Oliver Moore at $4.25 million buys Chicago every RFA year

The number: 3.7%. That's the share of a $113.5 million ceiling that Oliver Moore's new $4.25 million cap hit will occupy when it kicks in next season. For a 21-year-old center Chicago expects to anchor its middle six, that's a fair price that leans toward the team. The term is more deliberate than it looks.

Moore signed a five-year, $21.25 million extension on Thursday, a deal Elliotte Friedman reported first. He's playing out the final year of his entry-level contract at $941,667. The new money starts in 2027-28 and runs through 2031-32.

What the five years actually buy

Moore was born in January 2005, which means he'll be 27 when this contract expires in the summer of 2032. That's unrestricted free agency.

So Chicago didn't purchase a single free-agent year. It bought every remaining restricted season, arbitration eligibility included, at a flat cap hit. Functionally, it's a long bridge rather than a long-term commitment.

That's the correct shape for where Moore is. He produced five goals and 19 points in 51 games last season while averaging 12:51 of ice time. That profile says speed and a relentless motor. It isn't yet a scoring line you can price off. Paying him like a top-six center today would mean buying a résumé he hasn't written.

The structure deserves a sentence as well. The salary is front-loaded, $5.25 million in year one declining to $3.75 million in the final season. There are no signing bonuses. Modest actual dollars late in a contract make a player considerably easier to trade, and Chicago kept that option available.

The comparables

Two recent deals define this market, and Moore lands between them.

Frank Nazar, Chicago's own, signed for seven years at $6.6 million in August 2025, also at 21. Nazar had demonstrated more offense, so Moore coming in roughly $2.35 million cheaper and two years shorter is the production difference, priced honestly.

Ville Koivunen signed in Pittsburgh for eight years at $4 million this August, at 23, after 47 NHL games and 14 points. That's similar money for a similar résumé; the distinction is that Pittsburgh purchased unrestricted years and Chicago deliberately didn't.

Sign him now or wait

The argument for signing now is the familiar one. A young player's price climbs with every productive season and every increase in the ceiling. A 35- or 40-point year would have walked Moore into arbitration next summer on a considerably larger cap.

The argument for waiting was legitimate, too. It's only 60 career games. Jeff Blashill's own evaluation to the Chicago Sun-Times was candid: "He's a puck hunter," adding that Moore is still "learning to have the calmness with the puck."

Kyle Davidson chose the discount over another year of information. With Connor Bedard already signed at five years and $75 million, knowing precisely what the next center costs carries genuine planning value.

Moore, for his part, told the Sun-Times, "I wish I could sign for 15 years." His agent may want a word.

Contract card: Oliver Moore, CHI

• Term: 5 years, 2027-28 through 2031-32 (UFA in 2032)

• AAV: $4.25 million; total $21.25 million

• Structure: front-loaded salary ($5.25M in year one to $3.75M in year five), no signing bonuses

• Cap hit share: 3.7% of the $113.5M ceiling in 2027-28

• Comparables: Frank Nazar, CHI, 7 years at $6.6M (signed at 21, 2025) · Ville Koivunen, PIT, 8 years at $4M (signed at 23, 2026)

• Verdict: fair, leaning team-friendly. It buys restricted years only, so Chicago carries little risk on the back end.

What I'd watch

His position. A $4.25 million third-line center is a good contract, while a $4.25 million fourth-line winger is one Chicago will be explaining in year three. Training camp and the first 20 games will tell us which one this becomes.