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Arbitration

Leafs Re-Sign Zach Hyman

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Zach Hyman to a four-year contract extension, thereby avoiding arbitration. The cap value is $2.25 AAV, but breaks down in real dollars as $2 MM annually for the next two seasons, and $2.5 MM annually for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. Hyman applied for arbitration today, but the parties were able to come to a deal without needed to fully exercise that option.

Hyman is an intriguing piece of Toronto’s impressive young roster. This deal could be a real bargain for Toronto as they try to squeeze other youngsters’ new contracts under the cap in coming off-seasons. Hyman looks to be a consistent 40 point player and for the other assets he brings, this is more than fair value. The 25-year-old is a bit of a late bloomer, just playing his first full NHL season this year, racking up 10 goals and 18 assists through 82 games. Under Mike Babcock, the nuts-and-bolts forward has really developed his overall game. He’s a sparkplug on the ice and is agile on his feet. He also plays bigger than his 6’0 frame, getting in on the forecheck and generally being an annoyance to opposing defensemen.

Hyman has also showed chemistry with standout rookie and probable franchise player Auston Matthews, playing a good portion of the season on his left wing. Hyman tends to do the dirty work in front of the net and in the corners while Matthews finds soft spots in coverage. He is versatile, however, and can slot up and down the lineup as needed. He can play both wings with relative proficiency, as well as center in a pinch. As a third wheel for any of the high-flying offensive threats the team has, he’s a wonderfully useful player. Toronto is likely most happy about the ability to buy out some of his unrestricted years while Hyman is likely grateful for the security. There’s not much to complain about for fans of the team, as Toronto was able to avoid the single or two year deal that would have resulted from the arbitration process.

Of note, this deal currently puts the Toronto Maple Leafs at $3.93 MM over the cap ceiling. Teams are allowed to exceed the cap ceiling in the off-season by 10 percent in the off-season, but must be compliant by the start of the year. The team still also is expected to re-sign RFA Connor Brown, but they will have both Joffrey Lupul and Nathan Horton headed to LTIR once the season begins.

Bruins Re-Sign Tim Schaller

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The Boston Bruins have re-signed depth forward Tim Schaller to a one-way contract worth $775,000, per the team’s beat writer Ty Anderson of WEEI. This move will avoid arbitration, which the player filed for earlier today. Schaller is only 26 years old, but has shown little flair at the NHL level. He potted 7 goals and 7 assists through 59 games last year in Boston. For Buffalo’s AHL affiliate Rochester Americans, he never broke 15 goals, and he never bested that total at Providence College either.

Despite his meager offensive touch, he’s a solid defensive forward who has a decent frame at 6’2 and 219 pounds. He even used to skate as a defenseman earlier in his career, so he is naturally relentless in his own zone. He doesn’t earn a ton of ice time, at just over 12 minutes a night last season, but has become a useful cog that earned trust under head coach Bruce Cassidy. He even added a goal in last year’s series against Ottawa. His overall improvement from his Buffalo days should inspire some hope, even as his advanced stats don’t inspire a ton of confidence. He actually performed far worse in Corsi Relative (-7.2%) than his previous year (+1.6), but this is a player where the analytics aren’t telling the whole picture. The larger sample size likely brought those numbers down as well.

Schaller will get a chance to further prove himself with defensive consistency, and the ability to chip in the odd goal, next season. He may still find himself a healthy scratch on occasion, but he’s being given every opportunity to claim his roster spot. For Boston, this agreement avoids the overall hassle and uncertainty that an arbitration can bring, without breaking the bank. They also needed some help on the defensive side of the puck as a team after losing Dominic Moore to free-agency. Schaller will also look to assume a larger role on the penalty kill, barring any further player movement.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Alex Galchenyuk To Three-Year Deal

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Despite filing for arbitration earlier today, Alex Galchenyuk has reached a contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The deal will pay him $4.9MM per season for the next three years, taking him to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020. According Renaud Lavoie of TVA, the contract does not include a no-movement deal or any additional clauses. This deal buys Montreal one year of service past when Galchenyuk would otherwise have become unrestricted.

Galchenyuk has had trouble finding his role in Montreal, being shifted from wing to center and back again. There was the growing sense that Galchenyuk may have been on the outs, but with the loss Alexander Radulov his signing became a necessity. The Canadiens have been hunting for a number one center for what seems like eons, and the organization must now hope Galchenyuk will round out his game sufficiently and grow into that position. With this contract, the team receives a very productive player at a significant discount, with the extra year providing the team cap relief if he progresses.

