As we head towards the end of July, the focus has shifted to restricted free agency and the arbitration process. Those headline several of the key stories over the past week.
1) Seven Years For Arvidsson – Although the Predators and winger Viktor Arvidsson went through their hearing, they were able to agree to terms on a seven-year, $29.75MM contract shortly thereafter. His case was a particularly intriguing one as although he was coming off a 31 goal, 61 point season, 2016-17 also only represented his only full NHL campaign as he had been a depth player previously. Was this a one-time fluke or a sign of things to come? The contract represents a hedge towards production somewhere between the two. If Arvidsson can come close to repeating those numbers on a regular basis though, Nashville could have another bargain on their hands.
2) Tatar Signs For Four – Arvidsson wasn’t the only player to go through the actual hearing and then sign a long-term deal afterwards. After declining a five-year, $25MM contract, winger Tomas Tatar signed for close to that in the end, settling on four years with a cap hit of $5.3MM per season with the Red Wings. The 26-year-old is coming off his third straight 20-goal season and was third in team scoring in 2017-18. Worth noting here is that this pushes Detroit a little more than over the $75MM salary cap for the time being with Andreas Athanasiou still to re-sign. Teams can go more than 10% over the cap during the summer before having to use summer LTIR so they’re still within that window for now.
3) Campbell Retires – Defenseman Brian Campbell had made it known that he only wanted to play for Chicago if he was to come back for another year. While that won’t happen, he’ll still be with the franchise in a front office role after he announced his retirement. Campbell suited up in over 1,000 career NHL games between Buffalo, San Jose, Florida, and Chicago, collecting 504 points which rank him 60th all-time for points by a blueliner.
4) Parayko Avoids Arbitration – Although the two sides exchanged arbitration numbers, the Blues and defenseman Colton Parayko were able to avoid going through a hearing, instead agreeing to a five-year, $27.5MM contract that buys out his first three years of unrestricted free agency. He has just two full seasons under his belt but has quickly turned into a strong two-way threat on the back end. With 2017-18 being the first full season that Kevin Shattenkirk won’t be with the team, many expect the 24-year-old to take another step forward as he takes on a bigger share of the workload.
5) Nichushkin To Return In 2018-19 – While some had speculated that winger Valeri Nichushkin could return to the Stars for the upcoming season with Lindy Ruff no longer behind the bench, the team announced that he will remain in the KHL for one more year before returning in the 2018-19 campaign. The former first rounder had 11 goals and 13 assists in 36 games with CSKA Moscow this past season and Dallas still views him as a potential top six power forward if he can put it all together.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.