Justin Schultz has been made available on the open market.
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has declined to extend the $3.9-million qualifying offer required to protect Schultz's rights, making the puck-moving defenseman an unrestricted free agent July 1.
The Penguins could still retain Schultz at a more suitable price on the open market, but will have to compete with other teams and offers.
Schultz, 25, was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers for a third-round pick before the trade deadline. He appeared in 15 postseason games, including all six in the Stanley Cup Final.
After a postseason where a number of young goaltenders stole the spotlight, it's hard to imagine that many teams will be looking to give up on their young netminders this summer.
But with a number of restricted free agents due for a raise next season, some teams may be willing to move one of their goalies via trade - while hoping they don't become the next Martin Jones.
After Mike Smith was forced out of the lineup following core muscle surgery in December, Domingue kept the Coyotes' early-season playoff aspirations alive into the new year, earning Rookie of the Month honors in January after posting a 6-3-2 record with a .925 save percentage.
Despite a significant dip in form the rest of the season, the 24-year-old should be eyeing a one-way deal for next season. New general manager John Chayka is more likely than not to re-sign Domingue as a backup - unless he seeks an upgrade from elsewhere.
Darcy Kuemper
After Devan Dubnyk was rewarded with a six-year contract last offseason, Kuemper's future with the Wild looked increasingly uncertain, and GM Chuck Fletcher has gone on to say that trading the 26-year-old will be considered during the offseason.
While he is yet to prove he can hold down a starting job - never appearing in more than 31 games - Kuemper may be a more affordable option for teams eyeing a new backup. The netminder has already received a qualifying offer from the Wild after making $1.5 million last season.
Petr Mrazek
The least likely to move out of the listed netminders, Mrazek solidified himself as the goaltender of the future in Motown, forcing Jimmy Howard and his remaining three years and $15 million of his contract onto the trade block.
Mrazek's 27 wins led all RFA goaltenders, and the 24-year-old received Vezina consideration early in the season. His contract length and value may depend on the team's ability to move Howard, but the Red Wings are in a much better financial situation after moving Pavel Datsyuk's contract to Arizona.
Calvin Pickard
With almost $18 million committed to Semyon Varlamov over the next three seasons, the Avalanche face a tough decision after Pickard posted a .929 save percentage over the final three months of the season.
The 24-year-old recently won gold with Canada at the World Championship, allowing just one goal over a pair of starts, and he may follow in Canadian teammate Cam Talbot's footsteps this summer, in being rewarded with a starting job after an offseason trade.
Brodziak appeared in 76 games for St. Louis last season, chipping in seven goals, including three shorthanded, and 11 points.
The bottom-six center also appeared in 20 postseason games.
Brodziak is the second low-profile free agent the Blues signed last summer able to parlay a modest investment into a multi-year tenure. Scottie Upshall agreed to a one-year agreement last week after making last year's squad on a professional tryout.
Miller was reduced to 28 games with a torn meniscus, finishing his seventh season with the Red Wings with just one goal and one assist.
With the Red Wings in transition, and more and more young talent coming into the system, the fourth-line forward and reliable penalty killer will be counted on to provide those stabilizing ancillary contributions.
Detroit retains almost $18 million in available cap space with Pavel Datsyuk's contract being housed in Arizona.
The Toronto Maple Leafs netminder, who has settled for a pair of short-term contracts since his acquisition three years ago, admitted Monday that he didn't anticipate management's eagerness to invest so decisively in incoming partner Frederik Andersen.
"I wasn't surprised on the trade to get another goalie," Bernier told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "I was expecting it obviously with the season I had last year. I'm sure I put some doubts in a lot of people's minds. That's the business, right? You got to win and you got to prove that you're consistent and you're a good goalie to stay in this league. So I wasn't surprised.
"Maybe a little surprised on the long-term contract, but that's the way it works."
Andersen secured a reported five-year, $25-million deal, and was labeled the No. 1 starter by general manager Lou Lamoriello almost instantly after his acquisition from the Anaheim Ducks.
With one year remaining on his contract though, Bernier hasn't yet put one foot out the door.
"I will be ready. It's not something where because of the trade I'm bitter or anything like that. It actually pushed me harder to come ready. I want to play as many games as possible. Obviously I can't control how many I will, but if I play well and I win, at least I'm doing my job."
Bernier had a tragic start to his tenure under Mike Babcock, helping secure one point for the Maple Leafs through his first nine starts. He was, however, relatively effective over the final four months, stopping pucks at a .920 clip.
He told LeBrun that he hasn't spoken to Leafs management since his exit meeting.
