4 NHL Teams That Should Consider Offer Sheet for Ducks' Trevor Zegras
- The player in question actually needs to want to play for your team and come to terms on a contract.
- The interested team needs to have the proper draft-pick capital in their possession for compensation if the offer is not matched.
- The incumbent team needs to refuse to match the offer.
- Even when an offer sheet is actually signed, it is almost always matched.
- $4,290,125 to $6,435,186 = first-round and third-round choice
- $6,435,186 to $8,580,250 = first-round, second-round and third-round choice
- $8,580,250 to $10,725,314 = two first-round, second-round and third-round choice
- $10,725,314 and above = four first-round choices
With the start of the 2023-24 season only a couple of weeks away, we are getting down to crunch time for the remaining unsigned restricted free agents, two of whom, forward Trevor Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale, play for the Anaheim Ducks.
Of the two, the 22-year-old Zegras is the most prominent, having made a splash with his playmaking talent, viral goals and NHL 23 cover.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported the Ducks are not particularly close to contracts with either Zegras or Drysdale despite significant amounts of salary-cap space.
Whenever a player in this situation goes this long without a new deal, and especially when the negotiations seem rocky, it is only natural to start wondering about the infamous offer sheet coming from another team.
While Drysdale isn't eligible to receive one because he's only played one full NHL campaign, the possibility exists that someone could steal Zegras.
Is it likely? No. We have a pretty extensive history of NHL teams not offering RFAs, for a variety of reasons:
The Ducks are pretty secure here because they still have $16 million in salary-cap space, per CapFriendly, and only a handful of teams are positioned to make such an offer.
Some of the teams not in position: Detroit might have the salary-cap space, but it doesn't have its first-round pick this year. Boston needs a top center, but it doesn't have the cap space or the draft picks. Philadelphia is a rebuilding team that needs impact talent, but cap space is an issue. Teams like San Jose and Arizona aren't at a point where they should be giving away potential franchise-altering picks.
So that leaves us with four teams that might fit the criteria and have the need.
Before we get into them, we probably need to be looking at an offer of at least $4.2 million, which would get teams above the first-round pick level of compensation.
Here are the ranges and compensations for this season:
While the odds are stacked against such a move, it has happened before. So let's have some fun and just play the "what if" game.
The Nashville Predators are at the top of my "you should consider this" list because they have the draft-pick capital, the salary-cap space and a new general manager in Barry Trotz, who seems to be placing an emphasis on highly skilled players. They also have a need for a player like Zegras to build around and have spent the past year-and-a-half shedding salary and collecting future assets.
Even though that looks like the early stages of a rebuild, they were still active this offseason in adding veterans like Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist. So it is clearly not a team that is entirely ready to throw in the towel on trying to compete.
Even if they were in the early stages of a rebuild, Zegras, at 22, could theoretically be a part of that. They have 18 draft picks over the next two years, including three first-round picks (including each of their own).
They also have more than $7 million in cap space at their disposal for this offseason, have money coming off the books after this year that gives them nearly $30 million in cap space (before any cap increase) for 2024-25.
It is not an unreasonable suggestion given the resources available.
They could go as high as nearly $8 million before making any other cap-clearing move which would put them in the first-, second- and third-round-pick range. Given that Nashville isn't likely to be a top lottery team, that would be a steal in compensation for a player as young and talented as Zegras.
The Chicago Blackhawks are just a little more than one year removed from starting a complete roster teardown to kick-start a massive—and probably overdue—rebuilding project.
The goal was obvious: to position themselves to land a franchise-changing talent at the top of the draft.
With that in mind, this might not appear to be the type of team that would be in the market for an offer sheet or shedding future draft picks (especially another potentially high selection) for immediate help.
But there is a method to the madness here.
Chicago already has its franchise cornerstone in Connor Bedard. Now it is time to actually start building something where the Blackhawks can take advantage of his entry-level contract. If they get a player like Zegras to join him and some of the veteran additions they made this offseason (Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno), they might be able to put a reasonably competitive team on the ice.
Playoffs? Not yet. But it also probably won't be a team that would be picking first or second overall. Chicago would also still have a first-round pick that originally belonged to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Blackhawks have $12 million in cap space this offseason, multiple draft picks in each of the first three rounds in 2024 and multiple picks in the first rounds for the 2025 class. Overall, they have 28 picks (as of now) over the next three classes. They are swimming in cap space, swimming in draft picks and need more high-level talent.
What is the worst thing that happens?
Anaheim matches?
Then they still have all of their cap space and picks for future use.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are the perfect combination of desperate and unpredictable. If anybody would be willing to try to nab Zegras, it could be them.
They have a nice collection of young centers with huge upside, but no sure things.
They also seem insistent on trying to win this season even though they might not be well positioned to do so. Just look at what they did the past two offseasons by throwing big money and assets at veterans like Johnny Gaudreau, Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has a track record of throwing caution to the wind. Remember the 2019 trade deadline when he went all-in on a team that did not even have a playoff spot secured? The Gaudreau signing? Adding Provorov and Severson this offseason?
He is not afraid to do something bold and potentially reckless.
His team needs something to build some goodwill with the roster and fanbase after the Mike Babcock mess.
He is also a general manager who is probably fighting for his job after some down years and the aforementioned Babcock saga. He's already operating like a desperate GM trying to keep his job, so why not go all-in with an offer sheet?
They have nearly $4.6 million in cap space and their own first-and third-round picks this season.
That could put them in the $4,290,125 to $6,435,186 range.
Does Buffalo need an impact forward? Not particularly.
There are bigger needs, including a better defensive presence up front, and they definitely need some help in goal.
But how much fun would a team with Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Zegras as its top three centers be?
There is also something to be said for going all-in on what you are good at. The Sabres are young, fast, highly skilled and already one of the best offensive teams in the league. Adding a player like Zegras would continue to play into their strength.
It could also open up trade options with some of the other players on the roster and perhaps allow them to deal from a position of strength (skill forwards) to potentially fix weakness (like goalie depth) down the road.
Buffalo is at a point where it needs to make the playoffs. It has been 12 years, and after getting so painfully close a season ago and taking such a huge step forward, it would be a massive disappointment to miss again.
They have over $8 million in salary-cap space, all of their draft picks, and one of the league's most entertaining teams would become an even bigger must-see squad.
