The end of the NHL’s 2023-24 season is officially here. With that, plenty of contracts are expiring, and when it comes to restricted free agents, if there is not a deal in place before 5pm ET on June 30, they need to be given a qualifying offer. If they are not, they become unrestricted free agents at 12pm ET on July 1 unless the team and player agree upon a contract. This is every player who did not receive a qualifying offer this year.
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have qualified Jackson Lacombe, Nikita Nesterenko, and Pavol Regenda. The players they did not qualify are:
Max Jones, LW
Max Jones has been an NHL regular for the Ducks for more than four seasons now, but hasn’t yet hit the 20-point threshold. He is a decent fourth-line player, but the Ducks have a number of prospects getting ready to make the jump, as well as the interest in a change of personnel. Jones didn’t add much to the lineup, but will likely land an NHL contract elsewhere.
B.O Groulx, C/RW
B.O Groulx, a former second-round pick by the Ducks, suited up for 45 games in the NHL this season, but only posted a pair of assists. There wasn’t much he was bringing to the table, and as a 24-year-old, there wasn’t much hope for a big jump in his play.
Urho Vaakanainen, LD
Urho Vaakanainen is one of the players that while weren’t qualified, could still sign with the Ducks. He is a good depth defenseman and did well in the Ducks lineup. He isn’t a shut-down player, but has a good two-way game.
Gustav Lindstrom, RD
Gustav Lindstrom has bounced around a bit, and is a player you can plug into the lineup with injuries, but multiple teams have moved on from him already, and the Ducks are going to join that list. He will likely be able to find a two-way deal with a team weak on right-shot depth.
Blake McLaughlin, LW
Blake McLaughlin has found himself bouncing between the American Hockey League (AHL) and ECHL since joining the Ducks organization after leaving the NCAA. There isn’t much of a prospect there anymore. He will probably sign an AHL contract.
Brett Leason, RW
Brett Leason was an NHL regular this season, and with his play on the penalty kill, it is a bit surprising to see him not qualified. He was a solid depth forward for the Ducks and adds some offense from the bottom of the lineup. He shouldn’t have a hard time finding a deal in free agency.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins have qualified Michael Callahan, Marc McLaughlin, Alec Regula, and Jeremy Swayman. The players they did not qualify are:
Jesper Boqvist, C
The Bruins did not qualify Jesper Boqvist, which came as a bit of a surprise. He played 47 games for the Bruins in the 2023-24 season, recording 14 points and providing depth to their lineup. The Bruins have a lot of bottom-six players in their roster, and the acquisition of Vinni Lettieri could be what led to Boqvist’s departure. He played well in the second half of the season and brought speed to the lineup.
Curtis Hall, C
Curtis Hall not being qualified isn’t much of a surprise. A former 2018 draft pick by the Bruins, Hall spent his season between the AHL and the ECHL, and was loaned to the Grand Rapid Griffins for part of the season. There wasn’t much of a path to any NHL games for Hall as a Bruins.
Joey Abate, LW
Joey Abate was not qualified but will remain under an AHL contract with the Providence Bruins. He was a depth forward for Providence this year and scored 13 points in 52 games, while also amassing 132 penalty minutes.
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have qualified Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Peyton Krebs, Beck Malenstyn, and Henri Jokiharju. The players they did not qualify are:
Jacob Bryson, LD
Jacob Bryson played 36 games for the Sabres in 2023-24, and fit in well. Where the issue comes is the lack of space in their lineup. With Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, and Mattias Samuelsson all left-handed, there isn’t any room for Bryson in the NHL, and at 26 years old, there wasn’t going to be any more room for development to get him to that spot.
Riley Stillman, LD
The same things can be said for Riley Stillman as they were for Bryson. Stillman didn’t get into any NHL games this season, and hadn’t been a stand-out player in the AHL either. He has been a bit of a journeyman already, and at 26 years old, there wasn’t a need for the Sabres to keep him around.
Calle Sjalin, LD
Calle Sjalin didn’t play much this year and only played nine games with the Sabres’ AHL affiliate. His play hasn’t developed and had spent time as a healthy scratch for a lot of the AHL season.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames have qualified Adam Klapka, Jakob Pelletier, Ilya Solovyov, Yan Kuznetsov, Cole Schwindt, Nikita Okhotyuk, and Dustin Wolf. The players they did not qualify are:
Dillon Dube, LW
There are four players that needed to be qualified today that are part of the 2018 Team Canada World Junior team that are facing sexual assault charges. Dillon Dube is one of them and was not qualified.
