The Leafs have avoided arbitration with Nick Robertson, signing him to a one-year extension for $1.825 million. Robertson finished with 15 goals and 22 points in 69 games in 2024-25, averaging just 12 minutes per game. Robertson had requested a trade last summer from the Leafs, who haven't handed him a ton of opportunity. Only agreeing to a one-year contract means that the two sides avoid a long-term commitment, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Robertson move on next offseason or perhaps even sooner. However, the Leafs need to find scoring to fill the departure of Mitch Marner, and Robertson could be an injury away from a more significant role.     

The Robertson signing means that all players that were scheduled for arbitration have settled with their teams prior to arbitration.

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Late Friday, the Kings signed Alex Laferriere to a three-year contract with a $4.1 million cap hit. Laferriere finished his second NHL season with 19 goals and 42 points in 77 games, fitting in as a middle-six winger for the Kings. Laferriere benefitted from a higher-than-normal 10.5 5-on-5 shooting percentage and 1034 PDO last season, while he cooled off later in the season (17 PTS in 44 GP) after a fast start (25 PTS in 33 GP). That means his 2025-26 projections shouldn't be much higher than what he reached in 2024-25. However, he is still only 23 years old and could build on his output over the coming years.

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The 2025-26 Fantasy Guide is now available for download! Projections by team and by point totals, sleepers, drafted players, rookies, goalies, advanced stats, and much more! Get it at the Dobber Sports Shop on its own or as part of a package.

The three topics I wrote about specifically for the fantasy guide were injuries, goalies, and contract year for each team. I shared some of my observations regarding injuries and goalies in earlier Ramblings, specifically on Injury Lists and Band-Aid Boys by Team and The Five Most Interesting Goalie Situations. Today I'll shift over to contract year and focus on some expiring contracts of note.

For a list of expiring contracts, go to the Upcoming RFAs and Upcoming UFAs report on Frozen Tools. These reports just list the players on expiring contracts and their stats, listed according to whether their contract status of their next contract is RFA or UFA.

Yesterday I wrote about potential UFAs in the 2026 offseason. Because of team control, RFAs don't carry the same level of interest of UFAs in terms of outcomes. That being said, two scenarios can create uncertainty in terms of whether a player will leave: 1) The player decides he will not sign an extension with the team. Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary was an example of this. 2) Offer sheets! Relatively speaking, these are rare for a host of reasons, but they can happen.

Let's dive into a few of the more interesting 2026 RFAs, and maybe a 2025 RFA or two.

Jason Robertson

The Stars sniper already earns $7.75 million per season thanks to an RFA contract signed just before the start of the 2022-23 season. Robertson just came off a 41-goal season, so it seemed that the sky was the limit for him at the age of 23. Since then, Robertson is now only the fifth-highest paid forward on the Stars, so a further raise seems likely. At the top of that salary pile is Mikko Rantanen, who now has a $12 million cap hit. Rantanen's signing has intensified rumors that the Stars will ultimately trade Robertson, who won't receive Rantanen coin but could crack the $10 million mark. Dallas also needs to consider an RFA contract for rising star (Star?) defenseman Thomas Harley.

Connor Bedard

If Bedard has another good-but-not-great season, his contract number will be difficult to pin down. Will past performance be considered, or will the Blackhawks pay Bedard based on his upside? He still has another year before he hits the potential fourth year breakout, if you want to go by that. As well, the Blackhawks haven't exactly surrounded him with a strong supporting cast, which has hindered him to some degree. I've mentioned this comparable before, but Nathan MacKinnon's second contract with a $6.3 million cap hit adjusted for inflation could be the number. Right now, I'd bet the under on his next contract reaching $10 million per season, but that could change with a big breakout in 2025-26.

Lane Hutson

With Hutson making an immediate impact in his rookie season (66 PTS in 82 GP), his next payday could be massive. As well, it could be long term, as Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky both signed eight-year extensions once their entry-level contracts expired. The Habs are already paying recently acquired Noah Dobson $9.5 million, so they may not want to go that high on Hutson. Another concern is whether Dobson will leapfrog Hutson on Montreal's top power play, which would cut into Hutson's value significantly.

Marco Rossi

I picked this one because Rossi appears on the RFA report on Frozen Tools while he doesn't have a contract, but he won't be a 2026 RFA unless he only signs a one-year contract. The Wild and Rossi's camp reportedly haven't talked about a contract since early June, which doesn't make this sound like it will get resolved soon. But borrowing a line from a show I listen to regularly, all it takes is one phone call. If the Wild and Rossi really are that far apart, then maybe a short-term deal is the answer. Maybe not only a year, but there's still tons of time before Rossi becomes a UFA in 2029-30. For now, the longer this drags out, the more this becomes a concern that Rossi will miss training camp and perhaps even the start of the season.

Mason McTavish

As McTavish remains unsigned, the trade rumors continue to swirl, and so does the above-zero percent probability of an offer sheet. The thing about an offer sheet is that the Ducks still have $21 million in cap space with Sam Colangelo the only other RFA to sign. So it's not a question of whether the Ducks can match an offer sheet, but will they? The Ducks have a boatload of young prospects and may have to make some tough choices down the road if many of them develop into bona fide NHL players, so having McTavish on a larger ticket could be an impediment. Of course, many teams out there need centers, so a deal could easily be facilitated if McTavish's ask is simply too high for Anaheim.

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Articles you can look forward to in August:

Offseason Fantasy Grades articles will begin on August 9, with one team being covered per day. In case you're not familiar with them, you can view last season's Offseason Fantasy Grades here.

Bubble Keeper Week will take place between August 10 to 17. Myself and the other writers will discuss bubble keepers of our own, revealing our thought process in how we make our decisions. If any of these players are familiar to you, even better! We may also answer a few of your questions, so stay tuned. 

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Follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Threads @goodsfantasyhockey and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social