Let's talk about some restricted free agent offer-sheet possibilities.
Now, I already know what you are probably thinking. "What's the point? Nobody ever signs offer sheets!"
Well, if you are thinking that you are not entirely wrong. They are incredibly rare. Only 10 have been signed during the salary-cap era and almost all of them have been matched by the team that controls the restricted free agent in question.
The only two in the cap era that were not matched were Dustin Penner going from Anaheim to Edmonton, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi going from Montreal to Carolina.
But just because they are not typically signed doesn't mean they shouldn't be. It should, in theory, be a great way to add an in-their-prime player that could be a key building block for years to come. There is typically more talent available on the RFA market than on the UFA market, the players are younger, and they have more prime years ahead of them.
It also doesn't mean teams don't try because there is always a chance that offers get made that the player ultimately rejects for one reason or another.
The key is finding a player that wants to play for your team, and also coming from a team that might not have the salary cap flexibility to match the offer. So it might not always be about the best restricted free agent players, but good players on teams that are vulnerable.
This year's potential crop of restricted free agents isn't overly impressive in terms of huge names or superstars, but there are some intriguing -- and really good -- players out there that could be had in the right situation.
So let's take a look at some of them.