Riley Damiani, C
Riley Damiani was acquired in a minor-league trade at the trade deadline and scored just one goal in his 14 games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. There wasn’t any expectation the Flames would retain his rights, and he was not qualified.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have qualified Dylan Coghlan, Jack Drury, Martin Necas, and Seth Jarvis. The players they did not qualify are:
Maxime Comtois, LW
Maxime Comtois was a strong AHL player for the Chicago Wolves this season, but as he was signed last year by the Hurricanes, they don’t have a strong connection to the player, and with them getting their AHL affiliation back, they want room for their up and coming prospects. This makes sense, and although Comtois only got into one NHL game this year, there was some surprise it wasn’t more.
Griffin Mendel, LD
Griffin Mendel was a signed free agent out of the NCAA, and has spent three years in the AHL. His production hasn’t taken any steps forward, and his defending is no more valuable than a depth player. Again, with the AHL affiliation brought back, there is no more room.
Blake Murray, C
Blake Murray has been a career ECHL player so far, and there wasn’t much reason for the Hurricanes to retain him as one of their contract spots. He had great production in the ECHL on the Allen Americans but hasn’t shown that he can be much more than that so far.
Tuukka Tieksola, RW
Tuukka Tieksola went back to the Liiga this year after a short stint with the Wolves in the AHL in 2022-23. His production wasn’t any better than his rookie season four years ago, and the former fourth-round pick wasn’t showing signs of being a valuable asset to the organization anymore.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have qualified Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier. The players they did not qualify are:
Joey Anderson, RW
Joey Anderson played the most NHL games of his career this season, playing in 55 games and tallying 17 points. His production was decent and while he may still be signed to a contract by the Blackhawks, he didn’t receive his qualifying offer. The team may look to pay less than that offer and keep him around. His AHL production was strong too, scoring 16 points in 14 games.
Jaxson Stauber, G
Jaxson Stauber has struggled to find his footing since joining the Blackhawks organization and playing in the AHL. He had a good six-game stint in the NHL a few years ago, but has struggled since. With a number of young, promising goaltenders in the organization, they needed to move on from one and he was the easy choice.
Filip Roos, LD
Filip Roos is a fine two-way defenseman, but as the Blackhawks gather more and more prospects through the draft, they are going to need room for them to play. Roos isn’t a stand-out player to them and they don’t see a path forward with the player.
Michal Teply, LW
Michal Teply was a middle-six forward in the AHL who scored about half a point per game in each season with the club. At only 23 years old, the Blackhawks could have chosen to keep him, but his development has been stagnant and they decided to move on.
Taylor Raddysh, RW
Taylor Raddysh had an excellent season in 2022-23, but his production fell back down with a more limited role in 2023-24. He was given opportunities but didn’t have the offensive spark he had once shown. He is someone who the Blackhawks could approach for a contract outside of the qualifying offer.
MacKenzie Entwistle, RW
MacKenzie Entwistle was a physical fourth-liner and played his role well for the Blackhawks. He is a replaceable player, but on such a young team his energy won over the fans.
Reese Johnson, C
Reese Johnson played in a rotational role on the fourth line for the Blackhawks. He was often scratched, but when in the lineup wasn’t impactful. He had poor defensive metrics and added little offense.
Colorado Avalanche
The list for the Colorado Avalanche has not been released at this time.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have qualified Jake Christiansen, Jet Greaves, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, and Cole Sillinger. The players they did not qualify are:
Tyler Angle, C
Tyler Angle is a middle-six forward for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and had a two-game appearance in the NHL this season. He is a smaller forward who offers some two-way play, but his best asset is offense, and he wasn’t providing that.
Jake Bean, LD
Jake Bean has been part of the Blue Jackets’ blue line for three seasons and had a strong start. Since then he has struggled to have consistently good play and has fallen down the depth charts. At 26 years old it is hard to say he still has potential, but a change of scenery could bode very well for him.
Marcus Bjork, RD
After signing with the Blue Jackets out of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Bjork looked very promising. His development hasn’t gone much further than from when he was signed and the Blue Jackets have a strong defense group in their pipeline and don’t see a future with him.
