For a few hours at least, unrestricted free agency’s “big fish”, Steven Stamkos, had to share the pond with minnows and guppies.
The restricted group began sorting itself out around the NHL on Monday night when the deadline passed to extend qualifying offers to retain negotiating rights ahead of July 1. The clubs’ offers are either equal or slightly higher than the previous years salary, depending on the pay grid.
Thirty-goal forward Nikita Kucherov was qualified by the Tampa Bay Lightning, as were Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monihan in Calgary, though any player can reject the team’s offer and remain an RFA for the time being.