Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette forward Tom Kuhnhackl rejected a two-year deal from the team before the qualifying deadline for restricted free agents.

The Penguins declined to qualify Kuhnhackl for salary cap concerns should the two parties go to arbitration, but did offer him a contract. Kuhnhackl rejected the deal and because he wasn't qualified, will now become an unrestricted free agent.

“He’s been a good player for us,” Rutherford said, via the Post-Gazette. “By qualifying him, we probably would’ve gone to arbitration. With us being as tight to the cap as we are, we couldn’t risk that. Just prior to sending the qualifying offers in, we made one last call to his agent. Offered a two-year deal. It got rejected. That’s where it is.”

The 26-year-old Kuhnhackl finished last year with two goals and six assists in 69 regular season games. He was held point-less in 12 playoff games.

The 2010 fourth round pick has spent his entire career with the Penguins, and has 11 goals and 28 assists in 168 regular games over three seasons.