Alex Nylander, LW
One of the most interesting players to not be qualified is Alex Nylander. After being acquired at the trade deadline, Nylander played very well in Columbus, scoring 11 goals and 15 points in 23 games. The Blue Jackets gave him ice time and he ran with it. It will be interesting to see where he ends up next season and how he performs.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have qualified Thomas Harley. The players they did not qualify are:
Nils Lundkvist, RD
Less than two years after spending a first-round pick to acquire Nils Lundkvist, the Stars are not qualifying him. He is a right-shot defenseman with good two-way play and scored 19 points in 59 games this season. It is puzzling that they let him walk, but they could revisit the idea of bringing him back.
Sam Steel, C
Sam Steel had a strong season as the Stars’ fourth-line center. In both the regular season and playoffs, Steel was a strong two-way player for them and chipped in offensively. He is expected to receive a contract from the Stars still.
Max Ellis, RW
Max Ellis didn’t spend long with the Stars organization. In the Chris Tanev trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs they acquired his rights and did not qualify him.
Matt Murray, G
Goaltender Matt Murray, and not the one who has a pair of Stanley Cup rings, has not been qualified. He was signed out of the NCAA, had a great start to his pro career, but hasn’t played as well lately and the Stars are moving on.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have qualified Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, Jonatan Berggren, and Joe Veleno. The player they did not qualify is:
Jared McIsaac, LD
Jared McIsaac not being qualified was expected. He fell down the depth chart over the past few seasons to the point that this season he was loaned to the AHL’s Bruins and the Swiss league. He showed promise as a left-shot two-way defenseman, but couldn’t put all the tools together.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have qualified Philip Broberg, Noel Hoefenmayer, James Hamblin, Dylan Holloway, and Raphael Lavoie. The players they did not qualify are:
Carter Savoie, LW
In a bit of a surprising move, the Oilers didn’t qualify Carter Savoie. He is 22 years old, and hasn’t found his offensive games in the AHL yet. He has skills, but just hasn’t put the pieces together.
Ryan Fanti, G
Goaltender Ryan Fanti has been mostly an ECHL goalie in the organization, and the Oilers decided to move on. His stats haven’t been great, but this year he did take a step in the right direction.
LA Kings
The LA Kings have qualified Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev, Jordan Spence, and Erik Portillo. The players they did not qualify are:
Blake Lizotte, C
Blake Lizotte has spend time at the Kings’ fourth-line center and has done well in his role. An influx of NHL-caliber centers made this a difficult decision for the Kings, but after five years in the role, they are going to look at someone else for the role. Lizotte will have no problem finding a new job in the NHL.
Tyler Madden, C
Tyler Madden has been with the Kings’ AHL team for four years and hasn’t shown much progression. His two-way game and offense are fine but have become stagnant in his development. He could get a another shot on a two-way deal, but if not an AHL deal is likely.
Jacob Ingham, G
Jacob Ingham is another goalie who hasn’t found his footing in the AHL. He has bounced around between that league and the ECHL, and he has been a third-stringer on those teams at times. The Kings have better options and no room to be playing him anymore.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have qualified Declan Chisholm, Graeme Clarke, Adam Raska, and Sammy Walker. The players they did not qualify are:
Sam Hentges, C
Sam Hentges had four solid seasons in the NCAA, and in his first pro year, couldn’t keep up in the AHL. He was often a healthy scratch and in the 19 games he suited up for, he only scored three points. There doesn’t seem to be an NHL future for Hentges, so the Wild cut ties to get the best use of their 50 contract slots.
Simon Johansson, RD
Simon Johansson had a fine two years with the Iowa Wild, but his poor defending led to no path forward with the organization.
Hunter Jones, G
Hunter Jones couldn’t get consistently good play in either the AHL or ECHL, and his stats were poor considering the levels of the leagues. With strong goaltending depth, it makes sense to move on from Jones who was a 2019 second-round pick.
Dmitry Ovchinnikov, C
Dmitry Ovchinnikov was acquired at the trade deadline, but was then loaned back to the Toronto Marlies, and didn’t play a single game in the Wild organization. He has some potential, but he wasn’t at the forefront of contract concerns for the Wild.
