2019 Arbitration Tracker
The deadline to file for player-elected salary arbitration comes in at 4pm today, while tomorrow brings the deadline for team-elected filings. To understand the entire arbitration process, make sure you read Mike Furlano’s Capology 101 posts from 2016 on the process (part 1, part 2). Filing for arbitration also removes the opportunity for other teams to sign a player to an offer sheet.
Below, you can find a complete list of unsigned arbitration eligible players broken down by team. Refresh this page often as new information will be added as it comes in.
Updated July 17
Anaheim Ducks
Chase De Leo – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Justin Kloos – Re-signed without filing
Arizona Coyotes
Emil Pettersson – Will play in SHL
Michael Bunting – Re-signed prior to deadline
Hudson Fasching – Re-signed prior to deadline
Boston Bruins
Peter Cehlarik – Re-signed without filing
Danton Heinen – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Buffalo Sabres
Remi Elie – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 1
Zemgus Girgensons – Re-signed prior to deadline
Johan Larsson – Re-signed without filing
Jake McCabe – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Evan Rodrigues – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 23
Linus Ullmark – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 2
Calgary Flames
Sam Bennett – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 27
Spencer Foo – Will play in KHL
Ryan Lomberg – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
David Rittich – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 29
Rinat Valiev – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Carolina Hurricanes
Brock McGinn – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Trevor Carrick – Did not file, remains unsigned
Anton Forsberg – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Saku Maenalanen – Did not file, remains unsigned
Chicago Blackhawks
Victor Ejdsell – Will play in SHL
Colorado Avalanche
Andre Burakovsky – Re-signed without filing
J.T. Compher – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Sheldon Dries – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Ryan Graves – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Anton Lindholm – Did not file, remains unsigned
Nikita Zadorov – Re-signed prior to deadline
Columbus Blue Jackets
Scott Harrington – Re-signed prior to deadline
Justin Scott – Re-signed without filing
Lukas Sedlak – Will play in KHL
Dallas Stars
Gavin Bayreuther – Re-signed without filing
Jason Dickinson – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Niklas Hansson – Will play in SHL
Dillon Heatherington – Re-signed without filing
Detroit Red Wings
Patrik Rybar – Will play in Liiga
Edmonton Oilers
(none)
Florida Panthers
Anthony Greco – Re-signed without filing
Maxim Mamin – Will play in KHL
Ian McCoshen – Did not file, remains unsigned
Dominic Toninato – Re-signed without filing
MacKenzie Weegar – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 22
Los Angeles Kings
Alex Iafallo – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Calvin Petersen – Re-signed without filing
Matt Roy – Re-signed without filing
Minnesota Wild
Louis Belpedio – Did not file, remains unsigned
Ryan Donato – Re-signed without filing
Carson Soucy – Re-signed without filing
Montreal Canadiens
Joel Armia – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Charles Hudon – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 2
Artturi Lehkonen – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Michael McCarron – Did not file, remains unsigned
Nashville Predators
Rocco Grimaldi – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Colton Sissons – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 26
New Jersey Devils
Brandon Baddock – Re-signed without filing
Will Butcher – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 2
Connor Carrick – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Mirco Mueller – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 28
New York Islanders
(none)
New York Rangers
Pavel Buchnevich – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 29
Vinni Lettieri – Did not file, remains unsigned
Jacob Trouba – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 25
Ottawa Senators
(none)
Philadelphia Flyers
Scott Laughton – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Pittsburgh Penguins
Zach Aston-Reese – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 22
Teddy Blueger – Re-signed without filing
Adam Johnson – Re-signed without filing
San Jose Sharks
Nick DeSimone – Re-signed without filing
Antti Suomela – Re-signed without filing
St. Louis Blues
Jordan Binnington – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Joel Edmundson – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Ville Husso – Team filed for salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 22
Zach Sanford – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Oskar Sundqvist – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 24
Tampa Bay Lightning
Adam Erne – Did not file, remains unsigned
Cedric Paquette – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Carter Verhaeghe – Re-signed prior to deadline
Toronto Maple Leafs
(none)
Vancouver Canucks
Reid Boucher – Re-signed without filing
Josh Leivo – Re-signed prior to deadline
Vegas Golden Knights*
Malcolm Subban – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Jake Bischoff – Re-signed without filing
Washington Capitals
Chandler Stephenson – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 1
Christian Djoos – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 22
Colby Williams – Re-signed without filing
Winnipeg Jets
Eric Comrie – Did not file, remains unsigned
Andrew Copp – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 21
Neal Pionk – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 24
*Of note, CapFriendly explained on Twitter that though Nikita Gusev appears on their calculator, he is not actually eligible for salary arbitration this year.
Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Three Players
The Florida Panthers officially have agreed to terms with Dryden Hunt, Thomas Schemitsch and Jayce Hawryluk on one-year two-way contracts. Hawryluk’s agreement had been previously reported, with CapFriendly noting that he had accepted his qualifying offer worth $874K in the NHL. The other two will earn $715K at the NHL level. All three will still be restricted free agents next summer.
Hunt, 23, is one of the players who has quietly developed into a legitimate NHL option for the Panthers the last few seasons. Undrafted out of the WHL, Hunt ended up exploding in his final year of junior to the tune of 58 goals and 116 points in 72 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors. Jumping to the professional ranks didn’t slow him down, and he has now posted consecutive 23-goal seasons for the AHL Springfield Thunderbirds, despite spending time in both seasons with the Panthers. In 42 NHL games he has 11 points, and he heads into 2019-20 as a player fighting for a role on an improved team. If he can make it, it’s hard to bet against a player that has been overlooked for so long but defied the odds at every opportunity.
Hawryluk is another player who will be battling for a chance to start the year in the NHL, but comes with a much higher draft pedigree. The 32nd overall pick in 2014 made his NHL debut last season, suiting up 42 times for the Panthers and recorded 12 points. Hawryluk has proven he can hang in the bottom-six for the Panthers, but with additions like Brett Connolly and Noal Acciari lengthening out the lineup, there is no guarantee he sees a full season this year.
Schemitsch, 22, is the only one of the three yet to make his debut in the NHL but is not to be overlooked. The third round pick from 2015 had 24 points in 56 games for Springfield while also having the size and reach to handle defensive coverage at the professional level. The 6’4″ defenseman will continue to try and take the necessary developmental steps to make it to the highest level, though things are a little crowded there after the addition of Anton Stralman in free agency.
Minor Transactions: 07/17/19
Arbitration hearings start in just a few days and we’re still waiting on new deals for many of the league’s top restricted free agents. In the meantime, teams continue to fill out their organizational depth charts. We’ll keep track right here:
- Chris Conner has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Binghamton Devils, ending a four-year run with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Conner is an excellent offensive player at the minor league level and does actually have 180 games of NHL experience under his belt. The 35-year old winger will give Binghamton another veteran to help their attack and mentor their young forwards.
- Brandon Saigeon has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles, giving him a chance to start his professional journey with the organization that drafted him. A fifth-round pick in 2018, Saigeon’s exclusive rights with the Colorado Avalanche will actually expire next June, at which point they would need to decide whether he’s worth an NHL entry-level deal. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that deal is already expected to be signed in March, 2020.
- The Bakersfield Condors have signed Anthony Peluso and Vincent Desharnais to AHL contracts, adding some depth to the minor league organization. Peluso has played 148 NHL games over his career, most recently with the Calgary Flames. The 30-year old forward has never been much of an offensive threat though, and scored just eight points with the Stockton Heat last season.
J.T. Compher Signs With Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have signed J.T. Compher to a four-year deal. The contract will carry a $3.5MM average annual value. Compher was scheduled to have an arbitration hearing at the end of the month.
Compher, 24, is coming off his third season in the Colorado organization and his best offensive one to date. Scoring 16 goals and 32 points in 66 games, he was one of the most versatile forwards the Avalanche had, lining up on both the wing and at center (though the former much more often). Compher was also used extensively on both the powerplay and penalty kill, and averaged the most ice time of any forward outside of the top line—Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog.
It was that versatility that made Compher such an attractive piece when the Avalanche acquired him as part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade in 2015, even before he had exploded offensively at the University of Michigan. The season following the trade Compher had 63 points in 38 games for the Wolverines, but happened to lose the Hobey Baker award as the nation’s top collegiate player to Jimmy Vesey.
Still, it took some time for the young forward to really find his groove at the NHL level. Compher tallied just 28 points in his first 90 games for the Avalanche but as his role has increased so has his production. With this contract, the Avalanche are betting that he can at least maintain the lever he showed last season and continue to be an all-situation player for the team.
A four-year deal will buy out one unrestricted free agent season for the Avalanche, leaving Compher a UFA when the deal expires in 2023. In that sense it could be quite the bargain if he ends up improving his offense even further (and staying healthy through an entire season) and is able to continue contributing in all situations. It will be interesting to see exactly where he ends up in the new lineup, as the team brought in Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Andre Burakovsky this offseason to strengthen the Colorado forward group.
