Kings extend qualifying offers to eight players

Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times reported on Twitter this afternoon that the Los Angeles Kings have extended qualifying offers eight restricted free agents, which allows the team to retain their rights as they continue to negotiate contract extensions with them. Interestingly, Keaton Ellerby was not extended a qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent on Friday.

Stefan Legein and David Kolomats also did not receive qualifying offers.

LAK does qualify: Martinez, Clifford, Lewis, Nolan, Muzzin, O’Neill, Bodnarchuk and Jones. #KINGS

— lisa dillman (@reallisa) July 2, 2013

Kings did not qualify Ellerby, Kolomatis or Legein.

— lisa dillman (@reallisa) July 2, 2013

Ellerby, a 24-year-old left-handed shot who often played on the right side to accommodate an injury-affected Los Angeles blue line, recorded three assists and a plus-5 rating in 35 games after joining the Kings in a February 8 trade with the Florida Panthers. The 10th overall pick of the 2007 NHL Draft was acquired for a fifth round draft pick after appearing in 125 games with Florida from 2009-12.

Legein, 24, was acquired along with a sixth round pick from Philadelphia in October, 2011 as the Flyers attempted to clear space under the 50-contract limit. A second round pick by Columbus in 2007, the right wing had 42 points (19-23=42) in 114 games over the last two seasons with Manchester.

Kolomatis, 24, was selected in the fifth round of the 2009 draft by the Kings. The right-shooting defenseman who previously played for the U.S. National Team Development Program appeared in 250 games with Manchester over the last four seasons, totaling 110 points (29-81=110).

By submitting a qualifying offer to Alec Martinez, the Kings have the opportunity to continue to negotiate with the puck-moving defenseman who won a Cup with the team in 2012 but had been the recipient of some pointed Darryl Sutter observations in 2012-13. The left-handed shooter has recorded 33 points (12-21=33) in his 142 games in Los Angeles, while the Kings are 22-5 in playoff games in which he has dressed over the last two years.

In other news, the Edmonton Oilers did not extend a qualifying offer to defenseman Colton Teubert, a 2008 first round pick by Los Angeles who was traded to Edmonton along with a 2011 first round draft pick and a 2012 conditional pick that turned out to be a third round pick in exchange for Dustin Penner.