NHL free agency has calmed down for the most part but teams still have some business to conduct with their restricted free agents.
RFAs who meet certain criteria are eligible to go to arbitration, where a third-party can decide that player’s salary for the next season. This year, due to the pandemic, the arbitration window was moved to the fall and 25 players chose to pursue this negotiation path.
On Nov. 6, the New York Rangers reached an agreement with Brendan Lemieux, and the Florida Panthers did the same with MacKenzie Weegar, settling the last two open arbitration cases.
Below is a full roundup of all the players who filed for salary arbitration and the contracts they agreed to.
All salary information sourced from CapFriendly.com.
Tyler Bertuzzi, LW/RW, Red Wings
Age: 25 | 2019-20 stats: 21-27-48 | Last contract: 2 years, $1.4M AAV | Arbitration Status: Arbitrator awards Bertuzzi $3.5M
An arbitrator awarded Bertuzzi a $3.5-million contract on Oct. 27 after the two sides had a hearing on Oct. 25. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Bertuzzi asked for $4.25 million at the hearing and the Red Wings countered with $3.15 million.
Joshua Ho-Sang, C, Islanders
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: Did not play in NHL | Last contract: 1 year, $874,125 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Ho-Sang and the Islanders agreed to a one-year deal on Oct. 27 ahead of the Oct. 30 arbitration date. The deal will pay Ho-Sang $700,000, or $225,000 at the AHL level.
Devon Toews, LD, Avalanche
Age: 26 | 2019-20 stats: 6-22-28 | Last contract: 2 years, $700,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Toews signed a four-year contract with the Avalanche on Oct. 27 that will reportedly pay the defenceman $16.4 million over the course of the contract. The 26-year-old was acquired by the Avalanche from the Islanders on Oct. 12 in exchange for two draft picks.
Gustav Forsling, LD, Hurricanes
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: Did not play in NHL | Last contract: 1 year, $874,125 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Forsling agreed to a one-year contract with a $700,000 AAV with the Hurricanes before going to arbitration. He had 26 points in 57 AHL games last season and has appeared in 122 NHL games, all with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Victor Olofsson, LW/RW, Sabres
Age: 25 | 2019-20 stats: 20-22-42 | Last contract: 2 years, $925,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
The Sabres signed Olofsson to a two-year contract on Oct. 29 worth $6.1 million, avoiding the Nov. 4 arbitration hearing. Olofsson broke onto the scene with the Sabres with 20 goals as a rookie last season and finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting.
Warren Foegele, LW, Hurricanes
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 13-17-30 | Last contract: 3 years, $800,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Foegele and the Hurricanes avoided a hearing by agreeing to a one-year, $2.1 million contract. He will be an RFA when it expires.
Ryan Strome, C/RW, Rangers
Age: 27 | 2019-20 stats: 18-41-59 | Last contract: 2 years, $3.1M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Strome and the Rangers settled hours before his hearing, agreeing to a two-year, $9 million contract. he broke out in a big way in 2019-20, passing the 50-point mark for the first time since 2014-15.
Brendan Lemieux, LW/RW, Rangers
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 6-12-18 | Last contract: 1 year, $925,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before arbitration.
Lemieux isn’t known for his offensive game but he did rack up a career-high 111 penalty minutes last season. He was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in the Kevin Hayes deal at the 2018-19 trade deadline. Per Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers are looking for a two-year deal at $950,000 and $1.075 million, while Lemieux has asked for $2 million.
On Nov. 6, Lemieux and the Rangers came to an agreement on a two-year deal that carries an average annual value of $1.55 million.
Ryan Pulock, RD, Islanders
Age: 26 | 2019-20 stats: 10-25-35 | Last contract: 2 years, $2M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Pulock agreed to a two-year, $10-million deal with the Islanders on Nov. 4, avoiding an arbitration date two days later. The 26-year-old has scored at least 32 points in each of the last three seasons and, with his booming shot, will be an important player on the Islanders’ blue line for many years to come.
Christian Jaros, RD, Senators
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 0-3-3 | Last contract: 3 years, $801,667 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
The Senators and Jaros avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $750,000 contract. He’s appeared in 76 games with the Senators over the past three seasons, including 13 last season.
MacKenzie Weegar, LD, Panthers
Age: 26 | 2019-20 stats: 7-11-18 | Last contract: 1 year, $1.6M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing.
The Panthers and Weegar settled on their last contract hours before going to arbitration and are going down to the wire again. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this month that Weegar could be traded by the Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs are one team that may be interested.
On Nov. 6, the Panthers and Weegar reached a three-year, $9.75-million contract, avoiding arbitration.
Haydn Fleury, LD/RD, Hurricanes
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 4-10-14 | Last contract: 1 year, $850,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Fleury and the Hurricanes avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year, $2.3 million contract. Fleury has split time between the Hurricanes and AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for two seasons but spent the entire 2019-20 season in Carolina. He appeared in 45 games last season and set career-highs in goals and points.
Sam Reinhart, C/RW, Sabres
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 22-28-50 | Last contract: 2 years, $3.65M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing.
