The leading scorer and top defenceman for the St. John’s IceCaps are among a number of players who have been extended qualifying offers by the Winnipeg Jets.
Right-winger Spencer Machacek, who had 18 goals and a team-leading 50 points for the IceCaps in their first year in the American Hockey League, and rearguard Paul Postma, who was St. John’s top defenceman and MVP in 2011-12, are restricted free agents, but the parent Jets moved to retain their services for another season by offering 10 per cent increases in so-called qualifying offers.
Two other IceCaps’ defencemen, Arturs Kulda and Brett Festerling, were also qualified by the Jets. Rearguard John Negrin, who joined St. John’s after a mid-season trade and forward Mike Forney, who spent most of last season in the ECHL, did not receive qualifying offers.
St. John’s forwards Ben Maxwell and Maxime Macenauer, and winger Kenndal McArdle, who was loaned to the AHL’s Portland Pirates late in the season, are also restricted free agents, but their situation with regards to qualifying offers hadn’t been confirmed at the time of this writing.
A number of key IceCaps performers — captain Jason Jaffray, winger Jason King, centre Garth Murray, rookie winger John Albert and defencemen Derek Meech and Jason DeSantis — are unrestricted free agents and not subject to qualifying-offer rules. All, except for Meech, had operated under AHL contracts last season.
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