Today marked the deadline for NHL clubs to extend qualifying offers to restricted free agents and retain their negotiating rights. All the offer does is ensure that the player doesn’t flip to unrestricted free agent status, free to sign with anyone. It does not mean that said players have to agree to the term of the offer extended to them, allowing clubs to go through free agency and sign new additions before negotiating with the RFA class for that season.
The Dallas Stars today qualified six such players: defensemen Julius Honka, Gavin Bayreuther, Niklas Hansson, and Dillon Heatherington; forward Jason Dickinson; and goaltender Landon Bow.