BOSTON – The Boston Bruins on Wednesday re-signed defenseman Jonathan Girard, who missed all of last season while recovering from a car accident, to a one-year contract.

The team also tendered qualifying offers to eight players before the NHL’s June 30 midnight deadline.

Girard, 24, was the team’s first pick, 48th overall, in the 1998 draft and has played four seasons in the Bruins organization. He had six goals and 16 assists in 73 games in the 2002-2003 season, and his NHL totals are 10 goals and 34 assists in 150 games.

Teams must tender qualifying offers to players who are under 31 to retain their compensation rights. As of midnight, Hal Gill, Sergei Gonchar, Andy Hilbert, Ivan Huml, Zdenek Kutlak, Andrew Raycroft, Sergei Samsonov and Joe Thornton will become restricted free agents, meaning the Bruins have the right to match offers from other teams or receive a draft pick if they decide not to match another team’s offer.

Ted Donato, Travis Green, Mike Knuble, Dan McGillis, Ian Moran, Glen Murray, Michael Nylander, Sean O’Donnell, Felix Potvin, Brian Rolston, Jiri Slegr and Rob Zamuner were set to become unrestricted free agents at midnight able to sign with any team.

Eric Lindros joined the free-agent market when the New York Rangers declined to pick up the $10.25 million option in the oft-injured center’s contract.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were busy, signing potential free agents Ed Belfour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, and Aki Berg.

Belfour, Nieuwendyk and Roberts could have become unrestricted free agents, while Berg would have been restricted.

The market is expected to be slow with teams trying to slash payrolls in anticipation of a new financial landscape in the NHL. The league’s collective bargaining agreement with the players association expires Sept. 15, and a lockout that could threaten next season is a distinct possibility.

The NHL is seeking “cost certainty,” which the union believes is a synonym for a salary cap – a solution the players association refuses to accept.

The sides have met a handful of times since October, but no progress has been made on the key issues. The NHL wants to cut the percentage of revenues that go toward player salaries.

But many big-name players are expected to be available come Thursday.

The unrestricted free-agent class could include Alex Zhamnov and Mark Recchi, who helped lead Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference finals; Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, who after disappointing seasons in Colorado are back on the market; Dominik Hasek; Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman of Detroit, Alex Kovalev and Peter Bondra. Los Angeles cut ties with forwards Jason Allison, Adam Deadmarsh and Anson Carter by declining to make qualifying offers. Allison and Deadmarsh missed all of last season because of concussions.

The St. Louis Blues made a $9.5 million qualifying offer to defenseman Chris Pronger; New Jersey offered $2.4 million to Jan Hrdina and Viktor Kozlov and $3 million to Jeff Friesen.

Vancouver made a $2.5 million qualifying offer to goalie Dan Cloutier

Atlanta agreed to deals with Serge Aubin, Brad Larsen, Ben Simon and Kevin Doell, who also could have joined the class of restricted free agents.

St. Louis re-signed forwards Ryan Johnson and Dallas Drake and defenseman Alexander Khavanov. The Blues also came to terms with defenseman Andy Roach, an American who played in Germany the past five seasons.

Washington re-signed forward Brian Willsie, Phoenix agreed to terms with forward Tyson Nash on a three-year contract, and Boston inked defenseman Jonathan Girard.

AP-ES-06-30-04 2124EDT