Mason Shaw, C
Mason Shaw has spent a lot of time on the NHL roster over the past two seasons, and is a good 13th forward, but hasn’t shown enough reason to stick around in the NHL. At 25 years old, he is a fine two-way fourth-line center, but they will look to upgrade on his position.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have qualified Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj. The players they did not qualify are:
Jesse Ylonen, RW
Jesse Ylonen was a second-round pick for the Canadiens, and despite showing good AHL production, wasn’t performing at the NHL level where he was expected to be by now. The Canadiens have a lot of younger prospects that need room to play and amidst their rebuild, have a lot of young assets.
Lias Andersson, C
Lias Andersson was taken on as a project after struggling with other organizations. He performed well in the AHL, but the Canadiens have no ties to him and he isn’t going to help the NHL roster.
Filip Cederqvist, LW
The Canadiens acquired Filip Cederqvist mid-season to help with their depth amidst a number of injuries in their rosters. He was just there to fill in some holes and played fine, but the Canadiens likely never planned to qualify him.
Mattias Norlinder, LD
As is common with rebuilding teams, the Canadiens just have too many prospects. Mattias Norlinder is a fine prospect, but the club has too many defensemen and Norlinder wasn’t a stand-out player and is already deep into his development. They decided it was time to move on and an NHL future was unlikely.
Nashville Predators
The list for the Nashville Predators has not been released at this time.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have qualified Dawson Mercer, Nolan Foote, Santeri Hatakka, Nico Daws, and Adam Beckman. The players they did not qualify are:
Cal Foote, RD
Like Dube, Cal Foote is among the players who were charged and will not be qualified.
Michael McLeod, C
Again, like Dube and Foote, the charges are why Michael McLeod was not qualified.
Michael Vukojevic, LD
Like with the Canadiens, an excess of defensive prospects is why Michael Vukojevic didn’t receive a qualifying offer. He has been fine, but not impressive in the AHL.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders have qualified Dennis Cholowski, Simon Holmstrom, Ruslan Iskhakov, Tyce Thompson, and Oliver Wahlstrom. The player who they did not qualify is:
Related: Islanders Extend Qualifying Offers to Wahlstrom, Holmstrom & Iskhakov
Reece Newkirk, C
Reece Newkirk bounced around between the AHL and ECHL and struggled to produce in either league. His play has not been anything promising and the Islanders saw no future with him in the organization.
New York Rangers
The list for the New York Rangers has not been released at this time.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators have qualified Kevin Mandolese, Shane Pinto, Mads Sogaard, Egor Sokolov, and Lassi Thomson. The players they did not qualify are:
Erik Brannstrom, LD
After struggling in his development, whether it was the player, coach, or management’s fault, Erik Brannstrom will become a free agent. His offense hasn’t transitioned to the NHL, and his defending, while greatly improved, isn’t enough to stick with the Senators.
Related: Senators’ Brannstrom & Kelly Not Qualified, Will Become UFAs
Parker Kelly, LW
Parker Kelly made the NHL in a fourth-line checking role, and while it was a bit surprising he wasn’t qualified, he didn’t bring enough offense or defense to get a qualifying offer from the Senators.
Boris Katchouk, LW
Boris Katchouk was a late-season waiver claim and the Senators did not have any ties to him. He was filling in while the Senators were injured and despite his high-energy game with decent production, the Senators have moved on.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers have qualified Bobby Brink and Egor Zamula. The players they did not qualify are:
Carter Hart, G
The final player to not receive a qualifying offer due to the charges against them in Carter Hart.
Mason Millman, LD
Mason Millman is a depth defenseman who bounced between the AHL and ECHL and didn’t show much in terms of development over the past few years.
Will Zmolek, LD
Will Zmolek was a free agent signing out of the NCAA and hasn’t added much to the Flyers organization. He was a depth defensive option and spent time in the ECHL.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The list for the Pittsburgh Penguins is not available at this time.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks have qualified Egor Afanasyev, Thomas Bordeleau, Brandon Coe, Ty Dellandrea, Ty Emberson, Carl Grundstrom, and Henry Thrun. The players they did not qualify are:
Calen Addison, RD
Calen Addison was acquired by the Sharks and appeared in 60 games for them. He was a solid depth option, but the Sharks are looking to promote some internal players and get them more development. Addison should have no problem finding an NHL contract, even if it is as a seventh defenseman.