It will cost the Canucks a little more than $833,333 for the next two seasons to shed Higgins, who's entering the final season of his four-year contract, but the transaction will see them retain $1.66 million to spend this season.
Higgins cleared waivers last season, allowing for Vancouver to bury him in the minors for a large portion of the season.
He was recalled in March, and finished the year with three goals and one assist in 33 games.
Should Higgins clear and be bought out of his contract, he will be free to sign on with another club while continuing to receive payment from the Canucks.
Vancouver can be well involved in the free-agent market this summer with more than $10 million in available cap space.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Predators have signed forward Filip Forsberg to a six-year, $36 million contract, locking up one of their brightest young stars long term.
Forsberg will make $6 million each of the next six seasons. Under term...
The pending free-agency period once again opens doors for one of the league's most rare and exciting of transactions: the offer sheet.
This season's crop of restricted free agents is strong and with that, the idea of forcing a team's hand and plucking a player from another team's roster once again arises.
It appears almost impossible that the team will be able to reel in all of these players. A decent-sized contract might either force the Lightning to let Kucherov go or agree to a deal, which in turn could free up one of their many RFAs or UFAs.
Seth Jones
Seth Jones is coming off his entry-level contract and is due for a raise.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have just over $3 million in cap space, according to GeneralFanager.com, and have restricted free agent William Karlsson to deal with along with Jones. On top of that, if the draft goes as expected, the Blue Jackets will also need to sign their first-round pick (likely forward Jesse Puljujarvi).
Forward Scott Hartnell has reportedly given the club a list of teams in which he's willing to waive his no movement clause - which could free up some money - but if not, the club could be in tough to ink Jones to a contract.
Chris Kreider
Sportsnet's John Shannon surprised many at this weekend's draft by suggesting the New York Rangers could be among many NHL clubs vying for Steven Stamkos in the coming week.
In order to make a run at the Lightning captain, the Rangers must shed salary.
Given such a predicament and with that possibility in mind, a team could use that as a prime time to offer sheet pending restricted forward Chris Kreider.
Kreider is one of four restricted free-agents alongside J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, and Dylan McIlrath that the team must contend with. The Rangers currently have just seven forwards under contract from last season's roster and will need to fill out positions.
Kreider - at just 25 years of age - has hit back-to-back 21-goal campaigns and at the right price could be too costly for the Rangers, if they are indeed serious about Stamkos.
Tomas Hertl
Tomas Hertl is coming off his most productive season since his impressive, yet injury-plagued rookie campaign.
The 22-year-old hit the 20-goal mark for the first time and added 25 assists for 46 points. While his production was not as high as some have come to expect since he stepped into the league, he has proven to be more than just a one-trick pony, playing a strong all-around game.
With many roster spots to be filled and only so much cap to do so, an offer sheet could be too much juggling for Doug Wilson.
However, interested teams must act fast as TSN's Bob McKenzie reported this week, the Sharks have begun preliminary talks with Hertl on a team deal.
Mike Hoffman
While the Ottawa Senators boast a lot of cap room to get a deal done with Mike Hoffman, it could be the club's ownership that creates the biggest hurtle.
The Senators have roughly $17.5 million in cap space with Cody Ceci as the only other restricted free agent who could attract a sizable contract.
However, Hoffman's last contract showed that management is wary of committing to the 26-year-old despite his goal-scoring prowess. Ownership has also made it clear that it's not willing to spend to the cap and a decent-sized contract could do that.
So, depending on how strict ownership sticks to that, Hoffman might be worth offer sheeting.
The Nashville Predators locked up dynamic restricted free agent forward Filip Forsberg with a six-year contract extension worth $36 million, the team announced Monday.
Forsberg, 21, who will earn a flat base salary for the next six seasons, does not have opportunities for bonuses, and is without no-movement conditions built into his agreement.
"Filip is among the most skilled, dynamic talents we've ever had in the organization and is an integral part of our success for the next six years and beyond," Predators general manager David Poile stated via team release.
"While we have already seen his creativity, hockey sense and puck skills, he has yet to reach the peak of his abilities. We have full confidence that he will continue to blossom into one of the top players in the world."
A back-to-back 60-plus-point scorer in the last two seasons, his first full years in the NHL, Forsberg has not just produced team-best numbers, but at a top-25 rate NHL-wide.
Forsberg followed his breakout 2014-15 campaign with 33 goals - matching a single-season franchise record - in the final year of his entry-level deal. He also led Nashville with 64 points, matching Max Pacioretty, Kyle Okposo, and Steven Stamkos for 24th in league scoring.
He now stands to earn the most among Predators forwards over the next six seasons, and will net the team's third-highest average annual salary behind Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne.
