NHL restricted free agents qualifying offer tracker: Blackwood, Sprong, Bear among notable names set to become UFAs
This is a list of 2023 restricted free agents who were not qualified by their respective teams by Friday’s 5:00 deadline and will hit unrestricted free agency on July 1. As teams fail to qualify more players, the tracker will be updated.
Max Comtois and Julien Gauthier jump out from this list as two guys that can play a bottom-six role on just about any team. They were both highly touted prospects at one point and have the pedigree to figure it out in the NHL with another team. Ethan Bear is a bottom-pair defenseman who plays a solid game, he should be picked up in free agency if teams are comfortable waiting on his projected six-month recovery shoulder surgery.
The Kraken passed up on Daniel Sprong, who had a career-best 21 goals and 46 points this year. He struggled in the playoffs and dealt with an injury, but it was still surprising to see him not reach a deal with Seattle.
Among notable goalies, Mackenzie Blackwood – who the Sharks acquired earlier this week – was not qualified. At his best, he was a top goaltender with the New Jersey Devils, and someone many expected to play a crucial role with Canada’s 2022 Olympic team had NHLers gone. But injuries and inconsistent play shoved him down the Devils’ lineup before he was traded for a sixth-round pick.
Anaheim Ducks: Axel Andersson, Simon Benoit, Maxime Comtois, Olle Eriksson-Ek, Bryce Kindopp, Josiah Slavin.
Arizona Coyotes: Christian Fischer, Cameron Crotty (signed), David Tendeck.
Boston Bruins: Samuel Asselin, Kai Wissmann.
Buffalo Sabres: Tyson Jost, Kale Clague, Matej Pekar.
Calgary Flames: None, all qualified.
Carolina Hurricanes: Jesse Puljujarvi, Dominik Bokk, Stelio Mattheos.
Chicago Blackhawks: Anders Bjork, Austin Wagner, Caleb Jones, Hunter Drew, Maxim Golod, Cameron Hillis.
Colorado Avalanche: Denis Malgin, Ryan Merkley.
Columbus Blue Jackets: None, all qualified.
Dallas Stars: Oskari Laaksonen, Dawson Barteaux, Adam Scheel, Marian Studenic.
Detroit Red Wings: Seth Barton, Klim Kostin, Gustav Lindstrom, Matt Luff.
Edmonton Oilers: None, all qualified.
Florida Panthers: Givani Smith, Colin White, Serron Noel, Max Gildon.
Los Angeles Kings: Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Zack MacEwen, Lias Andersson, Aidan Dudas, Nate Schnarr, Matthew Vilalta, Tobie Bisson, David Hrenak, Jacob Ingham, Taylor Ward (signed).
Minnesota Wild: Damien Giroux, Mason Shaw, Sam Steel.
Montreal Canadiens: Denis Gurianov, Joel Teasdale, Alex Newhook (via Colorado).
Nashville Predators: Rasmus Asplund, Cal Foote, Jimmy Huntington, John Leonard, Markus Nurmi, Isaac Ratcliffe, Tomas Vomacka.
New Jersey Devils: Nathan Bastian, Jesper Boqvist, Michael McLeod, Zach Emond, Jeremy Groleau, Zackary Hayes, Aarne Talvitie, Timur Ibragimov.
New York Islanders: Bode Wilde, Parker Wotherspoon, Blade Jenkins, Collin Adams.
New York Rangers: Libor Hajek, Patrick Khodorenko, Cooper Zech.
Ottawa Senators: Julien Gauthier, Dylan Gambrell, Viktor Lodin, Dylan Ferguson, Jacob Larsson, Jonathan Aspirot.
Philadelphia Flyers: Kieffer Bellows, Wyatt Wylie.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Ryan Poehling, Peter Diliberatore, Joshua Maniscalo, Colin Swoyer.
San Jose Sharks: Mackenzie Blackwood, Jonah Gadjovich, Noah Gregor, Strauss Mann, Evgeny Svechnikov.
Seattle Kraken: Daniel Sprong, Morgan Geekie.
St. Louis Blues: Logan Brown, Dmitri Samorukov, Brady Lyle.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Rudolfs Balcers, Grant Mishmash, Dmitri Semykin.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Mac Hollowell, Filip Král, Victor Mete.
Vancouver Canucks: Ethan Bear, Travis Dermott, Carson Focht.
Vegas Golden Knights: Nolan Patrick, Maxim Marushev, Connor Corcoran.
Washington Capitals: Gabriel Carlsson, Kody Clark.
Winnipeg Jets: Arvid Holm, Alex Limoges, Kevin Stenlund.