With free agency slowing down, the focus will begin to shift to restricted free agents this week as the first arbitration hearings are set to begin on Friday, July 20.
Eleven arbitration hearings are set to take place between this Friday and Aug. 2, although many of those players could avoid arbitration and agree to terms with their respective teams before their hearings.
Players typically elect to go to arbitration where an independent intermediary looks at cases made by both the player and his agent and the team he plays for, as well as other market considerations, such as the salaries of similarly qualified players around the league, to determine an award amount – typically amounting to a one-year deal. If a player elects to go through the arbitration process, a team can choose to honor the contract or walk away, making the player an unrestricted free agent. However, in team-elected arbitration, the team must honor the award regardless of the outcome.
St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie and Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner are scheduled to open the arbitration hearings this Friday. Oshie posted career high numbers with 19 goals and 54 points in 80 games, while Gagner tallied 18 goals and 47 points in 75 games. If both players go to arbitration, their awards could significantly impact other arbitrations, like that of Kris Versteeg (pictured), who had a great year with the Florida Panthers last season where he scored a career-high 23 goals and 54 points. Versteeg is scheduled for arbitration on July 23.
Many of these players could reasonably expect to get awards in the $3.5 to $4.5 million range, with agents likely citing players such as Jiri Hudler and David Jones as similarly productive players. Both Hudler and Jones signed four-year, $16 million contracts this offseason with Calgary and Colorado respectively.
A full list of players and arbitration dates can be found below:
Dallas: Mark Fistric — Aug. 1
Detroit: Kyle Quincey — July 25
Edmonton: Sam Gagner — July 20
Florida: Kris Versteeg — July 23
Nashville: Sergei Kostitsyn — Aug. 2
New Jersey: Mark Fayne — Aug. 2
N.Y. Rangers: Anton Stralman — July 31
Ottawa: Kaspars Daugavins — July 24
St. Louis: T.J. Oshie — July 20
Toronto: Nikolai Kulemin — July 26
Vancouver: Dale Weise — July 27
