Training Camp Is Days Away And The Big Contracts Aren't Done

The off-season is over in everything but name. The North American player media tour ran September 8 through 10 in Las Vegas, rookie camps are underway, and main camps begin this week ahead of a short pre-season. Several teams are approaching camp with unfinished business.

Start in Anaheim, where Cutter Gauthier still does not have a contract. Gauthier led the Ducks in goals (41) and points (69) last season, and he is a restricted free agent who cannot sign an offer sheet elsewhere, which limits his leverage. Anaheim created additional cap room by terminating Chris Kreider's contract on September 10. Sportsnet's September 7 preview noted that Gauthier could reasonably seek more than Anaheim's then-available cap space; the Ducks have since created additional room. GM Pat Verbeek has let this play out before: Trevor Zegras in 2023 and Mason McTavish in 2025 both missed camp time without deals.

The Ducks' math got harder when Philadelphia handed Leo Carlsson an offer sheet with an $18 million average annual value and Anaheim matched it, then the highest average annual value in NHL history and the starting gun for this summer's salary spike.

In Ottawa, the clock is more literal. Drake Batherson and the Senators have until Sept. 15 to agree on an eight-year extension before the new collective bargaining agreement drops the re-signing limit to seven years, and a gap remains. Batherson, 28, is entering the final season of a six-year deal worth $4.975 million annually and posted his first 30-goal campaign last year.

Vancouver got theirs finished. Zeev Buium signed an eight-year, $75.04 million extension on September 4, a $9.38 million cap hit beginning in 2027-28.

And in Carolina, the Cup champions still have Alexander Nikishin unsigned; Sportsnet's September 7 preview put their available cap space just under $10 million.