The deal is the same one that former teammate Alexander Kerfoot signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs after the trade that brought Kadri to Colorado, an interesting comparison given Kerfoot’s higher point production through nearly the same amount of NHL games. The total is also the same as what Micheal Ferland signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Vancouver Canucks, though he plays a much different role than Compher with his physicality. In all, this certainly doesn’t make Compher an albatross contract for the Avalanche but it does put some pressure on the young forward to continue his development and take another step forward.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke news of the signing on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Chris Stewart To PTO
The Philadelphia Flyers have invited former NHL forward Chris Stewart to their training camp on a professional tryout. Stewart last played in the NHL during the 2017-18 season and spent the majority of last year in the EIHL with the Nottingham Panthers.
Stewart, 31, has a familiarity with Flyers’ GM Chuck Fletcher from their days together with the Minnesota Wild, where the power forward played for parts of three seasons. Still it is surprising to see his name pop up after a year where is looked like Stewart was on the last legs of his professional career. He scored just 13 points in 23 regular season games for Nottingham in a league that is usually dominated by former AHL or ECHL players.
Perhaps he has rededicated himself to getting back to the NHL, or perhaps this is just a favor between friends, but it seems unlikely that Stewart will crack the Philadelphia roster and earn himself a contract at the end of camp. He could however be auditioning for a minor league role back in North America, or another trip overseas to play in another top league. In the preseason we’ll likely see him in the seventh NHL sweater of his career, after playing a total of 652 games for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, Flames and Wild.
Ryan Spooner Signs In Switzerland
After being shuttled around the league the last few years, Ryan Spooner is going to try something different. The 27-year old forward has signed a contract with HC Lugano of the Swiss NLA for the 2019-20 season. Spooner was bought out of the final year of his previous contract last month, meaning he’ll still be paid just over $1MM from the Vancouver Canucks for each of the next two years, and $300K from the New York Rangers who had been retaining salary from a previous trade.
Originally a second round pick of the Boston Bruins, Spooner actually looked like a key part of their offense when he recorded 49 points in the 2015-16 season. Though he would have success again the following year, in 2017 Spooner was sent to the Rangers as part of the package for Rick Nash and things would quickly go downhill. Though he was successful down the stretch, Spooner would only play 36 games with New York before being flipped to Edmonton the following year. Things didn’t work out with the Oilers, and he was sent to Vancouver after just 25 games.
In all, Spooner recorded just nine points in 52 games last season and was a healthy scratch on a consistent basis. The playmaking forward was moved away from center and left in the bottom-six without the same type of offensive linemates he had in Boston. His career was completely off the rails, and a buyout only cemented that.
Now, in Switzerland he’ll get a chance to rebuild some of his value. At just 27 he should still be able to return to North America if he decides to pursue another chance at the NHL, though it’ll take some hard work to prove he’s willing to commit himself to the details at both ends of the rink. Spooner has a ton of offensive talent, but it just hasn’t seemed to click over the last few years. Perhaps a trip overseas will fix that problem.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Three Players
The Anaheim Ducks have added some depth, signing Chris Wideman and Justin Kloos to one-year, two-way contracts. Both players will earn $700K at the NHL level according to John Hoven, though Wideman will earn considerably more at the minor league level. The team has also officially announced the one-way contract for Michael Del Zotto, which was reported earlier this month to be worth $750K.
Wideman, 29, will try to get his career back on track after it almost completely disappeared last season. Starting the year with the Ottawa Senators where he had played for several years, he ended up traded to the Edmonton Oilers in November, flipped to the Florida Panthers just eight days later, put on waivers after another week and sent down immediately. He would be traded again to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline, but ended up playing just three games for their AHL club. In all, he suited up 25 times at the NHL level and 19 in the AHL during a tumultuous year. The offensive-minded defenseman will have to rebuild his value with the San Diego Gulls and show that he can still compete and help a team reach the postseason.
Kloos, 25, is coming back to the Gulls after having done just that. The undrafted forward from the University of Minnesota was a key factor for San Diego after a trade brought him there in exchange for Pontus Aberg. He scored 15 points in 25 games down the stretch for the Gulls before adding another nine in the Calder Cup playoffs. The versatile forward will try to help San Diego get back there while also having his eye on a Ducks roster that might need help up front at some point. In two career games, Kloos has still yet to record his first NHL point.
