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One young player who is noticeably absent from the list of pending RFAs who have cashed in with massive extensions this summer is San Jose Sharks 21-year-old top-liner Will Smith. The burgeoning star was the 4th overall selection in the famed 2023 NHL Draft. Somehow, while the three bigger-named players above him have all scored huge new contracts, Smith remains unsigned heading into the final year of his entry-level deal this season. According to insider Elliotte Friedman , on The Fan Hockey Show podcast, perhaps the Sharks were waiting to see more from Smith before they committed the big, monstrous money. In particular, before the new CBA kicked in, eliminating eight-year contracts. To me, and someday I'll get to the bottom of it, but I think it's really interesting that it didn't get done before the rules changed. And you know what that says to me?... It says to me that San Jose wasn't yet 100% convinced. Perhaps the Sharks' season-opening 4-3 overtime win over the Florida Panthers will help "convince" them. Smith had two goals and an assist. WILL SMITH, FED BY MACKLIN CELEBRINI. WE MIGHT GET USED TO THIS COMBO 🤑🤑🤑 pic.twitter.com/hQOtVyP1rV — PUCK’D Media (@PUCKD_) October 2, 2026 As for the comparables, it's pretty easy to make a case for what Smith can command on a new deal. Will Smith's comparables are obvious as pending RFA remains unsigned for Sharks The No. 1 pick in that 2023 draft class, Connor Bedard, signed for five years, $15M AAV. The No. 2 pick, Leo Carlsson, unless you've been living under a rock for the summer, everyone knows about his $18M AAV over five years. And No. 3 in that draft? Adam Fantilli just came in at six years, $13.75M. As for Smith, he's coming off a season with numbers that were actually better than Fantilli's. The same 24 goals and 59 points, but in 69 games, compared to Fantilli's 82 games played. And it's not like the Sharks are afraid to spend the money. They handed superstar Macklin Celebrini an $18.8M AAV over five years on an extension that kicks in next year. And they spent this offseason on other parts of the roster as well, signing Jacob Trouba for $8.25M and bringing in Darnell Nurse via trade at $9.25M. They also signed Mason Marchment at a $6.75M AAV. They were fortunate to get those moves in before the Carlsson salary explosion changed everything. But Smith is off to another great start as Celebrini's "sidekick", and he will get paid. It's not hard to imagine how much, either. After seeing what his contemporaries got, it's safe to say that the young Sharks forward can smell blood in the water. And the longer the Sharks wait, the higher that price is going to go.

Today’s college football slate features the Pittsburgh Pathers facing off against the Virginia Tech Hokies in this exciting ACC showdown.

The Nunavut Sport Federation will induct its hall of fame’s inaugural class this weekend at the Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit.

Pete DeBoer is counting on Casey Cizikas' line to play double-digit minutes and produce offense.

Sergei Bobrovsky, Toronto’s new starting goalie acquired via unrestricted free agency this offseason, stepped onto the ice right before McKenna.

The ‘rookie lap’ has become a tradition in the NHL. Typically, a first-year player making his NHL debut will be allowed to step onto the ice for pre-game warmups all by himself, taking a lap around his team’s end of the rink while receiving an ovation from the fans before his teammates take the ice to join him.

According to a team announcement, the Nashville Predators have assigned defenseman Ryan Ufko to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Nashville did not make a corresponding roster move, leaving their active roster with 22 players.

We’re just days into the NHL’s 2026-27 season, and we have already seen one of hockey’s rarest feats. New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin scored a goal near the end of Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming the first netminder in Rangers history to score and just the 18th goalie in NHL history to do it.

The New Jersey Devils will be without defenseman Seamus Casey for the foreseeable future as they look ahead to their second game of the season against

Positive news for a talented team in the Eastern Conference. When speaking to reporters on Friday, Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced that defenseman Olen Zellweger has been cleared to return to action.

The 2027 NHL Entry Draft is already generating plenty of attention, especially with hype beginning to build around some of the top names in the class. For the Montreal Canadiens, however, the interesting part of the draft will extend well beyond the players expected to go at the very top.

Alex DeBrincat says the Red Wings have to show up on time with the Rangers two games in. #RedWings