Five UFAs created by 2026 qualifying offer decisions

Five pending RFAs became UFAs at 5 p.m. ET on June 29 when their clubs passed on qualifying offers that would have exceeded projected market value.

Market value versus qualifying offer price

Matias Maccelli recorded 14 goals and 39 points in 2025-26 after missing 11 games as a healthy scratch. His qualifying offer reached $4.11 million, a figure higher than most projected one-year UFA contracts. Toronto therefore allowed the 25-year-old forward to enter unrestricted free agency while preserving cap flexibility.

Arthur Kaliyev produced 40 goals and 68 points in 70 AHL games yet appeared in only two NHL contests. The Senators chose not to match a qualifying offer that would have locked the 25-year-old at a salary above his demonstrated NHL output. This decision frees Ottawa to allocate those resources elsewhere on July 1.

Paul Cotter posted 16 goals and 22 points in 79 games during 2024-25 before dropping to nine goals and 15 points in another 79 games the following season. New Jersey declined his qualifying offer, contrasting the prior season’s bottom-six contribution against the recent statistical decline and opening a roster spot.

Path to UFA status across three organizations

Egor Zamula collected one point in 13 games with Philadelphia, then recorded two assists in 20 games after joining Columbus. His average ice time fell to 12:27 per game. The Blue Jackets opted against a qualifying offer after the player’s reported return to the KHL became public, illustrating how performance metrics and external options converged on a single decision point.

Joe Veleno tallied two goals and five points in 61 regular-season games plus one assist in nine playoff games. Montreal passed on the qualifying offer for the 26-year-old center, whose production has remained below earlier prospect expectations since being selected 30th overall in 2018.

Roster and cap implications for July 1

Each of the five players now enters the open market without draft-pick compensation attached. Teams that declined the offers gain immediate cap space equivalent to the avoided qualifying-offer amounts. This structural change positions those clubs to pursue unrestricted free agents whose projected production aligns more closely with actual salary demands.

The absence of a qualifying offer does not prevent any of the five from re-signing with their former clubs at a lower figure. Negotiations can resume once free agency opens, yet the initial decision already signals that general managers view replacement options as more cost-effective.

The five decisions collectively remove 14 goals and 39 points from Toronto’s ledger, 40 goals from Ottawa’s AHL pipeline, nine goals from New Jersey’s bottom six, two assists from Columbus, and two goals from Montreal. Those exact offensive totals now become available for other organizations to acquire on July 1.