Reinhart took a second prove-it contract by signing a one-year, $5.2-million deal a couple days before his hearing. He will have arbitration rights next off-season. The Sabres boosted their top six with the additions of Taylor Hall and Eric Staal this off-season, which should give Reinhart more talent to play off of on offence.
Ilya Mikheyev, LW/RW, Maple Leafs
Age: 26 | 2019-20 stats: 8-15-23 | Last contract: 1 year, $925,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Mikheyev and the Maple Leafs agreed to a two-year contract with a $1.645 million AAV before having a hearing. His agent, Dan Milstein, told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that Mikheyev took a little less money to help the Maple Leafs stay under the salary cap. Mikheyev was off to a promising start to his rookie campaign last season, but was ultimately limited to only 39 games after being cut on the wrist by a skate. He was, however, healthy enough to return to play this summer.
Jake Virtanen, RW, Canucks
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 18-18-36 | Last contract: 2 years, $1.25M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
The Canucks and Virtanen avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year contract with a $2.55-million AAV. He will be arbitration eligible when this contract expires. The versatile winger set career-highs in goals and points last season.
Connor Brown, LW/RW, Senators
Age: 26 | 2019-20 stats: 16-27-43 | Last contract: 3 years, $2.1M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Brown and the Senators agreed to a three-year, $3.6 million contract before going to arbitration and he will be an unrestricted free agent when it expires. He set a new career-high for points last season, his first in the nation’s capital, and figures to be a veteran leader for the younger Sens over the next few seasons.
Chris Tierney, C, Senators
Age: 26 | 2019-20 stats: 11-26-37 | Last contract: 2 years, $2.937M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
The Senators and Tierney avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year contract with a $3.5 million AAV. The two-way centre was acquired from the Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade and has fit in nicely over two seasons with Ottawa.
Nick Paul, C/LW, Senators
Age: 25 | 2019-20 stats: 9-11-20 | Last contract: 1 year, $750,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Paul and the Senators agreed to a two-year contract with a $1.35 million AAV. Paul has split the last five seasons between the NHL and AHL and has appeared in 112 games with the Senators in that time.
Alexandar Georgiev, G, Rangers
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 17-14-2, 3.04 GAA, .910 SV% | Last contract: 3 years, $792,500 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Georgiev and the Rangers agreed to a two-year contract with a $2.425 AAV before going to arbitration. Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin are the goalies of the future in New York after future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist was bought out.
Anthony DeAngelo, RD, Rangers
Age: 25 | 2019-20 stats: 15-38-53 | Last contract: 1 year, $925,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
DeAngelo and the Rangers avoided going to arbitration by agreeing to a two-year contract with a $4.8 million AAV. He will be eligible to go to arbitration when it expires. The former first-round pick of the Lightning had the best season of his career in 2019-20, collection more goals and points than his three previous NHL seasons combined.
Linus Ullmark, G, Sabres
Age: 27 | 2019-20 stats: 17-14-3, 2.69 GAA, .915 SV% | Last contract: 1 year, $1.325M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Ullmark and the Sabres agreed to a one-year contract with a $2.6 million AAV before going to arbitration. He will be an unrestricted free agent when the contract expires. He has platooned with Carter Hutton the last two seasons and appeared in 97 games over the past five seasons.
Clark Bishop, C, Hurricanes
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 0-1-1 | Last contract: 1 year, $700,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Bishop and the Hurricanes agreed to a one-year, $700,000 contract before going to arbitration. He appeared in five NHL games last season but had 19 points in 53 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Ryan Graves, LD, Avalanche
Age: 25 | 2019-20 stats: 9-17-26 | Last contract: 1 year, $735,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Graves and the Avalanche agreed to a three-year contract with a $3,166,667 AAV to avoid arbitration. He appeared in a career-high 69 games for the Avalanche last season and led the NHL with a plus-40 rating.
Kaapo Kahkonen, G, Wild
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 3-1-1, 2.96 GAA, .913 SV% | Last contract: 2 years, $767,500 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
The Wild and Kahkonen agreed to a two-year contract with a $725,000 AAV before arbitration. He only appeared in five NHL games last season but won the AHL goalie of the year award after posting a 25-6-3 record with the Iowa Wild.
Andrew Mangiapane, LW/RW, Flames
Age: 24 | 2019-20 stats: 17-15-32 | Last contract: 1 year, $715,000 AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
The Flames and Mangiapane agreed to a two-year contract with a $2.45 million AAV before arbitration. He bet on himself with a one-year contract last season and set career-highs in goals and points.
Matt Grzelcyk, LD, Bruins
Age: 26 | 2019-20 stats: 4-17-21 | Last contract: 2 years, $1.4M AAV | Arbitration Status: Settled before hearing
Grzelcyk and the Bruins agreed to a four-year contract with a $3,687,500 AAV before going to arbitration. He’s appeared in at least 60 games in each of the last three seasons for the Bruins and could see his role on the team grow now that Torey Krug has joined the Blues.
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