What is required for a Restricted Free Agent's old club to retain rights upon contract expiration?

For a Restricted Free Agent to ensure that their previous club retains their rights after the contract expires, a Qualifying Offer must be tendered. This offer is a specific type of contract proposal that must meet certain thresholds laid out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. By extending a Qualifying Offer, the team effectively preserves its rights to match any offers that the player may receive from other teams.

This mechanism serves to balance the interests of both the team and the player. The team has the chance to retain talent while safeguarding itself against losing the player without compensation, should they choose not to match an outside offer. The player, on the other hand, is given the opportunity to negotiate with other teams, but with the understanding that their original team has a right to respond to any new offers.

While the other options touch on various aspects of the Restricted Free Agency process, they do not directly pertain to the requirement for retaining rights after a contract expiration, making the Qualifying Offer the fundamental component of this scenario.