In case you haven't heard, there was a wave of restricted free agent signings that happened on Tuesday. Mind you, this was before the current contract structures changed, leaving teams to frantically sign their guys. Of course, the biggest name was none other than Cutter Gauthier.
With hours until the midnight deadline for current contract structures…
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 16, 2026
This one has about $69.5 of the $81M in signing bonuses https://t.co/LH7Qm2VGVR
The Anaheim Ducks winger got Jack Eichel's money, earning $13.5 million per year. He also has the deal for six seasons, keeping him in Anaheim for a long time. Of course, he's not the only player to get a deal.
Luke Evangelista of the New Jersey Devils signed a five-year deal worth $7.25 million AAV. He's part of a young roster that hopes to contend for years to come (and eventually bring in Quinn Hughes). Will that happen soon? Stay tuned.
But these deals showed a stark contrast to Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon's philosophy. He has a different way of signing restricted free agents... or handling negotiations, at least. Here's what he does with his restricted free agents when it comes to big paydays.
Looking at the restricted free agent structure with Kelly McCrimmon of the Vegas Golden Knights
When the Vegas Golden Knights traded Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers, the objective was to avoid paying him $11 million per year. He was eventually given that deal by the Rangers, with McCrimmon dodging a major bullet on the overpay front.
Meanwhile, you have deals from Cutter Gauthier, who got a six-year deal worth $13.5 million AAV. It's part of the massive overpay session and the RFA mismanagement that the Ducks keep getting themselves into. First, it was Leo Carlsson who was nearly offer-sheeted by the Philadelphia Flyers. Then, it was Gauthier getting the massive deal from Anaheim, getting Jack Eichel money.
That's not even mentioning how names like Mason McTavish were traded to different teams (think the St. Louis Blues). Add Chris Kreider being let go and the scramble session keeps getting dicey. In turn, the Golden Knights end up being major winners in the long run.
Of course, you have other teams like the New Jersey Devils, who acquired Luke Evangelista and signed him to a five-year deal worth $7.25 million AAV. That's far better than signing a young winger for Jack Eichel money. But it also highlights a different approach from McCrimmon in signing his restricted free agents, with two different styles.
Why Kelly McCrimmon's approach to restricted free agents is vastly different from other general managers
First, McCrimmon isn't one to suddenly jump into signing a player without letting the process play out on a player's RFA year. He approaches the situation in two different facets: Either do it early or trade the player.
For the former, Braeden Bowman is a perfect example. He got a six-year deal worth $3.4 million AAV and doesn't have any no-trade protection. Mind you, he's in the last year of his current deal before getting his new contract for next season.
Then, there's the latter. Of course, you have the aforementioned Pavel Dorofeyev deal. But you also have Nicolas Hague, who was traded to the Nashville Predators last summer. He signed a four-year deal worth $5.5 million AAV. For McCrimmon, it was better to trade him away so you could acquire guys like Mitch Marner. That's kinda important, you know?
Regardless, Golden Knights fans saw a different world, compared to other general managers. Watching players get paid for their labor just before the season started shows a general manager who's not afraid to assess the situation and make the corresponding move. That should be reassuring for Golden Knights fans in the future.
Add us as a preferred source on Google