Galchenyuk struggled with injuries as well as the aforementioned coaching decisions last year, losing  21 games to a lower body injury. He wasn’t on pace to match the 30 goals of 2015-16, but at only 23 years old, Galchenyuk still has time to develop as an NHL player. Montreal media and management were particularly down on the flashy, creative forward when he went long stretches with few points. He will likely never be a top-tier defensive forward, but he should become more capable in the other two zones under the proper direction. This contract seemingly will put a halt to the trade rumors swirling around the talented playmaker. GM Marc Bergevin had reportedly been seeking a solid hockey trade for Galchenyuk for months.

When you look at Galchenyuk’s career production, he’s very clearly an upper-echelon center, though whether he is a first or second line player is debatable. He’s averaged a .60 PPG through his career, but if we look at his 2015-16 season as a more accurate representation of his abilities, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to see him hitting 60 points nearly every year.

Galchenyuk’s contract brings the team to $65.84 MM against the cap with 13 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goalies signed. The organization only has goalie prospect Charlie Lindgren (an RFA) left to sign, though they may dip into the sparse free agent pool for another depth player.

Jesper Fast Signs Three-Year Deal With New York Rangers

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The New York Rangers have locked up Jesper Fast for a few more years, signing him today to a three-year $5.55MM contract. Fast was eligible to file for arbitration before today’s deadline. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the contract’s conclusion. The $1.85MM average salary is a $900K raise over his last deal. Jesper Fast

Fast played 68 games for the Rangers last season, again cracking the 20-point mark despite a limited role. That role may increase slightly next season, as Fast continues to show that he can produce at both ends of the rink. If given the chance, 40 points doesn’t seem out of the question in his prime years though he also has excellent value in a checking role.

For a team that has lost Oscar Lindberg and Derek Stepan already this summer, getting Fast back under contract for a reasonable contract was imperative. It is interesting that they didn’t get him signed for longer, but with cap space dwindling and a new deal for Mika Zibanejad still needed, the Rangers likely couldn’t afford to buy out many free agent years.

Instead, Fast will be on the open market at 28 in the summer of 2020. If he can continue his performance for the next few seasons, and even show a little more offense he’ll be highly sought-after in free agency. Not bad for a sixth-round pick.

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2017 Arbitration Tracker

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The deadline to file for player-elected salary arbitration comes in at 4pm this Wednesday, July 5th, while the next day brings the deadline for team-elected filings. To understand the entire arbitration process, make sure you read Mike Furlano’s Capology 101 posts on the process (part 1, part 2).

Below, you can find a complete list of arbitration eligible players broken down by team, and their decisions as they come in. Refresh this page often as new information will be added as it comes in.

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Arbitration Deadline Quickly Approaching

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With the heavy lifting of free agency now over, most teams in the NHL will turn their attention to their own restricted free agents and the upcoming deadlines for salary arbitration. Tomorrow, July 5th, is the deadline for player-elected arbitration while teams get until Thursday, July 6th to notify of team-elected arbitration. Those terms may sound similar, but they come with a few key differences.

A team is only allowed to take two players to team-elected arbitration each season, and each player only once in his career. That means, if a team—any team, not only the one he’s currently with—has elected salary arbitration in the past, they may not do so again with that player. Last year, the only club-elected filing was with Petr Mrazek, who ended up signing a two-year deal with the team before his hearing. That won’t change the fact that no team can elect to take him to arbitration again, as the filing is all that counts. Peter Mrazek

The opposite side has the decision on whether the resulting contract will be a one-year or two-year, and in certain situations the club has “walk away” rights. If the arbitration award is more than ~$4.0MM (this number changes with the average league salary, and has yet to be set for this arbitration season) the team can decline one year of the contract, meaning if they’d selected a one-year deal the player would become an unrestricted free agent.

For a full breakdown of how the arbitration process works, make sure to check out our own Mike Furlano’s fantastic Capology 101 series from last year. The arbitration sections can be found here and here.

As for potential arbitration cases, it’s important to note that not all restricted free agents are eligible. Leon Draisaitl, and David Pastrnak among many others are still too early in their careers to elect arbitration, making any potential deal come down to their negotiations with the team. The Capology pieces have all the details on how it is determined, but some of the biggest names that are eligible are:

Mikael Granlund – 81 GP, 26 G, 43 A, 69 P

Granlund and fellow Minnesota Wild forward Nino Niederreiter—who has actually already filed according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune—are both eligible for arbitration, and have some of the strongest cases in the group. Coming off his third straight 40+ point season, and a $3MM contract, should the Wild and Granlund not be able to reach a deal before his hearing he would be in line for a big raise.

