terms.

Here are some of the young players on expiring entry-level deals who could find themselves in similar situations this summer. Many are on the cusp of proving themselves as important NHL players, but economics and their youth are working against them. 

This list is long and only includes the highest-profile RFAs who are also 22 or under. It'll be interesting to see whether any of these players can deliver enough on the ice this season to force their teams into handing them better-than-average deals.

• Aleksander Barkov (20), Florida Panthers.
• Valeri Nichushkin (20), Dallas Stars.
• Rasmus Ristolainen (21), Buffalo Sabres.
• Seth Jones (21), Nashville Predators.
• Filip Forsberg (21), Nashville Predators.
• Jacob Trouba (21), Winnipeg Jets.
• Tom Wilson (21), Washington Capitals.
• Matt Dumba (21), Minnesota Wild.
• Olli Maatta (21), Pittsburgh Penguins.
• Hampus Lindholm (21), Anaheim Ducks.
• Mikhail Grigorenko (21), Colorado Avalanche.
• Tomas Hertl (22), San Jose Sharks.
• Johnny Gaudreau (22), Calgary Flames.
• Ryan Murray (22), Columbus Blue Jackets.
• Boone Jenner (22), Columbus Blue Jackets.
• Cedric Paquette (22), Tampa Bay Lightning.

Now, onto the players who are already in the driver's seat.

Nathan MacKinnon: Colorado Avalanche

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Age as of July 1, 2016: 20

2015-16 Cap Hit: $925,000 (average annual value $3.775 million)

2015-16 Stats: 22 GP, 10-13-23

Current Buzz: He's just completing his entry-level contract and won't turn 21 until next September, but Nathan MacKinnon has already shown himself to be a franchise player and should be paid as such.

The Colorado Avalanche are struggling near the bottom of the league standings, but MacKinnon ranks 12th in NHL scoring and is already the Avs' top forward in terms of ice time, averaging 20:01 per game.

Two years ago, Colorado locked up Matt Duchene, now 24, for five years at a cap hit of $6 million a season and captain Gabriel Landeskog, now 23, for seven years at a hit of $5.57 million. At this point, MacKinnon's already better than both of them—it's time to show him the same respect.

Sean Monahan: Calgary Flames

Ronald C. Modra/NHL/Getty Images

Age as of July 1, 2016: 21

2015-16 Cap Hit: $925,000 (average annual value $1.775 million)

2015-16 Stats: 22 GP, 7-8-15

Current Buzz: Though the Calgary Flames are struggling this season, Sean Monahan remains the team's anchor up front.

Chosen five spots after Nathan MacKinnon in the 2013 draft, Monahan has also shown maturity beyond his years in his top-line center role and will be a player the Flames build around for years to come.

To see what might complicate his negotiating position, Monahan need only look to his right when he's on the ice—that's where 2015 Calder Trophy finalist Johnny Gaudreau patrols the wing. Gaudreau has picked up right where he left off last season in terms of scoring and will also be a restricted free agent this summer. At 23, he's two years closer than Monahan to UFA status, but as a fourth-round draft pick who came into the NHL after going the college route, he doesn't carry the same reputation or bargaining clout.

General manager Brad Treliving may try to treat Monahan and Gaudreau like younger versions of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago, keeping their contract statuses equitable. In my mind, Monahan's in a stronger bargaining position and has done enough to earn himself a long-term deal with the Flames.

Morgan Rielly: Toronto Maple Leafs

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Age as of July 1, 2016: 22

2015-16 Cap Hit: $894,166 (average annual value $1,744,166)

2015-16 Stats: 22 GP, 3-10-13

Current Buzz: The Toronto Maple Leafs are building toward the future. Young defenseman Morgan Rielly is a crucial part of the team's plan moving forward.

Drafted fourth overall in 2012, Rielly has stepped up to become one of Toronto's most important players in his third NHL season. He's second in team scoring, one point behind Tyler Bozak with 13 points and second in ice time behind captain Dion Phaneuf.

"Based on Rielly's progress, he'll likely command similar term and dollars to what Tyler Myers, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dougie Hamilton signed for at the end of their entry-level deals—five to six years ranging from $5.5 million to $6 million per year" suggested Darren Dreger of TSN.

Torey Krug: Boston Bruins

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Age as of July 1, 2016: 25

2015-16 Cap Hit: $3.4 million

2015-16 Stats: 22 GP, 1-13-14

Current Buzz: Hard-shooting Torey Krug has just one goal so far this season, but he anchors a Boston Bruins power play that is tops in the league with a 32.4 percent conversion rate. Krug is averaging 22 minutes of ice time a night—second on the team behind the ageless Zdeno Chara.

Krug was undrafted and came out of the college program at Michigan State but has been an indispensable part of Boston's blue line since joining the team full time during the 2013 playoffs.

Krug completes his entry-level contract this season, but he'll turn 25 in April. That puts him just two years away from unrestricted free agency after this summer. Already earning a healthy $3.4 million a season, it's time for Boston to buy some of those free-agent years and lock down Krug for the long term.

Mike Hoffman: Ottawa Senators

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Age as of July 1, 2016: 26

2015-16 Cap Hit: $2 million

2015-16 Stats: 18 GP, 8-11-19

Current Buzz: Mike Hoffman's a late bloomer, which means the Ottawa Senators will need to act quickly and decisively if they hope to keep one of their top scorers on their roster past next season.

Hoffman broke out in 2014-15 as a 25-year-old—a fifth-round draft pick from 2009 who scored 27 goals and 48 points as Ottawa charged into the playoffs on the strength of a strong second half.

Without much of a track record when negotiating his new contract last summer, Hoffman was awarded a one-year contract worth $2 million in arbitration, per NHL.com. He had asked for $3.4 million while the Senators offered $1.75 million.

Speaking after his deal was finalized in August, Hoffman said:

"

I was telling myself before going into arbitration that whatever the outcome was it's not going to change the way I approach this upcoming season. I know I've had one full year in the NHL and I still need to prove myself not only to myself but to everyone else—fans, coaching staff and everyone—that I am a legit player and not just a one-year guy.

"

True to his word, Hoffman has increased his output to a point-a-game pace this year and looks like he is the real deal. He'll be just one year away from unrestricted free agency next summer, so it's time for the Senators to step up with both money and term to keep Hoffman in the fold.

Frederik Andersen: Anaheim Ducks

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Age as of July 1, 2016: 26

2015-16 Cap Hit: $1.15 million

2015-16 Stats: 16 GP, 4-7-4, .914 save percentage, 2.54 goals-against average

Current Buzz: Over the past three seasons, Frederik Andersen has been the one constant in net as the Anaheim Ducks have shuffled bodies around in an effort to find the top-level netminding they need to go after the Stanley Cup.

When Andersen arrived in Anaheim for the 2013-14 season, the incumbents between the posts were Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth, with John Gibson tapped as the goalie of the future. By season's end, Hiller and Fasth were gone.

In 2014-15, Andersen took control of the No. 1 spot as Gibson struggled with injury issues.

Andersen's already 26 years old so, so he's only one year away from unrestricted free agency. At this point, he remains the best option the Ducks have in net—a bright spot in a dark season so far in O.C.

Considering the workload he has carried, Andersen has also been dirt cheap—currently wrapping up a two-year deal with a cap hit of just $1.15 million. The Ducks need to lock down Andersen for the long term this summer, giving the team some stability in net and rewarding him for his service to date.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com, current through Friday, November 27. Contract information from General Fanager.