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Kapla Accepts Qualifying Offer

Some Devils moves this Monday afternoon to report.

Firstly, Michael Kapla accepted his qualifying offer from the Devils yesterday. The defenseman will make $874,125 at the NHL level and $70,000 at the AHL level, as it is a two-way contract.

The 23-year-old had six goals and 15 assists (21 points) in 63 games for the Binghamton Devils last season, his first full pro season. He also had 22 penalty minutes according to the Devils’ press release on the matter.

The press release went on to say that he “initially signed March 28, 2017” with the organization after four years at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell (2013-17). He played five games for the New Jersey club “at the end of the 2016-17 season.”

Kapla, an Eau Claire, Wisconsin native, was captain of the UMass-Lowell team when they won their 2017 Hockey East championship, his senior season. He played 152 games for the River Hawks and had 17 goals and 75 assists totaling 92 points. He also had 100 PIMs to go with that. He was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team during his freshman season in 2014, the same year UMass-Lowell won a coference championship.

In other news, Adam Henrique, who was traded by the Devils to the Anaheim Ducks last November, has re-signed with the Ducks. He avoided going to unrestricted free agency in 2019 by signing a contract extension through the 2023-24 season. Financial terms were not disclosed according to NHL.com.

What does this have to do with the Devils? Well, when they traded Henrique and Joseph Blandisi along with a third round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft for Sami Vatanen, they also got a conditional draft choice. That choice (a third rounder in 2019) was contingent on Henrique re-signing with the Ducks. Now that he did, the Devils get that pick from Anaheim.

Good luck to both Kapla with the Devils and Henrique with the Ducks.

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Qualifying Offers Extended by Devils to Eight Players

According to articles written today by Abbey Mastracco of the North Jersey Record and Chris Ryan of The Star Ledger, the Devils have extended qualifying offers to eight players.

The players are all restricted free agents. They also declined “qualifying offers for two players, making them unrestricted free agents on July 1” according to Ryan. The players given qualifying offers were forwards Miles Wood, Blake Coleman and Stefan Noesen among those who played in the NHL last season and also defenseman Steven Santini. According to Ryan, “AHL players Nick Lappin, Kevin Rooney, Michael Kapla and Christoph Bertschy also received qualifying offers.”

Ryan also said that “(f)orward Mario Lucia and goalie Ken Appleby did not get qualifying offers.” Although the Devils could still re-sign them should they choose, they will be unrestricted free agents on July 1.

According to Mastracco, Noesen, Coleman, Lappin and Rooney are arbitration eligable. She said that “(t)he deadline to file for salary arbitration is July 5. Both Coleman and Noesen made $660,000 last season on one-year deals according to Mastracco.

In other news that you may have heard by now, the Devils were not one of the five teams that free agent superstar John Tavares has/will be meeting with this week. Several sources, including Arthur Staple, who covers the Islanders for The Athletic, in a tweet written on June 23, the Maple Leafs, Sharks, Stars, Bruins and Islanders were among the short list of teams that he has or will meet with. The Devils could always make an offer later on that Tavares and his agent would listen to, but most likely, New Jersey is not in on the Tavares sweepstakes.

Also, the Hockey Hall of Fame will be announcing their Class of 2018 members today at 3 PM. Martin Brodeur is in his first year of eligibility and will likely be a shoo in. We will have more information here as it becomes available today at 3 PM.