NHL extension season heats up as Connor McDavid’s Edmonton deal looms, setting the tone for a flurry of conversations across the league. Kaprizov in Minnesota, Eichel in Vegas, and Connor in Winnipeg emerge as top fantasy-watch names as extension talks shape salaries and cap implications. Long mid-term or short-term bets could alter line combos and surrounding value. Rumors about Erik Karlsson to Toronto and Hutson’s looming Montreal extension add further layers for fantasy bettors tracking futures and cap gymnastics.

Watch for Kaprizov’s eight-year proposal around the $120–130 million mark and McDavid’s own deal cadence; both can shift team construction and fantasy upside. Robertson’s RF A status and Dallas’ cap decisions, plus Hutson’s contract trajectory, are key dominoes. Subtle shifts in these contracts can redefine who benefits on offense and who loses a touch of opportunity in 2025+.

Montreal sits about 5 million over the cap, and moving Carey Price’s 10.5M cap hit would unlock space for immediate roster moves and a rash of deadline gambits. If no deal before opening night, Price could land on LTIR, squelching future flexibility and making performance bonuses a peril for callups. Several teams have floated a second-round pick for Price’s deal, but GM Ken Hughes insists Montreal isn’t forced to move him. The market suggests a trade is likely, even if not guaranteed.

Carey Price’s Montreal contract remains a potential trade chip, but LTIR constraints and a sparse buyer pool make a deal unlikely. The chatter surfaces amid broader cap talk, as Kirill Kaprizov and Jack Eichel approach big-money extensions that could reshape teams’ 2025-26 plans. Separate notes touch Milano, Hildeby, and Prokhorov as facets of the NHL CBA landscape, signaling how cap mechanics will guide moves even beyond Price’s situation.

The piece underscores how a Price trade would hinge on LTIR-friendly teams and signing-bonus quirks, with Price still valued on the ice and as a cap asset only if the right scenario arises. Fantasy managers should watch which teams gain LTIR flexibility and how that could affect goaltending depth and cap-shaving opportunities across the league.