The Sharks are the only team that can offer Karlsson a term of eight years. Once July 1 passes and the free-agent signing period begins, the maximum term the 29-year-old can get elsewhere is seven years.
With $24.7 million in projected cap space, the Sharks can make it work, but will have some important decisions to make this offseason.
Karlsson battled a pair of groin injuries over the latter half of the year and underwent successful surgery May 31.
It was reported earlier this month that Karlsson is hopeful to receive competitive offers from the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens because his wife would like to live closer to family.
The 6-foot rearguard recorded 45 points in 53 games in his first season with San Jose and added 16 points in 19 playoff games.
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night set a record with nearly nine million people tuning in, making it the most-watched NHL game ever, according to NBC Sports PR.
The term “on record” refers to the current Nielsen measuring system, which began in 1994.
Game 7 also pushed 11 markets to either the area's best or second-best rating for a game not including the home team.
The do-or-die contest's viewership peaked at 10.4 million, and it was also the most-streamed NHL game ever.
Overall, the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged a total audience delivery of 1.530 million viewers, ranking as the most-watched NHL postseason in 23 years.
The Leafs and Zaitsev have been working together to find the right-handed blue-liner a new home for personal and private reasons. The Vancouver Canucks reportedly contacted Toronto about his services already.
Zaitsev found success with the Leafs during his 36-point rookie season in 2016-17. Former general manager Lou Lamoriello then rewarded him with a seven-year deal carrying a $4.5-million cap hit. But the Russian hasn't been able to find his offensive form since signing his extension, tallying 27 points in 141 games over the last two seasons.
The 27-year-old has been deployed primarily in a defensive role over the last two years and managed to form a respectable shutdown pairing with Jake Muzzin down the stretch this past season.
Zaitsev has a 10-team no-trade list that takes effect on July 1, so there's an incentive for the Maple Leafs to move him as soon as possible.
Nash retired from his playing career in January due to unresolved concussion issues.
The 34-year-old will assist the club's hockey operations department in a variety of matters including player evaluations, prospect development, and player recruitment.
Nash spent the first nine seasons of his career in Columbus after the Blue Jackets selected him first overall in 2002 during the franchise's third NHL draft. He remains the team's all-time leader in games played, goals, assists, points, and several other key statistics.
One of the premier power forwards of his era, Nash was a co-winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy during the 2003-04 season, tying Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk for the league lead with 41 goals in his second NHL campaign. He'd go on to score at least 30 goals in a season seven more times during his career.
"Rick is the most decorated player in Blue Jackets history and was one of the game's most respected players during a career that included multiple All-Star Games, Olympic and World Championship gold medals, and a Stanley Cup Final appearance," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "He cares deeply about the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus and will be a great addition to our organization."
The Blue Jackets made several other changes to their front office. Bill Zito has been promoted to senior vice president of hockey operations, associate general manager, and alternate governor. Basil McRae and Josh Flynn were both promoted and are now assistant general managers, while Chris Clark was promoted to director of player personnel.
Brad Marchand was brilliant during the Boston Bruins' postseason run, leading the team with 23 points, but a mental error in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final swung momentum in the St. Louis Blues' direction.
With the Bruins trailing 1-0, Jaden Schwartz crossed the blue line and chipped the puck past a flat-footed Marchand, who immediately went for a line change with just 10 seconds left in the opening frame. Alex Pietrangelo found a crack in the defense, took a pass from Schwartz, and scored to give the Blues a two-goal lead.
Had Marchand simply stayed on the ice for the last 10 seconds of the period, he likely would've been able to cover Pietrangelo.
"I don't know, they chipped it in. I thought that (Jaden Schwartz) was by himself, so I went for a change, and a couple more guys jumped up on the play," a teary-eyed Marchand told NBC Sports' Joe Haggerty after the game. "I didn't see the replay, but yeah."
The Bruins were outshooting the Blues 12-3 prior to Pietrangelo's marker and trailed by only a single goal; had they prevented St. Louis' late first-period tally, they would've entered the second period with a fair share of the momentum on home ice.
Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy agreed the goal shifted the game in the Blues' favor. He didn't single out Marchand but said there was a "missed assignment" on the play.
“The second (goal) we just didn't manage the puck. We kind of missed an assignment and they made a play," Cassidy said. "A nice play by Pietrangelo but you're probably (talking) a different game if it's 1-0 coming out of the first, I do believe that.
"I'm not saying that we would have won or we would have lost. I'm not a mind reader. But I do believe that it gave them a lot of juice for a period that they, you know if they looked at it objectively, probably felt or should have felt that they got outplayed, but they're up 2-0 on the scoreboard. That's all that matters."
Marchand was one of the more emotional Bruins players after the defeat, saying he'd "never get over" the Game 7 loss.
Brad Marchand was brilliant during the Boston Bruins' postseason run, leading the team with 23 points, but a mental error in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final swung momentum in the St. Louis Blues' direction.
With the Bruins trailing 1-0, Jaden Schwartz crossed the blue line and chipped the puck past a flat-footed Marchand, who immediately went for a line change with just 10 seconds left in the opening frame. Alex Pietrangelo found a crack in the defense, took a pass from Schwartz, and scored to give the Blues a two-goal lead.
Had Marchand simply stayed on the ice for the last 10 seconds of the period, he likely would've been able to cover Pietrangelo.
"I don't know, they chipped it in. I thought that (Jaden Schwartz) was by himself, so I went for a change, and a couple more guys jumped up on the play," a teary-eyed Marchand told NBC Sports' Joe Haggerty after the game. "I didn't see the replay, but yeah."
