3 Players Most Likely to Get Offer Sheeted This Offseason

We are approaching the 2025 NHL playoffs, which means teams need to begin their offseason plans. For many teams, these plans consist of signing their young guns to new deals. With many analysts predicting that this offseason will be full of offer sheets, fans should prepare for a chaotic summer. Among the handful of restricted free agents, here are the three most likely to get an offer sheet.

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Knies Has Been Promising Since Arrival in League

Matthew Knies has been the most intriguing youngster out of Toronto since Auston Matthews. Knies, 22, is Toronto’s number one left winger, playing alongside stars Matthews and Mitch Marner. He has 51 points in 71 games this season. The Arizona-native is one of the Leafs’ top goal scorers with 26 on the year. He recorded 35 points—15 goals and 20 assists—in his 80 games as a rookie. His jump from 0.4 P/G to 0.7 P/G is something to be impressed about.

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He has shown nothing but growth in his two years in Leafs Nation. Given that Toronto is a star-centered environment, rookies rarely get to grow as much as Knies did. It would be interesting to see if any teams would push to acquire the winger. Rebuilding teams like Chicago and San Jose would benefit the most from a young stud like Knies. With the cap rising this offseason, we could very well see many teams pursue Knies as a potential pick-up.

Tires Aren’t Spinning for a Bouchard Extension, Teams Are Interested

Despite being the Edmonton Oilers’ number one defenseman, we haven’t heard anything about when an extension may be coming for Evan Bouchard. Bouchard, 25, is expected to be signed somewhere above $10 million AAV. Given that Capitals’ defensemen Jakob Chychrun recently signed to an eight-year, $9 million AAV, analysts predict Bouchard may want more.

He’s recorded 62 points so far this season and is on track to complete the season with 68. He was a key piece to the Oilers Cup Finals run last season, having the second-highest points on the team in the playoffs.

It is rare in this league to have a defenseman of this offensive caliber. In the same case as Knies, multiple teams in a rebuilding stage can expect to target Bouchard this summer. With Connor McDavid having one more year left on his contract after this season, the Oilers may be unable to supply a heavy contract to Bouchard. Keeping this in mind, there are a handful of teams with enough cap space to welcome Bouchard.

Rossi’s Game Gaining Traction Across the League

Marco Rossi has been one of the more underrated players in the Western Conference. The 23-year-old quietly put up a 56-point season, consisting of 23 goals and 33 assists. In his rookie season, Rossi reached 40 points in 82 games and had the fifth-highest points among rookies that year. With the Parise and Suter buyout payments ending soon, Rossi’s chances of getting an extension are rising. However, the Minnesota Wild will need to be conservative as they will need to re-sign Kirill Kaprizov the following summer.

He is an extremely reliable two-way forward for someone his age. He averages 18 minutes a night and plays on both the power play and penalty kill. Despite standing at 5’9″ and 182lbs, Rossi still manages to play good defense and tends to play physical. Additionally, his ability to screen the goalie has benefited him and his linemates a multitude of times. Nearly every goal of his has been within feet of the crease.

Next: Trent Frederic Set to Make Oilers Debut Saturday vs. Kings