The Sharks have issued qualifying offers to four of their restricted free agents.
Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto, Dylan DeMelo and Ryan Carpenter were all qualified by the club, while forward Jeremy Morin, acquired from the Maple Leafs as part of the deal for James Reimer on Feb. 27, was among the players not qualified and will therefore become an unrestricted free agent.
The 22-year-old Hertl is due for a sizable raise on his just-expired entry-level contract that paid him $925,000 annually. The former 17th overall pick in the 2012 draft has 102 points in 200 career NHL games (49g, 53a), including a stellar second half this season in which he thrived on the left wing with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski on the Sharks’ top line.