Bruins choose not to tender qualifying offers to Connolly, Ferraro

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The Bruins had to have qualifying offers in by 5 p.m. Monday on their restricted free agents in order to retain them as RFA’s, and they didn’t sent out qualifying offers to Landon Ferraro, Brett Connolly and Ben Sexton. The Bruins can still sign each of these players to reduced deals prior to July 1, but after that they become unrestricted free agents.The Bruins did send out qualifying offers to Brian Ferlin, Chris Casto, Alex Khokhlachev, Torey Krug, Joe Morrow and Colin Miller in order to retain their RFA rights, and protect themselves from other NHL teams attempting to poach them with offer sheets. While the Sexton move isn’t surprising, given that he was a bottom-six forward at the AHL level, it’s a bit of an eyebrow-raiser that neither Ferraro nor Connolly were tendered. Ferraro was a nice waiver pickup, posting 5 goals and 10 points in 68 games along with a minus-11 rating last season. He was a speedy presence on the fourth line with occasional splashes of offense, and had also worked his way into the penalty-kill group. Connolly, 24, finished with 9 goals and 25 points in 71 games along with a minus-1 rating. He struggled to produce offense even though he spent long stretches playing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand last season. Still, he was the sixth overall pick in the 2010 draft and the Bruins gave up two second-round picks to Tampa Bay for him less than two years ago, so the move is somewhat unexpected.The door may not be closed on either Ferraro or Connolly returning to Boston, but it certainly doesn’t feel like they’re coming back after Monday afternoon’s appearance on the NHL transaction list.

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