Tomas Plekanec and Michael Ryder each received qulaifying offers from the Canadiens.
MONTREAL – With the free-agent floodgates set to bust open on July 1, the Canadiens extended qualifying offers to 13 players who were a part of the Habs organization in 2006-07.
By doing so, the Canadiens will have the option to match any offer made to these players should they not reach a deal with Montreal in the coming days, making them restricted free agents as of Sunday. Michael Ryder and Tomas Plekanec, who finished third and sixth in team scoring respectively and trade deadline acquisition Josh Gorges, headline the list of players made up primarily of prospects with limited NHL experience.
Teams were required to extend a one-year qualifying offer to any current restricted free agent by June 25 in order to receive the right of first refusal or draft choice compensation should that respective player sign an offer sheet with another NHL club. The qualifying offers will expire at 5 pm on Sunday, July 15.
Rounding out the list are Yann Danis, defensemen Andrew Archer, Mathieu Biron, Jean-Philippe Cote and forwards Jonathan Ferland, Corey Locke, Duncan Milroy and Cory Urquhart, who all received qualifying offers.
Despite opting to pursue their careers in Europe, Andre Benoit (Finland) and Alexander Perezhogin (Russia) both also received qualifying from the Habs, keeping them as NHL property of the Habs.
