5 NHL players who can sign contract extensions on July 1

The NHL free agency period is all about players with expired contracts who need new deals and could join new teams in the process.

However, there’s another side to July 1: players whose contracts aren’t expiring yet but are one year away from needing a new deal. Those players are eligible to sign contract extensions with their current teams, and they’re typically the biggest stars in the game.

Here are the top five players who are eligible to sign contract extensions with their team as of July 1.

5. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

One of the greatest players in the history of the game is down to his final years in the NHL. In September 2024, he signed a two-year extension at his symbolic $8.7 million per season. This summer, he’s eligible to extend his NHL career, and probably as long as he wants to.

In 68 games this past season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby scored 29 goals and 74 points as a 38-year-old.

MORE: Sidney Crosby's commitment forces the Pittsburgh Penguins to put off a rebuild

4. Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks

Next season, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Macklin Celebrini is the best player in the NHL. Just coming off an 115-point regular season this past year in his sophomore campaign, he’s only going to get better with age.

With that, it’s in the best interest of the San Jose Sharks to sign Celebrini to a contract extension this summer and for as long as they can. The reason why Celebrini isn’t higher on this list is that the 20-year-old will be an RFA as of July 1, meaning the team still has control over him and the chances of him leaving are very slim. He can sign his first standard NHL contract this summer as his entry-level deal expires in 2027.

MORE: How Sharks' Macklin Celebrini’s Skating Allows Him To Be The Next Face Of The NHL

3. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

Named the Hart Trophy winner this past year as the NHL’s MVP, Nikita Kucherov is another superstar who can sign a contract extension this summer.

Kucherov is coming to the end of his eight-year contract, which paid him $9.5 million per season. Even at the age of 33, the chances of Kucherov getting a raise are very high, considering he just notched his sixth 100-point campaign, putting up a total of 130 points, and matching his career-high in goals with 44 this past year.

2. Quinn Hughes, D, Minnesota Wild

These final two players are the ones who can really break the bank as two of the best at their positions, in the midst of their primes. Defenseman Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild fits that bill as one of the most talented and dynamic skaters in the NHL.

Hughes’ addition to the Wild really propelled them into a Stanley Cup contender, but to keep the momentum running, GM Bill Guerin will need to pull a lot of change out of his pockets if he wants to extend the 26-year-old.

He’s at the tail end of a six-year contract that saw him earn $7.85 million against the salary cap. He’ll certainly become one of the league’s highest-paid players on his next contract as a blueliner who can lead the NHL in ice time and notch 90 points from the back end.

MORE: 'We're Going To Re-Sign Him': Wild Owner Vows To Extend Quinn Hughes

1. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche

Everything that was said about Hughes can be said about the Colorado Avalanche’s stud from the blueline, Cale Makar.

Makar’s previous deal was the same length as Hughes’ and will expire following next season. But the 27-year-old earned $9 million against the cap, and according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, he could become the highest-paid player in the NHL, surpassing Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov and his $17-million average annual value.

Makar is coming off a “down year,” scoring 79 points this past season, but has multiple 90-point campaigns in his career, as well as a Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe Trophy, and two Norris Trophies.

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