While re-signing captain Shane Doan and veteran left wing Ray Whitney are priorities 1 and 2 for the Coyotes, one player who might not be brought back is forward Gilbert Brule.
Brule, 25, can become a restricted free agent July 1, but the Coyotes must submit a qualifying offer, which is 10 per cent above a player's currently salary, in order to retain their rights.
Brule made $1.85 million this season and would need to be qualified at $2.035 million, something the Coyotes are not willing to do.
"In order to retrain his rights, we have to qualify him at the number he made this past year, which is not something we'd do," Maloney told the Arizona Republic.
As a result, Brule is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, though the Coyotes could still try to re-sign him at a lower salary.
Meanwhile, the Coyotes will also likely look to re-sign defenseman Michal Rozsival, while it's believed Adrian Aucoin could hang up his skates and retire.
