Approaching every NHL offseason, pundits and fans speculate over which restricted free agents could receive an offer sheet from a rival club.
Once a fairly common occurrence in the pre-salary cap days, an offer-sheet signing rarely takes places nowadays. The last occurred in 2013 when then-Colorado Avalanche center Ryan O’Reilly agreed to a contract with the Calgary Flames, which the Avs quickly matched.
Since 2005-06, only eight players have signed offer sheets. All but one (Dustin Penner in 2007) were matched. As a result, most NHL general managers tend to view them as a waste of time.