Coyotes issue qualifying offers to Crouse, Hayton, and Kořenář

Qualifying offers for restricted free agents are due today, and the Arizona Coyotes have issued qualifying offers to three of their pending restricted free agents. Per the team’s PR department, the team has given qualifying offers to Lawson Crouse, Barrett Hayton, and Josef Kořenář.

Christian Fischer, Kyle Capobianco, Cam Dineen, and Cole Hults are also pending restricted free agents and will become unrestricted free agents.

Lawson Crouse has played 346 games since being acquired from the Florida Panthers. Last season he set career highs in goals (20) and points (34) in 65 games before being sidelined with an injury.

Barrett Hayton played his first entire season with the Arizona Coyotes since being fifth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In 60 games this season, he had 10 goals and 14 assists.

Josef Kořenář is perhaps the biggest surprise. He spent most of the season in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners, appearing in only two games with the Desert Dogs. He had a 2.56 goals-against average, and a .914 save percentage in those two games.

Not being given a qualifying offer doesn’t necessarily mean that we have seen the last of Fischer, Capobianco, Dineen, or Hults. The team could still re-sign the players for an amount less than the qualifying offer. Either way, all four players are set to become unrestricted free agents.

Update:

It looks like Fischer will not be needing a qualifying offer because he is signing a one-year deal.

Update 2:

It looks like Cam Dineen will also be back on a one-year, two-way deal.