ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have made qualifying offers to five restricted free agents: defenseman Jonathon Blum, right wing Justin Fontaine, goalie Darcy Kuemper, right wing Nino Niederreiter and left wing Jason Zucker.
The Wild announced the decision Monday, the day before NHL unrestricted free agency beings. The Wild declined to make qualifying offers to three restricted free agents: defenseman Josh Caron, defenseman Tyler Cuma and left wing Kris Foucault. Cuma was the team’s first-round draft pick in 2008.
Fontaine, Kuemper and Niederreiter all held key roles for the Wild in the playoffs. Zucker had four goals in 21 games, but he spent much of the season in the AHL and missed the last several weeks following surgery to fix a tendon in his left quadriceps. Blum played sparingly.
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