Rangers to Possibly Extend Qualifying Offer Deadline for Dawes & Sjostrom

According to an e-mail I received from Steve Zipay at Newsday, the Rangers will probably extend today's qualifying offer acceptance deadline for restricted free agents Nigel Dawes & Fredrik Sjostrom. Zipay wasn't sure what the new deadline would be.

Earlier this off-season the Rangers gave both Dawes and Sjostrom qualifying offers. See here.

...wonder what these two guys are waiting for. A better offer? Let's go guys, accept the offer and start thinking about the up-coming season.

For anyone who is not familiar with the qualifying offer system read below...

Teams are required to extend a one-year “qualifying offer” to any current restricted free agent by June 25 in order to receive the right of first refusal or draft choice compensation should that respective player sign an offer sheet with another NHL club. The qualifying offers will expire at 4 p.m. (Central Time) on Sunday, July 15.

Players have until July 15 to accept or decline the offer. Depending on their NHL experience, certain restricted free agents who decline their team's qualifying offer can opt to go to arbitration to settle their contract.

Qualifying offers fall into three categories:

- A player whose prior year salary was equal or less than $660,000 must receive a qualifying offer of 110% of their prior year’s salary.
- A player whose prior year salary was more than $660,000 and up to $1 million must receive a qualifying offer of 105% of their prior year’s salary (but in no event shall such qualifying offer exceed $1 million).
- A player whose prior year salary was more than $1 million must receive a qualifying offer at 100% of their prior year’s salary.

If a team does not give a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent, he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and can sign with any team with no compensation required to the player’s former club.