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2025 NHL Offer Sheet Compensation
NHL teams are allowed to sign another teams restricted free agent to an offer sheet. Upon doing so, the players original team has a 7 day window to decide whether to match the offer sheet or not. If the original team matches the offer sheet the player will sign a contract with the original team under the terms outlined in the offer sheet. If the original team chooses not to match the offer sheet the player will sign a contract with the new team under the terms of the offer sheet and the original team will receive compensatory draft picks from the new team.
Compensatory draft picks are based on the AAV of the new contract being signed. The table below outlines the draft pick compensation levels.
Only the teams own draft picks can be used as compensation and the signing team must own all of the required compensatory draft picks prior to signing a player to an offer sheet.
| Offer Sheet AAV | Compensation |
|---|---|
| $1,544,424 or less | None |
| Over $1,544,424 to $2,340,037 | Third-round pick |
| Over $2,340,037 to $4,680,076 | Second-round pick |
| Over $4,680,076 to $7,020,113 | First-round and third-round picks |
| Over $7,020,113 to $9,360,153 | First-round, second-round, and third-round picks |
| Over $9,360,153 to $11,700,192 | Two first-round picks, one second-round pick and one third-round pick |
| Over $11,700,192 | Four first-round picks |