On Wednesday July 1st, the ECHL announced all players who received a qualifying offer for every team in the league. The Newfoundland Growlers had four players on the list.
Although a qualifying offer is not a signing, it ensures that players that receive one cannot play for another club for one season, unless their rights are traded. Players signed to contracts before June 30th do not need to receive an offer. The only signing as of yet is Newfoundland native and team captain James Melindy.
All teams are allowed to protect the rights to a maximum of eight players in which at most, four of those can be veterans. Players on open qualifying offers are not permitted to be traded.
All qualifying offers are open to be accepted until July 16th when it becomes void. That team may sign the qualified player to any salary or make take no further action. Squads that send a qualifying offer to a non-veteran player will hold the rights to that certified player for one playing season.
If a veteran or goaltender who has played more than 180 games of professional hockey does not sign a contract by July 16th, they shall be deemed a restricted free agent who is not permitted to be traded. Restricted free agents are permitted to seek other contract offers from other hockey clubs.
When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team that does not hold their rights and agrees to accept the contract offer, the player and the offering team must, within 24 hours, notify the league, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. The team with the player’s rights will have a week after the date they are notified to match the contract offer.
When a restricted free agent is not signed to an offer sheet or contract by a team in the ECHL by August 1st, the player will then be deemed an unrestricted free agent.
Who Made The Cut?
Behind the Atlanta Gladiators with three, the Growlers extended qualifying offers to the least amount of players with four. These players who received qualifying offers for the upcoming season are listed below:
Goaltender: Parker Gahagen: 1.81 GAA and a .939 SVS% in 15 games.
Defenceman: Evan Neugold: Nine goals, 18 assists, 22 penalty minutes and a +20 in 53 games.
Forward: Mark Tremaine: One assist and a +1 in five games.
Forward: Dylan Vander Esch: Eight goals, nine assists, 11 penalty minutes and a +11 in 31 games.
Three players from the season-ending roster were left off of this list by the Growlers. James Melindy was signed to a contract on the same day, so therefore, it is unnecessary for Newfoundland to include him. Forward Todd Skirving and defensemen Garrett Johnston have been omitted.