With arbitration hearings on the horizon, some players and teams are working to get new deals in place quickly. Some of those contracts highlight the key stories of the past seven days.
Two For Byram: The Sabres elected to take defenseman Bowen Byram to salary arbitration earlier this month, avoiding the risk of an offer sheet. But in doing so, they gave him the right to request a two-year deal that would take him right to UFA eligibility at 26. They didn’t need a hearing in the end but Byram got his two-year deal, one that will carry a price tag of $6.25MM. Byram is coming off his first full season in Buffalo which was a career year, one that saw him record 38 points in 82 games while also averaging a career-high in ice time at 22:42 per game. This price tag is certainly reasonable for an improving top-four blueliner although the short term on the contract won’t do anything to get rid of the trade speculation that has followed him for several months now.
Chinakhov Wants Out: Speaking of trade speculation, there will be plenty of it surrounding Blue Jackets winger Yegor Chinakhov who has made his trade request public. The request had already been known to the team with discussions with other teams underway. Chinakhov, a 2020 first-round pick, cited “misunderstanding with the coach” as the reason for wanting out. He had seven goals and eight assists in 30 games last season but after returning from a back injury, he was predominantly a healthy scratch for the stretch run and their playoff push. Chinakhov has one year left on his contract a $2.1MM cap charge and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility next summer.
Vilardi Gets Long-Term Pact: Another player who was arbitration-bound was Jets winger Gabriel Vilardi. With two years of team control remaining, Winnipeg’s hope was that they’d be able to get him signed long-term. They did just that, inking him to a six-year, $45MM agreement. The centerpiece of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade two summers ago, Vilardi took a step forward (when healthy) in 2023-24 and then blew past that last season, collecting 27 goals and 34 assists in 71 games. The price tag is certainly reasonable for someone who has shown he can be a top-six forward but his lengthy injury history (last season was the only time he reached the 70-game mark) also makes the agreement a bit riskier. That said, the Jets have another core piece under contract for the long haul.
Toronto Adds Grit: The Maple Leafs decided to use some of their remaining cap space to add some grit up front, acquiring winger Dakota Joshua from Vancouver for a 2028 fourth-round pick. Toronto actually drafted the 29-year-old back in 2014 but traded him to St. Louis for future considerations five years later. Joshua had a career year with Vancouver in 2023-24, notching 18 goals and 14 assists in 63 games but missed the start of last season while recovering from testicular cancer and struggled to play at the same level when he did return. Joshua has three years remaining on his contract, one that carries a $3.25MM AAV with Toronto picking up the full freight of that deal. It will now be interesting to see how Vancouver uses their freed-up cap room.
Ducks Duck Arbitration: The Ducks entered the week with two looming arbitration hearings and ended it with none. First, they signed goaltender Lukas Dostal to a five-year, $32.5MM contract. The 25-year-old took over as Anaheim’s starter and that status was cemented when John Gibson was moved to Detroit last month. Dostal played in 54 games last season, posting a 3.10 GAA and a .903 SV% playing behind one of the weaker back ends in the NHL; clearly, the Ducks feel he has another level to get to as the team continues to improve. Soon after that, they re-upped defenseman Drew Helleson to a two-year, $2.2MM pact. The 24-year-old played in 56 games with Anaheim in 2024-25, his first taste of extended NHL action. He will still be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in the 2027 offseason when this agreement expires.
Photo courtesy of Terrence Lee-Imagn Images.