The Flyers on Monday made expected qualifying offers to restricted free agents Brayden Schenn, Nick Cousins, Brandon Manning, Jordan Weal and Petr Straka.
Qualifying offers must be made to restricted free agents from their respective clubs by the first Monday following the NHL draft. They cannot be accepted before July 1, the start of free agency. If a team does not extend a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent and the player is not eligible for/offered salary arbitration, he becomes unrestricted.
Essentially, qualifying offers, mandatory by this day, officially kick off the negotiation process. Now with a qualifying offer, the restricted free agent must notify their club of an offer from a pursuing team and allow it to match the offer in seven days.
If the prior team does not match an offer, it receives draft compensation from the player’s new club. A qualifying offer expires July 15 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time unless an extended deadline is agreed upon.
It goes without saying that Schenn is the Flyers’ most notable and important restricted free agent.
“I venture to guess that it's not going to be the first thing we get done, but in the end, we'll get it done,” Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said in late April of re-signing Schenn.
Hextall expressed significant interest in bringing back Cousins and Manning, as well.
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Ryan White, an unrestricted free agent, is also a priority for Hextall.
Right wingers Brandon Alderson and Derek Mathers, both RFAs, did not receive qualifying offers. Alderson played 18 games for the Phantoms last season, while Mathers appeared in just three.
