It’s that time of year in which certain teams can become vulnerable to the dreaded offer sheet. In a nutshell, when a restricted free agent (RFA) is unsigned after July 1, other teams can extend a contract offer to that RFA.
If the player chooses to sign with the other team, the club holding that player’s rights can either match or allow the other team to sign that player away. Depending on the dollar value of that contract, the rightsholder receives compensation.
Based on that premise, there’s one Colorado Avalanche player who could become prone to an offer sheet: Jack Drury.
Teams often look for solid players with an upside who could be had for a relatively low price tag. Moreover, teams target other organizations that may have cap space issues, making it difficult to match the offer sheet.
That’s what happened to the Edmonton Oilers in 2024. The St. Louis Blues targeted two players, Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, with the Oilers unable to match the offers. The Oilers got the compensation, but lost two promising players.
In that regard, some might say that Drury really isn’t good enough to target via an offer sheet. But then again, with the free-agent and trade markets not showing favorable tailwinds, a team desperate for depth down the middle, without paying through the nose, could see Drury as a modestly affordable depth piece.
How much would Drury cost via an offer sheet?
As it stands, Drury is coming off a two-year deal worth $1.725 million AAV. As such, based on his numbers and overall performance, it’s safe to say that the former second-round pick is due for a raise.
A modest pay bump would be about $2.5 million AAV. But what if a team was willing to overpay somewhat and offer Drury something in the $3 to $3.5 million AAV range? That situation could complicate matters for Colorado.
Would the Avalanche be willing to pay their fourth-line center $3 million or more? I can see another team desperate enough to try something like that. But would that sort of price point make sense for Colorado?
If that sort of thing were to happen, the Avalanche would stand to get a second-round pick as compensation for losing Drury. That’s why, if another team wanted to target Drury via an offer sheet, it would cost them a relatively high draft pick.
I suppose a second-rounder wouldn’t be all that bad for the Avalanche. But the club could find itself looking to fill a void should Drury leave.
On that note, there’s one way the Avs could proactively negate the chances of an offer sheet. The Avs could file for salary arbitration. In that event, the filing would prevent any team from extending an offer.
It’s not that the Avalanche and Drury will actually go to arbitration. It would just be a ploy to prevent anyone from potentially horning in.
Ultimately, it would be shocking to see the Avalanche willing to move on from Drury. He’s been a good soldier. Any time a club can get 10 goals out of a fourth-liner, that’s a great thing to have. But all of that would depend on where the organization sees Drury down the line, and whether the price tag lines up with that perception.
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