The Predators, meanwhile, have purchased the young Swede's prime years at a reasonable price point. They now have a little more than $7 million remaining in cap space with a few outstanding depth players to retain.
A number of NHL forwards may be on the brink of signing their first big-ticket contracts this summer.
While eyes will almost certainly be on the unrestricted free-agent market, many high-end talents will hit restricted free agency. While offer sheets are seemingly a thing of the past, this season's top-10 restricted free agents at the very least make the idea worth pondering.
Here are those players:
Johnny Gaudreau
Johnny Gaudreau improved on his stellar rookie campaign, falling just one point shy of a point per game, with 78 points in 79 games. He hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career, while leading his club in the category.
He also proved his worth by leading the Calgary Flames with six game-winning goals, and paced the team in playoff scoring in 2014-15 with four goals and nine points in 11 games.
Nathan MacKinnon
The first overall pick in 2013 remains one of the most dynamic players in the league.
While Nathan MacKinnon's offensive output has dropped since his stellar rookie campaign, it's a trend the Colorado Avalanche have seen as a whole.
Colorado has seen its goals per game go from fourth in 2013-14 (2.99 G/PG) to 23rd in 2014-2015, and finished just 20th this season. That aside, MacKinnon remains one of the speediest forwards in the game, and boasts a wicked release.
Not to mention his 10 points in seven games in his lone taste of playoff hockey. He will be a cornerstone player with the club for years to come.
Mike Hoffman
After leading the Ottawa Senators with 27 goals in his first season, management signed Mike Hoffman to a prove-you-can-do-it-again contract last offseason - and he did.
For a second straight year, Hoffman paced the Senators with 29 goals while hitting a career-high 59 points. After making $2 million last season, the 26-year-old can expect a pay increase this time around.
Jaden Schwartz
Jaden Schwartz has gained the trust of the St. Louis Blues. General manager Doug Armstrong's reference to Schwartz's next contract as priority No.1 for the organization this summer suggests as much.
The 23-year-old was limited to just 33 games this season, but managed a respectable 22 points. However, he returned to his productive ways in the postseason, finishing tied for third on the team - one point behind Vladimir Tarasenko and Robby Fabbri - with 14 points.
He is also just one year removed from a career season that saw him post 28 goals and 63 points in 75 games.
Sean Monahan
Johnny Gaudreau isn't the only big fish the Flames will have to retain.
Sean Monahan also enters restricted free agency after netting a team-high 58 goals over the past two seasons.
The 21-year-old has made a seamless transition into the NHL since being drafted in the first round in 2013. He has scored no-fewer than 22 goals in each of his first three seasons. Don't be surprised if he's locked up long term.
Filip Forsberg
If the Washington Capitals could do things over, they would like to be the ones negotiating with Filip Forsberg on his next contract.
The Nashville Predators forward is coming off back-to-back seasons where he led his team in scoring, with 63 and 64 points respectively.
The 21-year-old turned in his first 30-goal campaign this season, pairing with teammate James Neal to be the first Predators since the 2009-10 season to hit the 30-goal plateau.
The 22-year-old made just over $700,000 in 2016, but after amassing a combined 41 points in 43 games over the last two postseasons, he is proving to be an incredible playoff performer. To help his cause, Kucherov also led the team in scoring this season, coming off his first 30-goal campaign.
The only argument likely to be used by the team to keep the money number low is his small sample size. He could also be prime offer-sheet material.
Kyle Palmieri
Kyle Palmieri might be the most worthy of pay increase on the list.
The 25-year-old, who had a cap hit of $1,466,666 in 2016, exploded in his first season with the New Jersey Devils. Palmieri scored more goals than his previous two seasons combined, lighting the lamp 30 times and amassing 57 points - 26 more than his previous career-high.
After finishing 30th with 2.22 goals per game this season, Palmieri's value to the Devils is unquestionably high.
Brayden Schenn
After managing just seven points through the first 18 games of the season, Brayden Schenn rallied to have a career-year in 2016.
The Philadelphia Flyers forward set career-highs in goals, assists, points, power-play goals, and power-play points. He had his second 20-goal campaign, finding the back of the net 26 times while adding 33 helpers.
If his value to the Flyers wasn't obvious, he also shared the team lead with five game-winning goals this season.
After combining for just 28 goals in is first two seasons in the league, the club's 2011 first-round pick went off in 2015-16, finding the back of the net 29 times and setting a career mark with 61 points in 71 games.
The 23-year-old led the Jets with seven power-play goals, and further proved his worth at the World Championship, where he contributed four goals and nine points in nine games en route to capturing gold for Canada.
