Should Players Eligible For Extensions Sign Right Away?

NHL Free Agency is still going on, but attention will turn to restricted free agents and when they will sign their extensions or go to arbitration. While the rumors front is pretty quiet, people are starting to talk about the unrestricted free-agent class 2025.

Mainly Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. But you have to throw in Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.

NHL Rumors: There is Plenty of Time Left This Summer for Leon Draisaitl to Sign an Extension

Other notable players eligible for an extension are Maple Leafs captain John Tavares, the newly acquired goalie in Ottawa, Linus Ullmark, Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser, Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche, and Stanley Cup Champion in Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

All these players were eligible to sign extensions on July 1. No extensions have been announced. However, Crosby, Marner, and Draisaitl have been in the spotlight more than the second group of players.

As NHL Rumors have documented, Crosby and the Penguins are inching closer to an extension. According to Rob Rossi of The Athletic, the report is that Crosby and the Penguins have a three-year deal that pays Crosby $10 million a season. But this has yet to be signed.

NHL Rumors: Penguins Want To Build Around Sidney Crosby For One More Run

These players don’t have to sign their extensions immediately going into their contract’s final year. Last year, for example, Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power‘s extensions were not signed until the first day of the Buffalo Sabres training camp. So, these players, agents, and teams take their time regarding extensions.

Just look at William Nylander last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs and David Pastrnak the year before with the Boston Bruins. Pastrnak didn’t sign his extension more than halfway through the historic Bruins season. It was closer to the Trade Deadline that year. Nylander only signed his in January. So, there is no rush to get these done.

These extensions seem to be a hot topic of conversation, especially in Edmonton and Toronto.

Marner is entering the final year of his deal with the Maple Leafs, which carries a salary cap hit of $10.9 million. He seems to be a lightning rod for those in Toronto. Changes need to happen; with Auston Matthews and Nylander already having new contracts and John Tavares not going anywhere, Marner seemed to be the guy the team wanted to move.

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He does have a no-movement clause, so he controls where and if he wants to leave. He does not want to go right now, but we do not know of any extension talks to date. That could change, but it seems Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving is not prioritizing Marner as he did with Matthews a year ago.

But with all the talk of change in Toronto, they are running it back one more time with this core, even though it has not worked.

As for Draisaitl, he enters the final year of his deal, which carries a salary cap hit of $8.5 million with the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers just got to the Stanley Cup Final and fell one game short of winning the Stanley Cup.

We know Connor McDavid will be a free agent in 2026 and is eligible for an extension on July 1, 2025. There is talk that Draisaitl and McDavid could reset the market for being the highest-paid players in the League.

But as Draisaitl noted after the Oilers season ended, the parties involved must figure out what they want.

NHL Rumors: When Will Leon Draisaitl Sign His Extension?

“It’s going to take a little time to figure out what I want, what the Oilers want, and what everyone wants, and go from there,” Draisaitl said to the media on Wednesday. “I love being an Oiler more than anything.”

Adding fuel to the fire was the agent for Leon Draisaitl, Jiri Poner, who stated, “There’s no rush yet, but either it happens quickly by the end of August or doesn’t work out. It’ll become clear whether Edmonton wants him or not. Leon holds all the trump cards.”

The Oilers want to keep Leon Draisaitl in the long term. It makes the most sense. Edmonton brought back the same team with some new additions to make another run at the Stanley Cup. Draisaitl will get paid by the Oilers or any team that wants him. It just comes down to whether he believes he can win in Edmonton.

Everyone thought Steven Stamkos would be a lifer in Tampa Bay, which did not happen. He was mad that no extension talks took place last summer, breaking the club’s and Stamkos’s relationship. It feels like Crosby and Draisaitl stay, but anything is possible.

The Relationship Between Tampa Bay and Steven Stamkos was Broken Last Summer

Marner feels like the odd man out in Toronto, but again, with the Maple Leafs, you never know.

As for Igor Shesterkin in New York, he wants to be the highest-paid goalie in the NHL. The question for Rangers GM Chris Drury is whether he wants to pay the goaltender long-term to be a $ 11 million or $12 million guy. It has been quiet on that front, that is for sure.

To quote Reggie Jackson, Shesterkin is the “Straw that Stirs the Drink” with the Rangers. Without his play, the Rangers wouldn’t have reached the Eastern Conference Final and a Game 6 against the Florida Panthers.

NHL Rumors: Will Igor Shesterkin Become the Highest Paid Goalie in the NHL?

Again, this deal does not have to be done now, but interestingly, it is quiet on that front, considering he has been eligible to sign an extension since July 1.

Every situation and every player is different. Some want safety and security immediately, knowing their future is secure. See what the Lightning did last year with Mikhail Sergachev in 2022, Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point, and Erik Cernak in the previous offseason, and Victor Hedman this offseason.

However, Lightning GM Julien BriseBois did trade Sergachev to Utah before his no-trade kicked in to clear cap space, so Sergachev’s future was not so secure in Tampa.

Others want to gamble and play out the season before signing an extension with their current club. Sometimes, a player must see his potential before locking down a long-term deal in just one city.

Only time will tell what Sidney Crosby, Leon Draisaitl, Mitch Marner, Igor Shesterkin, and their respective clubs decide to do.

As we inch closer to the start of the season, the other names listed will also be in the spotlight.