Ryan Johansen – 82 GP, 14 G, 47 A, 61 P

There has already been reports of Johansen asking for an $8.5MM per year contract, which would make him one of the highest-paid centers in the league. Though his arbitration amount wouldn’t be that high, he has quite the case as one of the premiere up-and-coming talents in the league.

Alex Galchenyuk – 61 GP, 17 G, 27 A, 44 P

One of the most talked about RFAs in the league, Galchenyuk has simultaneously been the talk of much trade speculation and contract negotiation. The Canadiens are in active discussions with him, but if something can’t get done an arbitration date could settle the debate for them.

As with any year, most of the free agents that file for salary arbitration will sign a contract before a hearing ever happens. But with such a strong group of RFAs this year, we might be in for some interesting decisions as the time ticks down. After filing, the league will set hearing dates that should fall between July 20th and August 4th.

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Galchenyuk Negotiations Intensify

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Alex Galchenyuk has suddenly gone from pariah to absolute necessity. In the wake of losing top scoring threat Alexander Radulov via free agency to the Dallas Stars, Galchenyuk, a restricted free agent, has seen his internal value skyrocket. Radulov, of course, signed with the Stars earlier today for 5 seasons, and the Montreal offense was already severely lacking. Galchenyuk had a respectable 44 points in only 61 games last season, but that was a marginal drop from his 30-goal, 56-point campaign the year prior.

One of the largest issues for Galchenyuk this last season was consistency in his production, and many link that to his constant switching between the center and left wing roles. Galchenyuk is a more natural center, and has stated as such on numerous occasions. His defensive play has left many fans wanting, however. Two separate coaching staffs placed him on the wing at different points, and the organization has stated pretty clearly that he isn’t ready for top-line center duties. The problem for Montreal of course, is that they don’t have anyone else nearly as capable to fill that role. Tomas Plekanec is another year older and Galchenyuk is already arguably the better player. With Radulov (a right-wing) out of the picture, it might be wise to keep Galchenyuk content and comfortable.

According to Darren Dreger, Galchenyuk’s agent Pat Brisson has been in contact with GM Marc Bergevin, who will now turn his attention primarily to this contract. If they can’t come to an agreement, arbitration is always an option that can be utilized. That said, arbitration would probably only serve to fan the flames that have surrounded this player since he was supposedly placed on the block a year ago. Those flames are still not going out until that contract has been signed, and there will always be a market for young, talented centers.

When Jonathan Drouin was acquired for the left side, it seemed as though the writing was on the wall. But now, with Radulov out of the picture, losing Galchenyuk’s top-six offensive abilities would be a massive blow to the team. Montreal finished 13th in Goals For, but only two players hit the 20 goal mark – Max Pacioretty (35) and Paul Byron (22). Losing their top assist man and second-leading point getter in Radulov, it would be entirely devastating to draw the Galchenyuk negotiations out into the season, or worse, to trade him following a down year. Galchenyuk and his agent know they have the leverage in negotiations, and there’s a strong possibility they’ll use every ounce of it to get a better deal for the 23-year-old talent. Considering his production and league wide comparisons, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see him make well above $5 MM.

Canadiens And Galchenyuk Face Difficult Negotiations

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There is a great deal of uncertainty in Montreal after a disappointing first round exit, where they struggled to score goals with consistency. The issues at center ice continue to haunt the organization. Thomas Plekanec has slowed down with age and could easily find himself exposed in the expansion draft, if not traded away later in the season. They need Alex Galchenyuk to become a bonafide top-six (if not #1) center. And yet, this past season, he struggled mightily down the stretch. His 2-year bridge deal is now expired and the RFA will need to come to terms with the Montreal franchise which has expressed quite a bit of frustration with his play.

Arbitration is certainly an option for Galchenyuk. The player’s agent, Pat Brisson is certainly willing to negotiate a one-year deal, but will the Canadiens want to risk Alex having a career year and skyrocketing his cost? That decision could be unwise tactically on the part of management. Ryan Spzorger of The Hockey Writers believes that the Canadiens would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to sign the potential number-one center long term. Especially after a relatively “down” season, Galchenyuk could be signed to a relative bargain, keeping the Canadiens’ cap structure reasonable for years to come.

