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Contract negotiation season is in full swing, and it appears Hunter Miska, will not be a part of the plan with the Arizona Coyotes.
Per a report from The Athletic’s Craig Morgan, the Coyotes will not be offering a qualifying offer to the pending 23-year-old RFA goaltender.
I've mentioned this probability before, but per a source, the Coyotes will not tender a qualifying offer to minor-league Roadrunners goaltender Hunter Mista. With Adin Hill, Merrick Madsen, Ivan Prosvetov and others in the system, Miska didn't have a place in the Coyotes' future.
— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) June 18, 2019
With a deep goaltending prospect pool for the Coyotes — including Adin Hill, who played a considerable amount in the winter, and Merrick Madsen — it would appear Miska has ended up the odd man out.
Should the report hold up, Miska will become an Unrestricted Free Agent on July 1 and will be able to sign with any team.
Miska signed a two-year ELC with the Coyotes in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He served the majority of his contract as a member of the Tucson Roadrunners, as a tandem to Adin Hill.
In his 61-game AHL career, Miska recorded 32 wins, a 2.49 GAA and a .898 save percentage. He played only a single period in the NHL last season, sitting on the back of a 6-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings in November.
With Miska now set to depart, it seems likely Madsen will become the second goaltender in Tucson behind Hill — with Raanta and Kuemper in Glendale, of course.