Offer Sheet
To obtain a promising, loveable, still-young RFA, the Avs would have to do something they have never done before: provide a player with an offer sheet. While the Avs have twice matched an offer sheet (first, matching the New York Rangers' offer to Joe Sakic in 1997 and second, matching the Calgary Flames' offer to Ryan O'Reilly in 2013), they've never been the team trying to obtain an RFA from another team.
An offer sheet is complex, and they aren't often utilized in today's NHL; It is a standard player contract (SPC) offered from one team (New Club) to an RFA player on another team (Prior Club). If the player who receives the offer sheet decides to sign it, the Prior Club — the team that has the player's rights — has seven days to match the offer from the New Club. If the Prior Club is either unwilling or unable to match the offered SPC, the player's rights transfer to the New Club, who must then fulfill the proposed offer.
As compensation for essentially pilfering another team's roster, Team B must then provide Team A with at least one draft pick if the pilfered player's SPC is more than $1.544mil AAV; the exact requirements are determined by the player's value. This season's offer sheet tiers were recently announced by the NHL:
Offer Sheet Figure (AAV) | Compensation |
|---|---|
≥ $11,700,193 | - 1st Round Pick (4) |
$9,360,154 - $11,700,192 | - 1st Round Pick (2) |
$7,020,114 - $9,360,153 | - 1st Round Pick (1) |
$4,680,077 - $7,020,113 | - 1st Round Pick (1) |
$2,340,038 - $4,680,076 | - 2nd Round Pick (1) |
$1,544,425 - $2,340,037 | - 3rd Round Pick (1) |
≤ $1,544,424 | - N/A |
Geekie's contract will fall within the $4,680,077 - $7,020,113 threshold, which means the Avs will be on the hook for a first and a second-round pick just to get the rights to sign Geekie to a contract. It's a lot to offer, which is why they aren't utilized very often.
The most recent example of an offer sheet is from last offseason. The St. Louis Blues tendered an offer sheet to both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway of the Edmonton Oilers, and it paid dividends for the Blues, as both Broberg and Holloway became integral components of the Blues lineup. It doesn't always pan out, though, which is another reason they are rare.
In the specific, hypothetical case of the Avs pursuing Geekie, if they even believe that an offer sheet could work, it would imply that they also believe the Bruins wouldn't match the offer sheet, which is almost unconscionable, but one never knows unless they try. It would be worth the risk to add someone like Geekie into a lineup in need of some long-term, team-friendly stability, but the Avs may have to sweeten the deal even further to convince the Bruins to let Geekie walk. This is where a sign-and-trade would become necessary.