Story Summary
The recommendation follows the Philadelphia Flyers‘ summer offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson, which Ducks GM Pat Verbeek matched at a reported cost of $18 million per season over five years. That decision has strained Anaheim’s salary-cap space while the organization still needs to sign Cutter Gauthier. Washington Capitals GM Chris Patrick has acknowledged the offer-sheet precedent and said he intends to ‘get in front of it’ for Capitals RFAs such as Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif. THN lists three 2027 RFAs who, it says, their teams should prioritise signing now: Flyers winger Matvei Michkov (entering the final year of his entry-level contract and with a noted history of disagreements with coach Rick Tocchet), St. Louis Blues winger Jimmy Snuggerud (20 goals and 51 points in 70 games, a top-five Calder finish, just turned 22 in June) and San Jose Sharks center Will Smith (24 goals and 59 points in 69 games, often paired with Macklin Celebrini). THN argues that offer sheets and rising prices for young talent are a real concern and urges teams to consider early extensions to protect core pieces.
Key Facts
- The Philadelphia Flyers tendered an offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson this past summer.
- Ducks GM Pat Verbeek matched the offer sheet for Leo Carlsson.
- Matching the offer reportedly cost Anaheim $18 million per season for five years.
- The Carlsson offer sheet reduced Anaheim’s salary-cap flexibility while the team still needs to sign Cutter Gauthier so he can play this coming season.
- Washington Capitals GM Chris Patrick said he believes this summer’s events are ‘potentially a harbinger of things to come in the league’ and wants to ‘get in front of’ players who could receive offer sheets.
- Chris Patrick specifically mentioned that Capitals RFAs Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif could be at risk of receiving offer sheets.
- THN notes Michkov has had a history of disagreements with Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet, which could make an offer sheet or change of scenery possible.
- Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues) is listed by THN as a 2027 RFA to sign early; he scored 20 goals and 51 points in 70 games in his rookie season and finished in the top five of Calder Trophy voting.
- Jimmy Snuggerud turned 22 in June, according to THN.
- Will Smith (San Jose Sharks) is another 2027 RFA named by THN; he recorded 24 goals and 59 points in 69 games last season.
- THN says Smith frequently shares the ice with Macklin Celebrini and is part of San Jose’s young core alongside players such as Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson and Ivar Stenberg, who will also require contracts in future seasons.
IHM Discussion
Anaheim’s decision to match – and the financial burden it created – is the concrete example THN uses to make the strategic argument: when a club pays a premium to keep a young star, it both signals that offers can land and demonstrates how matching can hamper roster-building with follow-on signings still to come. That scenario is the paper’s shorthand for why teams should pre-emptively negotiate with players who will be restricted free agents in 2027.
THN highlights three players whose profiles illustrate different reasons to hurry to contract talks. Matvei Michkov is presented as a high-upside but potentially unsettled case: he is entering the final year of his entry-level deal and has had a documented strained relationship with head coach Rick Tocchet, a combination that THN warns could increase the chance he becomes an offer-sheet target or requests a change of scenery. The risk here is not only losing a talented asset but also creating a bidding war that forces an overpay.
Jimmy Snuggerud is offered as an example of a blue-chip young contributor whose tangible rookie-season production – 20 goals and 51 points in 70 games and a top-five Calder finish – makes him precisely the kind of player another club might target with an offer sheet. THN underscores the Blues’ upward trajectory via off-season additions (Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael, Brandon Carlo) and internal development (Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Jake Neighbours, Dalibor Dvorsky), arguing that losing Snuggerud would be a significant setback to that momentum.
Will Smith’s case is framed around his role in a budding Sharks core centred with Macklin Celebrini. Smith’s 24 goals and 59 points in 69 games read as the production baseline for a player who could command a meaningful raise as a restricted free agent; THN argues San Jose should weigh the long-term cap picture and future contract needs for Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson and Ivar Stenberg when deciding whether to extend Smith now to avoid a potentially inflated market later.
Why It Matters
Offer sheets remain rare in the modern NHL, but the Flyers – Ducks transaction demonstrates their ability to reshape a team’s salary-cap landscape and force difficult follow-on decisions. For contenders or teams ascending toward contention, losing or paying a premium for a young difference-maker can alter competitive windows: a matched offer can consume cap space that was intended for other signings, while a surrendered player can stall on-ice progress. The three players THN highlights represent different strategic vulnerabilities for their teams – a high-upside but unsettled forward (Michkov), a breakout rookie contributing immediate offence (Snuggerud) and a young complementary center on a burgeoning club (Smith). Each profile maps to a common managerial choice this off-season: lock in affordable term now or face an uncertain, possibly costly market in 2027.
IHM Market Outlook
The concrete market signal in THN’s piece is the idea that the Flyers’ use of an offer sheet has the potential to normalise more aggressive contract interventions around the league. Even if offer sheets remain uncommon, the cost paid to retain Leo Carlsson – cited as $18 million per year for five years – provides a tangible benchmark for what a bidding club might need to outprice a team that wants to keep its asset. That benchmark creates two practical pressures: teams with several young players to extend (or to sign from entry-level status) will face compressed timelines to manage cap space, and clubs with deeper pockets or surplus draft picks might view offer sheets as a tool to accelerate roster change. THN’s recommendation that clubs ‘get in front of it’ reflects the view that proactive extensions can be both a defensive and economical response to a shifting marketplace.
Mini Q&A
What prompted The Hockey News to urge early extensions for certain RFAs?
The paper cites the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson and Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek’s decision to match it – reportedly at $18 million per season for five years – as the catalyst prompting teams to consider pre-emptive extensions.
Which three 2027 RFAs does THN say teams should prioritise signing?
Matvei Michkov (Philadelphia Flyers), Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues) and Will Smith (San Jose Sharks).
Why is Matvei Michkov on the list?
THN notes Michkov is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and cites a history of disagreements with coach Rick Tocchet, suggesting those factors could increase the risk of an offer sheet or a change of scenery.
What are Jimmy Snuggerud’s relevant statistics from last season?
Snuggerud scored 20 goals and finished with 51 points in 70 games and placed in the top five of Calder Trophy voting; he also turned 22 in June, according to THN.
How does THN characterise Will Smith’s role in San Jose?
THN describes Will Smith as part of San Jose’s young core, often sharing the ice with Macklin Celebrini, and records his 2025-26 totals as 24 goals and 59 points in 69 games.
Coach Mark Comment
From a coaching perspective, stability around core players matters. Extending promising RFAs before the market spikes helps preserve line chemistry and the development path for younger teammates. For example, keeping Will Smith alongside Macklin Celebrini maintains a pairing that produces offence and eases the tactical burden of fitting a new top-six presence into the lineup. Likewise, ensuring Jimmy Snuggerud remains in St. Louis protects a growing forward corps; sudden departures at the RFA stage can force coaches to reconfigure roles right before an important season.
What Comes Next
The players named are expected to be restricted free agents in 2027; teams cited – Philadelphia, St. Louis and San Jose – must weigh extension talks this off-season if they wish to reduce the chance of an offer sheet or a competitive bidding scenario in 2027. Washington GM Chris Patrick has indicated his intent to act pre-emptively for Capitals RFAs such as Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif.
IHM Final View
The Flyers’ offer sheet for Leo Carlsson and Anaheim’s costly match have crystallised a league-wide dilemma: pay now to keep young talent or risk a costly market later.