The New York Rangers re-signed former first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière to a two-year extension worth $4.6 million on August 23, 2023. Interestingly, the negotiations went deep into the summer since the Rangers’ season ended on May 1, 2023.
Of course, free agency didn’t begin until July 1, 2023, but it’s worth noting that Lafrenière was available for an offer sheet for 53 days. Now, as a former first-overall pick, he became just the third skater in the last ten seasons to head into the summer as a restricted free agency.
Historically, after his entry-level deal expired at the end of the 2015-16 season, Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) signed a new agreement on July 8, 2016, seven days after free agency opened.