Today, the NHL deadline for issuing qualifying articles to RFAs passed at 5pm, and the Washington Capitals made 7 offers. Among those offers include notable Hershey Bears players in Liam O’Brien, Chandler Stephenson, and Travis Boyd.
A qualifying offer can be made to players who will be restricted free agents at the end of their contract. A player can only declare themselves to be a restricted free agent if they have played 7 seasons in league or is over the age of 27. When issued a qualifying offer, a player can either accept it and receive a 1-year contract from the team that qualified them, deny it and become an unrestricted free agent, or wait it out and wait to see if they receive offer sheets from other teams in an attempt to steal the player.
O’Brien, Stephenson, and Boyd have just been offered the qualifying offer and will most likely all accept the offers.
Liam O’Brien is entering his 4th season of professional hockey with 14 NHL games under his belt. In those 14 games, he has recorded 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points. Over the past 3 seasons, he has played primarily with the Bears, putting up 54 points in 168 games. At age 23, the forward reached a career-high in AHL points last season with 30 points in 64 games. In 6 playoff games last year, The 22-year old left winger was unable to record any points.
Stephenson is also entering his 4th professional season. Although he has not recorded any NHL points, he has played 13 total NHL games. Stephenson first played with the Bears on an ATO contract for 2 games in the 2013-14 season. Over the last 3 seasons, he has recorded 81 points in 174 games with the Bears. He recorded a career-high in AHL points last year with 38 in 72 games played. He recorded 5 points in 9 playoff games last year.
Boyd is entering his 3rd season of professional hockey. The 23-year old center improved every year with the University of Minnesota, including a 41-point, 32-game senior year. He joined the Bears on an ATO contract in the 2014-15 season before his 2-year entry-level deal with the Washington Capitals kicked in the following year. With the Bears, Boyd has totaled 118 points in 154 games. He recorded 63 points in 76 games last season. In the playoffs, he scored 8 points in 12 games. He was awarded with a selection to the AHL Second All-Star Team for his efforts in the 2016-17 season.
Darren Dietz and Cody Corbett both did not receive qualifying offers from the Capitals. Dietz recorded only 12 points in 39 games with the Bears this season before being loaned to the Texas Stars. Corbett was acquired at the deadline from the Colorado Avalanche for goaltender Joe Cannata. He did not play a single game with the Bears, instead being sent down to the South Carolina Stingrays.
The Capitals also tendered qualifying offers to Phillip Grubauer, Andre Burakovsky, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Orlov.
Originally published on GNGHockey.com