There are two major issues which could cause negotiations to stall. First, there is a definite gap in perceived value between the player and the organization. The Canadiens have repeatedly dropped Galchenyuk down the lineup, with the player seeing the third line these playoffs alongside the likes of Andrew Shaw and Artturi Lehkonen. Fellow 23 year-old Phillip Danault usurped his spot on the top line, and the mediocre Tomas Plekanec leapfrogged him as well. His defensive play has been the subject of constant criticism, both under current coach Claude Julien as well as former coach Michel Therrien. Second, he has continually been shuffled from wing to center and back again. Players who have played the majority of their career up the middle don’t often appreciate the shift, nor react well to it. Although Galchenyuk has obviously been frustrated with the situation, he has tried his best to adapt to a foreign position on the left side, to little success.

Galchenyuk’s value as a trade piece shouldn’t be understated if the gap between the negotiating parties is too great. GM Marc Bergevin could be tempted to move him for a more “established” center if the offers from other teams increase in frequency. In the end, it seems likely that the parties will compromise on a short-term contract somewhere in the range of $5-6 MM. This would provide Galchenyuk further incentive to perform and gives Montreal an “out” if he continues to regress. A year removed from a 30 goal, 56 point season, it would be a mistake to not include Galchenyuk as part of the Canadiens’ future plans.

Jyrki Jokipakka Will Not Receive Qualifying Offer, Will Play In Europe Next Season

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According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, Jyrki Jokipakka will not be given a qualifying offer this summer by the Ottawa Senators. The 25-year old defenseman was arbitration eligible and set to become a restricted free agent, but instead will head to Europe to play in the professional ranks there.

Jokipakka was acquired by the Senators in the Curtis Lazar trade at the deadline from the Calgary Flames, but his Ottawa tenure will come to an end before it even really begins. He played just three games for the Senators down the stretch and never suited up in the playoffs. He was apparently next in line behind Erik Karlsson, but the Ottawa captain played on a fractured foot instead of sitting in the press box.

Traded twice in his North American career, Jokipakka looked like he had an NHL future somewhere. While there is no indication where he’ll play next year, the Finnish defenseman played three seasons for Ilves Tampere of Liiga in Finland before coming over to the Dallas Stars’ system. Perhaps he’ll return to his home country and try to rebuild his game.

Conor Sheary, Free Agency And Leverage

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When Conor Sheary began the season he was entering the second and final year of his entry-level contract, and coming off a Stanley Cup victory and a strong playoff performance. He’d duplicated his regular season point total in the postseason with 10 points and looked like a solid depth player for a team looking to contend once again. Conor Sheary Sidney Crosby

He’d spent time with Sidney Crosby in the playoffs and had great results, so the Penguins decided to try it again. What has happened this year has been magic. Sheary has blossomed into an exceptional offensive player alongside Crosby, scoring 53 points in 60 games, a rate that betters even his strong numbers at the University of Massachusetts and the AHL.

Heading into the summer, Sheary is a restricted free agent for the first time in his career and arbitration eligible. He’ll be looking for a big raise after such a successful season, and the Penguins will have to decide if he’s a long-term piece. Many would point to Crosby’s presence and think that Sheary wouldn’t have much leverage, that the diminutive winger would have trouble replicating his numbers without one of the game’s premiere centers beside him. As usual, it’s not that simple.

While Sheary is obviously helped a tremendous amount by Crosby’s presence, it works both ways. Without delving too far into the analytics world, it’s clear that Sheary has an effect on the duo’s dominance. Since the beginning of 2015 without Sheary (via Corsica), Crosby has a 53 CF% a simple metric of shots attempted and allowed during a player’s time on the ice. Sheary, in a small sample without Crosby, has the same number. But together the pair skyrocket up to a 56 CF%, showing how well their games mesh with each other. Crosby has found success like that with other players throughout his career, but there have also been several excellent players who just “don’t mesh” with his style and can’t play alongside him.

So then, when the two sides enter the negotiating room this summer it is not just the Penguins acting from a position of leverage. His presence on Crosby’s wing makes their star player even better than he already was, and don’t think the Sheary camp doesn’t know it. Even with just a single season of success, and a checkered history when it comes to development and performance, Sheary should be able to use his chemistry with one of the league’s top players and turn it into a long-term deal. After all, there is no guarantee anyone else could have the same effect.

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