53 players
were extended during the league’s inaugural In-Season Extension period. In
total, an astonishing total of $1,023,950,000 worth of contracts were agreed to
and signed during this period, for an average of $19,319,811 per player.
The largest
contract was handed out by Seattle with their re-sign of 25-year-old superstar
goalie Spencer Knight. Knight signed a 10-year contract at an annual rate of
$7,750,000, for a total of $77.5 million over the length of the deal. Seattle
locked up the best goalie in the game in terms of OV for the max term, making
him a Kraken until his mid 30’s at least. He’s sure to set franchise records during this contract,
and is currently enjoying a robust .915 save percentage this season.
The largest contract
for a skater was signed in Dallas by Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The 26-year-old Left
Winger signed a 7-year deal at an annual average value of $6.5 million, for a
total of $45.5 million. This locks up a high-level performer for the Stars. He
has currently put up 58 points on the season, and is sure to be a building
block for Dallas as they move into the offseason.
The most
active team in this signing period was Carolina, with 7 extensions handed out.
In addition to starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, they extended 4 defensemen
with OV’s of 81, 80, 79, and 77. They also extended two forwards with OV’s of
79 and 74. The total spent by Carolina this signing period was $125 million,
for an average of $17.857 per player. All of their signings were for 3- or
4-year deals.
26 players
with a current OV of 80 or greater were extended, with only one being less than
a multi-year deal. Buffalo extended 37-year-old goalie Kent Simpson for one
year at $5.58 million. All 80 OV players signed for at least $5 million per
year except for 24-year-old RFA eligible forward Roby Jarventie of the LA
Kings. He signed for $4.75 million for 3 years.
27 players
under 80 OV were signed. The lowest OV player to extend was 72 OV Miko Matikka
signed by St Louis. He inked a 2-year-deal worth $850,000 per year. Veteran
forward Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson of the Rangers signed the largest annual
average value contract of any player with an OV under 80. The 79 OV vet forward
signed for $5.8 million on a one-year-deal with the Rangers.
Goalies
cashed in significantly during this period. 8 goalies signed deals at an
average over $6 million per season. The total of all goalie deals is a robust
$252 million. A quarter of a billion dollars went toward maintaining continuity
at the keeper position for these 8 organizations.
16 defensemen
are off the board overall. 7 of those defensemen are 80OV or higher. All
defensemen to sign were inked to at least two-year deals. The LA Kings singed 20-year-old
79 OV David Reinbacher to the longest deal handed out to a Blue Liner. He autographed
a 6 year contract worth an average annual value of $5.25 million.
Two of the
contracts signed are modified contracts. The previously mentioned David
Reinbacher is making $4, $4.5, $5, $5.5, $6, and $6.5 in each of his 6 seasons.
23-year old Rangers goalie Jesper Wallstedt also signed a modified contract. He
will be staying in New York for the next 10 years, and he will make $6 million
the first three years. In years 4 through 8 he will bring home $7 million, and during
the last two years he will earn $6 million. It comes out to an average annual
value of $6.5 million for Wallstedt.
6 players aged
20 years signed contracts this period. This was their first chance at an
extension after their initial player draft. Conner Bedard of the Tampa Bay Lightning
was the only 20-year-old at an 80 OV or higher to be signed, and he inked a 6-year
deal at $5 million per year. The forward figures to be a part of Tampa’s long-term
plan. He currently leads the team with 54 points so far this season. Samuel Honzek
of the St Louis Blues is the lowest OV 20-year-old to resign. He is a 74 OV forward,
and signed a three-year deal worth $930,000 per year.
For those of
us newer to the league, we have a ton of data to look at for extensions as we
plan out our offseason. 53 players being signed gives us a wide variety of
price points from multiple OV levels from every position on the ice.
Being able to
make this type of progress during the season will also help expedite our
off-season calendar. The off-season is often times where teams are made or
broken, and having a smoothly running off-season helps keep teams engaged as
the process takes place. The In-Season signing period seemed like a huge
success to me.
9/30/2026 - 754 words
