Louis Domingue surprises Coyotes, signs in Europe

Restricted free-agent netminder Louis Domingue has opted against signing his qualifying offer from the Arizona Coyotes, instead agreeing to a pro contract in Europe.

Coyotes general manager Don Maloney admitted he was surprised by the decision, but isn't ruing the young goaltender's departure.

"He just thought he deserved more than a two-way contract basically is what it came down to and that's fine," Maloney told Sarah McLellan of azcentral sports. "He's still a young goalie. I don't know where he's going to play over there, but hopefully he'll play somewhere and then we'll see.

"If he continues to develop well, that's good. That's fine with us. But it does open up opportunity for others."

Domingue won his first NHL start - a 3-2 victory over his boyhood club, the Montreal Canadiens. He finished the season with a 1-2-1 record and .911 save percentage in his seven appearances.

Arizona owns the next four seasons of Domingue's North American rights.