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Canadiens Extend Qualifying Offers to Six Players

By Ryan Praught

TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 8: Rafael Harvey-Pinard #49 of the Montreal Canadiens skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 8, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 7-1.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 8: Rafael Harvey-Pinard #49 of the Montreal Canadiens skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on April 8, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 7-1.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Today was the deadline to extend qualifying offers to RFAs for every organization, and the Canadiens announced six offers. If an RFA is tendered a qualifying offer, they retain their RFA status, and allow the Canadiens to match any offer they may receive in free agency. Players who don’t receive a qualifying offer become UFAs and are free to sign with any organization.

The Canadiens had eight total RFAs and chose to qualify six of them, opting to let Denis Gurianov and Joel Teasdale hit the open market. This doesn’t rule out the possibility of each player returning to Montreal, as we saw with Rem Pitlick last year, but it certainly reduces the likelihood of either player playing in Montreal next season.

The Canadiens extended offers to Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylönen, Lucas Condotta, Mitchell Stephens, Nicolas Beaudin, and the newly Alex Newhook. It’s likely Condotta, Stephens, and Beaudin will play in Laval next year, barring another injury-riddled season.

Mar 20, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Alex Newhook (18) controls the puck in the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Alex Newhook (18) controls the puck in the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

While the qualifying offer can be signed, it’s just a one-year deal. Kent Hughes will likely try and sign the NHLers of this bunch to multi-year contracts, keeping them in Montreal for the foreseeable future. We saw this last year with Kirby Dach when he signed a four-year deal with the Canadiens.

I’m sure the Canadiens have high hopes for Alex Newhook after trading a lot to bring him into the fold, so a long-term deal is likely on the table. But the qualifying offer is an essential part of the process, ensuring they can match offers for him if an offer sheet were to occur. I would say that’s unlikely, but Canadiens fans are no strangers to offer sheets, so who knows for sure what will happen.

Other teams around the league made surprising moves deciding not to qualify some RFAs, walking them to free agency. Quebec native Max Comtois, a possible name the Canadiens could pursue, is one of them. So was Daniel Sprong, who had 46 points and 21 goals in 66 games this year despite averaging just 11 minutes in ice-time per game. Perhaps the Canadiens could look at him as an option as well.

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