Should Bruins Explore Restricted Free Agents Outside Boston?
Offer sheets are one of the most complex parts of NHL contracts. It’s not surprising how rare they are in the league.
However, the St. Louis Blues pulled off the double sheet last year by signing restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway away from the Edmonton Oilers.
Could the Bruins benefit from taking a page from the Blues this offseason? Here’s the compensation thresholds released by the NHL on Tuesday, per SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman.
| OFFER SHEET AAV | DRAFT PICK COMPENSATION |
| $1,554,424 or less | None |
| Over $1,544,424 to $2,340,037 | Third-round pick |
| Over $2,340,037 to $4,680,076 | Second-round pick |
| Over $4,680,076 to $7,020,113 | First-and-third-round picks |
| Over $7,020,113 to $9,360,153 | First-, second-, and third-round picks |
| Over $9,360,153 to $11,700,192 | Two firsts, one second and one third |
| Over $11,700,192 | Four first-round picks |
Teams need to have their own draft picks, not ones they’ve acquired from other teams, to submit an offer sheet, and Boston only lacks a third-round pick in 2027.
With a lack of scoring depth last season, here are two forwards the Bruins could consider extending offers to in the hopes of generating more offense next season.
Kaapo Kakko, Seattle Kraken
Chosen second overall by the New York Rangers in the 2019 draft, Kakko struggled to meet expectations as a scoring winger in the Big Apple. After tallying just 14 points in 30 games, the Rangers traded him to Seattle in December.
The move proved beneficial to Kakko, who registered 13 points in his first 14 games with Seattle. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with a career-best 44 points across 79 games.
He could receive a two-year offer sheet worth $4.5 million annually. The compensation cost for that amount would be a second-round draft pick.
Matthew Knies, Toronto Maple Leafs
Knies is headlining the RFA class this season after establishing himself as a potential power forward with the Leafs.
The 22-year-old 6-foot-3, 227-pound winger is in the final season of his entry-level contract and lacks arbitration rights.
Knies finished the season with 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points, which could put him in a position to request a raise between $5.5 million and $6.5 million annually. If the Bruins were to extend the offer sheet, they would have to part with a first and third-round pick if the Leafs failed to match the offer.
Teams can start talking to RFAs on the night of June 30, but no contract can be signed until the start of free agency on July 1.
The Bruins have five pending RFAs on the NHL roster, headlined by Morgan Geekie. Forwards John Beecher, Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko, and defenseman Mason Lohrei are the other skaters that general manager Don Sweeney must decide on regarding offer sheets.