The Arizona Coyotes will ink Christian Fischer to a two-year, one-way pact, a source told NHL Network's Craig Morgan.

Arizona issued Fischer a qualifying offer but he didn't accept it by Sunday's deadline of 5 p.m. ET, according to Morgan. However, contract talks continued after the deadline passed.

Fischer is the Coyotes' lone remaining restricted free agent. The 23-year-old is not eligible for salary arbitration.

The 6-foot-2, 214-pound winger collected six goals and three assists while averaging just over 11 minutes in ice time across 56 games with Arizona this past season. It was his third full campaign with the Coyotes, who drafted him 32nd overall in 2015.

Fischer notched a career-high 15 goals across 79 contests in 2017-18 after tallying three goals over seven games in his first taste of NHL action during the previous season. However, he's failed to build on that since, combining for only 17 goals and 27 points in 127 games during the last two campaigns.

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"Jumbo Joe" got some help from another Joe who knows all about leaving Northern California after spending most of his career there.

Joe Thornton said he talked to NFL legend Joe Montana before the veteran NHL forward chose to join the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"Joe gave me some good advice," Thornton told reporters Sunday. "He just talked about leaving San Francisco and going to Kansas City."

The 49ers traded Montana to the Chiefs amid a quarterback controversy in 1993. He played 13 years with San Francisco, guiding the team to four Super Bowl titles. The all-time great suited up for two seasons with Kansas City before retiring in 1995.

Thornton spent nearly 15 of his 22 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, who acquired him from the Boston Bruins in a 2005 trade. Though the Sharks never won a championship, he helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 and the Western Conference Final three other times.

The 41-year-old also said Sunday he signed with the Maple Leafs because he believes they're "ready to win now." He inked a one-year contract with Toronto at the league minimum of $700,000.

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Joe Thornton is hoping to finally see his name etched on the Stanley Cup, and he believes the Toronto Maple Leafs offer the best chance to get him there.

"It's the hardest hockey decision I've ever had to make, but I truly believe with the roster they have, with the guys they picked up this offseason, I think this team is ready to win now. I'm ready to win," Thornton said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

"I need to win a Stanley Cup, and I think this is a great team that can do that," he added.

The 41-year-old has been chasing the Cup throughout his 22 NHL seasons. He lost in the finals once and reached the conference finals on three other occasions. He's amassed 133 points in 179 postseason games.

Thornton is particularly impressed by Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen.

"I love their goalie. I like Freddie a lot," he said. "I think that was a big part of my decision, I think he's a great goalie."

Despite the star power currently on the roster, the Maple Leafs haven't reached the second round of the postseason since 2004.

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Joe Thornton was given the opportunity to continue wearing his No. 19 jersey with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he'll take a new number for the first time in nearly 20 years instead.

Jason Spezza, who wears No. 19 for Toronto, offered it to Thornton after the club signed the 41-year-old. But the former Shark declined, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Spezza said he respects Thornton so much that he had to offer the number. And while he certainly appreciated the gesture, Thornton didn't want to take it away from Spezza.

"I couldn't do that to him," Thornton said. "He really is a special guy."

Thornton will wear No. 97 with the Leafs, a number that he's sported in international play throughout his career. He's the first player in Leafs history to don the number.

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The ball is in Zdeno Chara's court.

The Bruins captain is an unrestricted free agent for the first time since arriving in Boston, and general manager Don Sweeney is willing to let the defenseman take his time in making his decision for the 2020-21 season.

"We have communicated consistently with Zdeno and (agent) Matt Keator," Sweeney said, according to Boston Hockey Now's Joe Haggerty. "We're just waiting for him to initiate what he'd like to do moving forward. I feel very comfortable allowing (the decision-making process) to take the necessary time and let Zdeno make his own decisions along that route."

Chara's agent recently said his client is "looking at all options" in free agency, Haggerty adds.

The 43-year-old has spent the last 14 seasons in Boston, winning a Stanley Cup as captain in 2011. He proved to still be an effective top-four defenseman in 2019-20, averaging 21:01 per game while tallying five goals and nine assists.

After locking up defenseman Matt Grzelcyk on Saturday, the Bruins have $6.65 million in cap space remaining with only forward Jake DeBrusk left to re-sign.

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