Jacob Peterson, C
Jacob Peterson was acquired from the Stars and has been in the Sharks organization for two years. His first year with the club was excellent, including eight points in his first 11 NHL games, but his play fell off drastically and wasn’t where the Sharks needed him to be.
Jack Studnicka, C
Jack Studnicka played 17 games for the Sharks this year and didn’t record a single point. He is a speedy fourth-line center and replaceable. The Sharks didn’t feel they had a reason to qualify him.
Filip Zadina, RW
Filip Zadina was signed in the offseason after being bought out by the Red Wings. He was looking to rejuvenate his career in San Jose with more opportunities but didn’t do that. He scored 23 points this season but didn’t offer any extra elements to his game. He will get signed as a project by another team.
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken has qualified Matty Beniers, Peetro Seppala, and Eeli Tolvanen. The player they did not qualify is:
Kailer Yamamoto, RW
After struggling in the Oilers’ roster, Kailer Yamamoto was signed by the Kraken to try and get more out of the player. He played in the NHL all year and tallied 16 points. He was signed with hope, and he didn’t live up to it. It is no surprise that he wasn’t qualified.
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues have qualified Nikita Alexandrov and Mikhail Abramov. The player that they did not qualify is:
Keean Washkurak, C
A depth center for the Blues’ AHL team, Keean Washkurak was drafted as a smaller skilled player, but didn’t show enough offense in the AHL to keep him around. The Blues were hoping for some spark, but didn’t get it which ultimately led to them letting him go.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have qualified Waltteri Merela, JJ Moser, and Huge Alnefelt. The players they did not qualify are:
Logan Brown, C
Logan Brown was taken in as a project, but missed the entire season due to injury. It is no surprise they are letting him walk.
Felix Robert, C
Felix Robert was a solid middle-six two-way center for the Syracuse Crunch, but didn’t show enough development over his three years in the AHL to warrant a qualifying offer. He is a good AHL player, but doesn’t seem to have much of an NHL future.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have qualified Nick Robertson, Alex Steeves, Conor Dewar and Timothy Liljegren (Liljegren signed a two-year deal). The player they did not qualify is:
Noah Gregor, C/LW
Noah Gregor is a speedy player, and did well with the Leafs’ organization. He is a replaceable player and the Leafs weren’t using him in a big role. He provided quality depth in the lineup, but they have a lot of moving pieces and didn’t need to keep him around.
Utah Hockey Club
The Utah Hockey Club has qualified Barrett Hayton, Jan Jenik, Milos Kelemen, Curtis Douglas, and Victor Soderstrom. They qualified all of their RFAs.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have qualified Artus Silovs. The players they did not qualify are:
Aidan McDonough, LW
After joining the Canucks organizations, McDonough didn’t provide much in the AHL. He was called upon for six NHL games, but outside of that, he didn’t add much to their depth.
Filip Johansson, RD
Filip Johansson was a first-round pick by the Wild but spent a lot of time in the SHL, and his game did not translate as well to the AHL with the Canucks as hoped.
Nick Cicek, LD
Nick Cicek is a two-way defenseman who couldn’t find his way into a consistent top-four spot in the AHL. The Cancuks decided to move on from him.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights have qualified Pavel Dorofeyev and Kaedan Korczak. The players they did not qualify are:
Akira Schmid, G
Right after acquiring Akira Schmid, the Golden Knights did not qualify him. He is a very promising young goalie, and the expectation is another deal will be worked out between him and the club.
Ivan Morozov, C
Ivan Morozov played one year in the AHL before returning to the KHL. He had a strong season in Russia, but the Golden Knights may not see him returning to the NHL, and did not qualify him to retain his rights.
Mason Primeau, C
Mason Primeau struggled to produce in the AHL and ECHL. He doesn’t have much to his game outside of decent two-way play, and there isn’t an NHL future for him.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals have qualified Connor McMichael, Ethen Frank, Riley Sutter, Alex Limoges, Hardy Haman Aktell, and Mitchell Gibson. They qualified all of their RFAs.
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets have qualified Ville Heinola, Simon Lundmark, Logan Stanley, David Gustafsson, and Cole Perfetti. The players they did not qualify are:
Oskari Salminen, G
Oskari Salminen had a promising start to his career in Europe, but once making the transition to North America, he struggled on the smaller ice surface. The Jets have a number of goaltending prospects, and didn;t have the room or need for Salminen anymore.
