As the NHL off-season marches forward and free agents sort out their upcoming landing spots, not everyone has the simplest path to a new contract.
For some players, namely restricted free agents, figuring out a new deal sometimes requires outside perspective.
The NHL Players' Association announced prior to Saturday's deadline that 11 players have elected salary arbitration — a system used by the league to settle contract disputes between teams and certain restricted free agents. The process involves a hearing in which both parties present and argue in favour of a certain salary amount to a third party that ultimately decides the financial terms of the upcoming contract.
Teams and players are allowed to continue negotiations and come up with a new deal before an official hearing. In 2021, for instance, every player to file for arbitration settled prior to their hearings, per CapFriendly.
The NHL is one of just two major North American sports leagues to use the arbitration system, along with MLB.
The deadline for club-elected salary arbitration is Sunday at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT, after which arbitration hearings will be held from July 20 to Aug. 4.
Here is a full list of the 11 players to elect for 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)
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