Several restricted free agents were not issued qualifying offers by Friday's 5 p.m. ET deadline, making them eligible to sign anywhere when the market opens Saturday at noon.
Here's a group of notable players whose sudden availability has added a new layer of intrigue to this weekend's free-agent frenzy. The entire list can be accessed here.
| Player | Position | Team | QO price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Comtois | F | ANA | $2.45M |
| Christian Fischer | F | ARI | $1.13M |
| Tyson Jost | F | BUF | $2.25M |
| Jesse Puljujarvi | F | CAR | $3M |
| Caleb Jones | D | CHI | $1.35M |
| Klim Kostin | F | DET | $787K |
| Colin White | F | FLA | $1.2M |
| Sam Steel | F | MIN | $866K |
| Denis Gurianov | F | MTL | $2.9M |
| Nathan Bastian | F | NJ | $750K |
| Jesper Boqvist | F | NJ | $917K |
| Michael McLeod | F | NJ | $1M |
| Libor Hajek | D | NYR | $840K |
| Rasmus Asplund | F | NSH | $920K |
| Cal Foote | D | NSH | $997K |
| Julien Gauthier | F | OTT | $840K |
| Ryan Poehling | F | PIT | $787K |
| Evgeny Svechnikov | F | SJ | $787K |
| Mackenzie Blackwood | G | SJ | $3.36M |
| Noah Gregor | F | SJ | $997K |
| Morgan Geekie | F | SEA | $1.4M |
| Daniel Sprong | F | SEA | $787K |
| Ethan Bear | D | VAN | $2.2M |
| Travis Dermott | D | VAN | $1.75M |
| Nolan Patrick | F | VGK | $1.4M |
Puljujarvi, the Edmonton Oilers' No. 4 pick in 2016, was unable to get his career on track after being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. He failed to score in 24 games (regular season and playoffs) with the Canes and was even a healthy scratch at times in the postseason despite the team's injuries.
Gurianov, the 12th pick in the 2015 draft, has mostly been a bust to this point. He enjoyed one 20-goal season in 2019-20 but managed just 17 points in 66 games this season between the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens.
Hajek was a key part of the return in the trade that sent Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018. He never reached his potential in New York, though, appearing in just 33 games over the last two campaigns for the Rangers.
The Canucks passed on retaining Bear and Dermott, who are both just 26. Bear played a top-four role this season but suffered a shoulder injury while playing for Canada at the World Championship and is out six months as of mid-June. Injuries limited Dermott to just 28 games across parts of two seasons in Vancouver after the club surrendered a third-round pick for him in March 2022.
The Coyotes are working to sign Fischer, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, while the Devils announced they will try to sign their trio at a lower cost.
(Cap source: CapFriendly)
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