As the NHL offseason progresses and teams work to sign their free agents, not every player`s path to a new contract is straightforward. For some, particularly restricted free agents, resolving their next deal may necessitate external intervention.
The NHL Players` Association recently announced that prior to Saturday`s deadline, a total of 11 players opted for salary arbitration. This system is utilized by the league to resolve contract disputes between teams and certain restricted free agents. The arbitration process involves a hearing where both the team and the player present their cases and argue for a specific salary figure before an independent third party. This third party then makes a binding decision on the financial terms of the upcoming contract.
Teams and players retain the ability to continue negotiating and reach a settlement on a new contract even after arbitration has been filed, and before a scheduled hearing takes place. For instance, in 2021, every player who initially filed for arbitration ultimately settled their contracts before proceeding to a formal hearing.
The NHL is notable as one of only two major professional sports leagues in North America, alongside MLB, that employs a salary arbitration mechanism.
The deadline for teams to elect salary arbitration is Sunday at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT. Following this deadline, arbitration hearings are scheduled to be conducted between July 20 and August 4.
Here is the complete list of the 11 players who have elected salary arbitration:
- Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets)
- Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks)
- Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks)
- Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken)
- Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets)
- Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens)
- Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres)
- Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders)
- Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)
