Canadiens to submit an offer sheet? Elliotte Friedman has just revealed that NHL executives were hoping to see them sign K'Andre Miller

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David St-Jean
July 9, 2023 (11:21)

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The opening of the free agent market is now a thing of the past, and the remaining good available players are becoming increasingly scarce. While there are certainly a few bargains still without contracts, teams looking to make a splash will have to turn to trades or, albeit unpopular, explore the option of submitting an offer sheet, which is allowed under the CBA.

On Wednesday, it was announced by the NHLPA that 22 restricted free agents have elected to forgo their right to go to arbitration. As a result, they can no longer sign offer sheets or accept their qualifying offers. Their fate will now be in the hands of an arbitrator who will resolve the dispute.

Here is who it concerns:

Despite everything, many young and talented players can still surprise and reach agreements with teams other than the ones holding their rights. According to a report taken from the website Capfriendly, here are the players, ranked by points from last season, who are eligible to sign such agreements.

According to Elliotte Friedman's report, many people in the NHL were hoping to see the Canadiens submit an offer sheet to K'Andre Miller. Their intention was not necessarily for the Canadiens to reach an agreement with Miller, but rather to see the impact such a deal would have on the Rangers' camp.

The New York Rangers' GM, Chris Drury, currently has $6.175 million available to sign both Alexis Lafrenière and K'Andre Miller, who are coming off their entry-level contracts. If they want to keep both players, the Rangers will need to be persuasive and pitch the idea of a bridge contract spanning a few seasons.

"Friedman on 32 Thoughts Podcast: 'There were people who told me they really wanted to see the Montreal Canadiens make an offer sheet to K'Andre Miller, just for the pure drama, but obviously, that didn't happen. It will likely be a bridge contract with Miller, assuming, of course, that it will be a bridge contract with Lafrenière.'"

On the other hand, Vladimir Tarasenko, who had hoped to return to the Big Apple, will likely have to let go of that idea due to salary cap constraints. He actually changed his agent on Wednesday and is now represented by JP Barry & Pat Brisson.

With numerous teams facing salary cap issues, it would not be surprising if, sooner or later, the luckier ones dare to make an offer sheet. It will be interesting to see how the team forced to match such an offer handles the salary negotiation process within a week, whether they choose to dispute it or not.