No shortage of NHL stars start season on expiring deals

With the new season underway and a lot of stars on new contracts, attention turns to some looming expiring deals for some of the biggest names around the National Hockey League.

As the TSN Hockey Insiders detailed on Insider Trading on Thursday, chief among those big names is New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is on the final year of a four-year, $22.67 million deal.

Other big names include Mikko Rantanen, Sam Bennett, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser. 

Shesterkin unfazed by contract talks

Shesterkin, 29, opened the 2024-25 campaign with a shutout victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Earlier in the week, it was reported that Shesterkin turned down a contract offer from the Rangers that would have made him the highest-paid goalie in league history.

TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun reported that "there is this unofficial deadline that, you know, Shesterkin may not want to negotiate during the season," regarding the possibility of a deal coming together before the opener.

Shesterkin, for his part, has done everything he can to earn a historic contract extension at his age. 

The Moscow native took home a Vezina Trophy in 2021-22 after posting a league-best .935 save percentage and 2.07 goals against average, and has finished in the top-10 in Vezina Trophy voting each of the past three seasons. 

The current mark for biggest contract by a goaltender by average annual value is Carey Price's eight-year, $84 million contract signed with the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the 2018-19 campaign that carries an AAV of $10.5 million.

Clock is ticking for Avalanche with Rantanen

Mikko Rantanen recorded a hat trick in the Colorado Avalanche's season-opening loss to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this week, and his contract situation is a looming problem for the organization.

Rantanen is due to become a free agent at the end of the season when his six-year, $55.5 million contract ends. 

"Often, superstars of his ilk get signed a year out, like we saw with Leon Draisaitl, for example, in Edmonton," LeBrun said on Insider Trading. "Like we saw with Rantanen’s teammate, Nate MacKinnon a couple years ago. But in this case, negotiations have yet to produce an extension, and I really don’t think that anything is imminent at this moment."

Rantanen has tallied more than 90 points in three consecutive seasons, with 301 in total over that span. he netted 55 goals in 2022-23, where he finished sixth in Hart Trophy voting.

Panthers have more work to do

Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito locked down an important piece with an eight-year, $56 million contract extension for forward Carter Verhaeghe earlier this week, but there is still more work to be done to keep the Stanley Cup-winning roster intact.

As Darren Dreger noted on Insider Trading, centre Sam Bennett will likely be a valued piece to many teams around the league.

"Florida would love to extend him and keep him long-term, but open market, he’s going to be a big-ticket guy simply because all Stanley Cup contending teams can see a good fit in Bennett," Dreger said.

Bennett, who scored 20 goals and added 41 points last season for the Panthers but added 14 points in 19 games in the playoffs, is playing the final year of a four-year, $17.7 million contract.

Two big names, two big contract situations in Toronto

A pair of important forwards for the Toronto Maple Leafs will need new contracts at the end of the year, and where their next contract takes them could be an early defining move for second-year GM Brad Treliving.

Mitch Marner and John Tavares are both in the final year of deals signed under old GM Kyle Dubas.

In an interview for TSN with Dreger, Treliving talked about the pending contract negotiations with Marner. 

"Well, any and every contract has its own life, right? Regardless of the amount of money ... Marner is a star in this league. I think in every market, there’s players that maybe get more scrutinized than others. Mitch does here," Treliving said regarding the public outcry for the team to move on from Marner after a first-round elimination in last year's playoffs. 

"He’s a terrific player. He’s a star in the league. Our failings, or us falling short last year doesn’t lie just solely on Mitch’s shoulders. I’m a huge fan, and we’ll handle the business side quietly and away from the spotlight and hopefully when we get something to report, we’ll report it."

Regarding a contract extension with Tavares, LeBrun reported that "There's been back-and-forth between Tavares' camp, led by agent Pat Brisson and the Leafs front office just to get the ball rolling.

"I don't think anything is imminent, although I do hear that that dialogue is supposed to pick up again in the near future," he said. "I think from the Leafs perspective, yeah, something they want to get done. I don't know if they're in a rush to do it."

Treliving refused to go further into detail on the discussions regarding an extension for either player, saying "we'll just leave it at [ongoing discussions]."

Tavares is in the final year of a seven-year, $77 million deal. He scored 29 goals and finished with 65 points in 80 games last season. He gave up the team captaincy to Auston Matthews in the offseason.

All quiet on Ehlers

After being involved trade rumours early in the off-season, Nikolaj Ehlers remained with the Winnipeg Jets, entering this season as a pending unrestricted free agent.

The winger revealed last month there's been no progress with the Jets on an extension as he carries a $6 million cap hit this year.

The 28-year-old, who posted an assist in the team's season-opening rout of the Edmonton Oilers, appeared in all 82 games last season recording 25 goals and 61 points. He added two assists in five playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.

Drafted ninth overall by the Jets in 2014, Ehlers has 201 goals and 458 points in 606 career games.

Canucks' Boeser in no rush on new deal

Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser started his season strong on Wednesday, scoring two goals in the team's overtime loss to the Calgary Flames.

He said last month he's alright with waiting to ink a new deal after a scary end to his 2023-24 season. Boeser missed Vancouver's final playoff game last spring due to a blood clot, which also impacted his off-season training. 

"Just let it play out," Boeser told NHL.com. "Obviously coming off a blood clot, I think I've got a lot to prove, just kind of dealing with that little setback. So, I'm just focused on having a great camp again like I did last year, and trying to have a fast start to this season again."

The 27-year-old winger is signed at a cap hit of $6.65 million in the last of a three-year contract and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next summer.

After posting a career-high 40 goals and 73 in 81 games during the regular season, he finished the playoffs with seven goals and 12 points in 12 games. 

Since being selected 23rd overall in the 2015 draft, Boeser has 181 goals and 386 points in 480 career games with Vancouver.