The Bruins were outshooting the Blues 12-3 prior to Pietrangelo's marker and trailed by only a single goal; had they prevented St. Louis' late first-period tally, they would've entered the second period with a fair share of the momentum on home ice.
Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy agreed the goal shifted the game in the Blues' favor. He didn't single out Marchand but said there was a "missed assignment" on the play.
“The second (goal) we just didn't manage the puck. We kind of missed an assignment and they made a play," Cassidy said. "A nice play by Pietrangelo but you're probably (talking) a different game if it's 1-0 coming out of the first, I do believe that.
"I'm not saying that we would have won or we would have lost. I'm not a mind reader. But I do believe that it gave them a lot of juice for a period that they, you know if they looked at it objectively, probably felt or should have felt that they got outplayed, but they're up 2-0 on the scoreboard. That's all that matters."
Marchand was one of the more emotional Bruins players after the defeat, saying he'd "never get over" the Game 7 loss.
St. Louis Blues rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington cemented his place in the record books with a win in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The 25-year-old capped off a sensational year by becoming the first freshman netminder to win 16 games in a single postseason, according to NHL Public Relations. Binnington turned aside 32 of 33 shots in the title-clinching victory.
Binnington joined the club in late December and catalyzed one of the most incredible turnarounds in NHL history. The netminder finished the regular season with a record of 24-5-1 and a .927 save percentage to help lift the Blues from last place in the NHL to the third seed in the Central Division.
In the playoffs, Binnington continued to lead with his play between the pipes. He lost back-to-back contests just twice and posted a record of 5-1 in elimination games en route to helping the Blues end their 52-year Stanley Cup drought.
Throughout June, theScore will be projecting contracts for the star-studded restricted free-agent class. In this edition, we project Matthew Tkachuk's new deal.
The player
Gerry Thomas / National Hockey League / Getty
You'd be hard-pressed to find a hockey fan who doesn't like Matthew Tkachuk's game.
The Calgary Flames forward is a true throwback and a chip off the old block. Both he and his brother Brady bring the same nastiness, competitiveness, and 200-foot game that their father Keith did, which old-school hockey fans can appreciate.
Tkachuk pleases new-age, analytical thinkers as well, though. In his career, he owns an elite Corsi For rating of 56.8 at five-on-five despite an offensive-zone start rate below 50 percent and playing almost exclusively against other teams' top lines.
Offensively, he enjoyed a well-timed breakout 2018-19 season.
Season (Age)
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
2016-17 (19)
76
13
35
48
14:40
2017-18 (20)
68
24
25
49
17:15
2018-19 (21)
80
34
43
77
17:36
Tkachuk managed to produce 53 of his 77 points at even strength despite skating on Calgary's shutdown line alongside Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik. He notched nearly as many points as his two linemates combined (81).
The team
Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Flames general manager Brad Treliving has some work to do. CapFriendly projects the club to have just over $14 million in available cap space. In addition to Tkachuk and a handful of depth forwards needing new contracts, Jon Gillies is the only netminder signed for next season. Treliving has to decide whether he wants to re-sign David Rittich, Mike Smith, or perhaps both.
Locking up Tkachuk and resolving the goaltending situation are two of Treliving's top priorities, but a couple of trades may need to be made in order to make it work. Frolik has one year remaining on his deal with a $4.3-million cap hit and could be dealt. Defensemen TJ Brodie, Travis Hamonic, and Michael Stone are all UFAs next year, and with plenty of young blue-liners in the system, one of these veterans is likely on the way out.
Thanks to some team-friendly deals on the roster, the Flames shouldn't have too much trouble fitting Tkachuk under the cap on a long-term extension.
The comparables
John Russell / National Hockey League / Getty
Here's a select list of wingers to sign contracts out of restricted free agency over the past few years:
Player
Cap hit
CH%
Length
Year signed
William Nylander (TOR)
$6.9M*
8.67
6 years
2018
Leon Draisaitl (EDM)
$8.5M
11.3
8 years
2017
David Pastrnak (BOS)
$6.6M
8.89
6 years
2017
Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
$6.75M
9.25
6 years
2016
Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)
$7.5M
10.27
8 years
2015
CH% = Cap hit percentage, based on cap ceiling when the contract was signed
* - Nylander's cap hit in 2018-19 was prorated to $10.2 million because of time missed in negotiations
Draisaitl could be the most fitting comparison for Tkachuk, as they each recorded 77 points in their contract years. However, the Germany native finished eighth in scoring in 2016-17, whereas Tkachuk settled for 31st. Draisaitl also came with the versatility to play center.
The projection
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Like many of this year's RFAs, Tkachuk's contract could be directly tied to one of his counterparts. If Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Patrik Laine, or Brock Boeser sign their respective deals first, it'll offer one or more immediate comparisons for both Tkachuk's camp and the Flames' brass to look at.
Calgary almost certainly views Tkachuk as a part of the long-term core moving forward. Many believe he'll be the club's next captain once 35-year-old Mark Giordano moves on.
A deal in the six-to-eight-year range would likely be ideal for the Flames. However, Tkachuk was attentive to good friend Auston Matthews' lucrative five-year extension.
"I feel like every year there's a couple guys, a couple big names every year who kind of change the way a little bit," Tkachuk said in February. "I think Auston changed it, too, going with the approach (of) a five-year deal, too. Maybe people haven't seen that in a couple years, but it's not, like, uncommon. Guys used to do that all the time. He definitely set the bar."
Tkachuk is a near lock to become Calgary's highest-paid player. The 21-year-old's deal will carry an average annual value of at least $7 million and could potentially reach $9 million depending on the length and what other RFAs sign for.
Verdict: 6 years, $51 million ($8.5M AAV, 10.2 CH%)
