Devils News
Devils Tender Qualifying Offers to Five Players
The New Jersey Devils have tendered qualifying offers to five players, do not qualify Michael McLeod and Cal Foote.

The NHL’s deadline to extend qualifying offers to restricted free agents is on Sunday at 5 P.M. EST. The New Jersey Devils met the deadline by tendering qualifying offers to five players.
General Manager Tom Fitzgerald had eight restricted free agents to decide on this summer including Dawson Mercer, Nolan Foote, Nico Daws, Santeri Hatakka, and Adam Beckman — as well as Michael McLeod and Cal Foote.
The Devils did not qualify Michael Vukojevic.
Additionally, the Devils did not qualify both McLeod and Foote as each has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the NHL following sexual assault allegations stemming from the 2018 Hockey Canada.
New Jersey will renounce their rights and each player will become an unrestricted free agent. They are not expected to receive contracts via free agency.
According to Chris Johnston regarding McLeod and Foote, as well as Dillon Dubé and Carter Hart, “There were discussions between the NHL and NHLPA about potentially changing how the status of those players was treated while the legal process played out, but they ultimately decided against taking that action.”
Per to Puckpedia, “A Qualifying Offer cannot actually be accepted before July 1. If a Qualifying Offer is not accepted, it expires by July 15 unless extended in writing by the team.”
Dawson Mercer is the lone Devils player who will unlikely accept his qualifying offer in favor of negotiating a contract with New Jersey.
Mercer has now played three consecutive, full seasons since being drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft, scoring 131 points in 246 games between 2021 and 2024.
Last season, Mercer scored 20 goals and 33 points, taking a bit of a step back from his 2022-23 production in which he potted 27 goals and 56 points.
According to AFP Analytics, Mercer is projected to receive either a short-term two-year contract with an average annual value worth $3,793,680, or a long-term six-year contract with an AAV worth $6,521,182.
Mercer receiving a qualifying offer gives his camp and the Devils more time to hammer out a new contract. We’ll see where this goes.
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