Unlike the first two, Del Zotto has likely been brought back as depth for the NHL club. The Ducks had an obvious hole on the blueline with just four players signed to one-way contracts, and even if some of their young players take steps towards becoming full-time options the team will still need some veteran experience like Del Zotto. The 29-year old has seen just about everything in the NHL to this point, suiting up for the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Ducks and most recently the St. Louis Blues over a 608-game career. Once considered a premiere young offensive defenseman, he’ll now just try to hold on with a very inexpensive contract.
Ryan MacInnis Accepts Qualifying Offer
Ryan MacInnis has accepted his qualifying offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets, signing a one-year two-way contract worth $874,125 at the NHL level. He will be a restricted free agent again in 2020.
The son of legendary NHL defenseman Al MacInnis, the Blue Jackets prospect hasn’t had quite the same impact at the professional level so far. Selected 43rd overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2014, he failed to bring any of the scoring touch he had in junior to the AHL level. Recording just 34 points in 136 games for the Tucson Roadrunners, he was eventually flipped to the Blue Jackets last summer. He ended up actually setting a professional career high with 24 points for the Cleveland Monsters, but still was only able to tally four goals.
That low goal total made it curious when the Blue Jackets decided to issue a qualifying offer to the 23-year old MacInnis, but perhaps they see enough potential in him to believe he can still be a valuable part of the organization. He is almost certainly ticketed for the Monsters once again, though he will have to pass through waivers at the start of the season.
Connor Carrick Avoids Arbitration With New Jersey Devils
Connor Carrick doesn’t have to worry about his arbitration hearing later this month. He has re-signed with the New Jersey Devils, inking a two-year contract that will carry a $1.5MM average annual value. Carrick will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal.
Carrick has had a rough career so far, never staying in one place for very long. Originally selected in the fifth round by the Washington Capitals, he exploded in the OHL following his 2012 draft and immediately became known as a legitimate NHL prospect. It took him almost no time to reach the highest level, suiting up 34 times in 2013-14 as a teenager (he actually turned 20 on the day of his final game that season). That didn’t mean his journey had ended though, as Carrick was back in the AHL for the majority of the next two seasons before being flipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade for Daniel Winnik in 2016. Showing promise once again he played 130 games for the Maple Leafs before being sent south to the Dallas Stars for a conditional seventh-round pick when there wasn’t enough room on the roster. Dallas gave him only 14 games before flipping him again at the deadline to the Devils for Ben Lovejoy.
Now finally he may have found a home. Playing in 20 games down the stretch for New Jersey, Carrick averaged nearly 20 minutes a night and scored seven points. This contract represents a bigger commitment than any team had made to him previously, and likely means he is a favorite for the third-pairing role behind P.K. Subban and Damon Severson. That’s not a bad place to be in for a 25-year old with good possession stats and some interesting offensive upside.
Where his role on the team ultimately lies however still might be dependent on the other two restricted free agent defensemen the Devils have to sign. Mirco Mueller and Will Butcher both filed for salary arbitration and have hearings scheduled for a few weeks from now. With Andy Greene and Sami Vatanen both unrestricted free agents next summer, one-year arbitration settlements for Mueller and Butcher could mean the Devils have a lot of decisions coming in a year’s time. That uncertainty may be exactly why Carrick and the Devils wanted a two-year term, guaranteeing he’d be under contract and not needing another negotiation in an extremely busy 2020.
Washington Capitals Sign Jakub Vrana
The Washington Capitals have signed Jakub Vrana to a bridge deal, inking the young forward for two years. The deal will carry an average annual value of $3.35MM. GM Brian MacLellan released a short statement:
Jakub is a highly skilled player with a tremendous upside and is a big part of our future. We are pleased with his development the past two seasons and are looking forward for him to continue to develop and reach his full potential with our organization.
Vrana, 23, was the most important RFA the Capitals had this summer, and one that should be a key part of their team for years to come. After giving them just a taste of his offensive ability in 2017-18 by scoring 13 goals and 27 points in the regular season, the following year came as a breakout for the Czech forward. Scoring 24 goals Vrana finished third on the team behind only Alex Ovechkin (51 goals) and T.J. Oshie (25) and locked himself into the second-line left wing spot. Picked 13th overall in the 2014 draft, it’s obvious he has an even higher ceiling than what he has shown and should only get better throughout this two-year bridge deal.
A short-term contract like this was necessary for the Capitals as they try to navigate a tricky salary cap situation. After signing Vrana they sit just $935K under the cap ceiling with two restricted free agents left to sign in Chandler Stephenson and Christian Djoos, meaning they simply couldn’t have gone longer with his bridge deal. Buying out any of his unrestricted free agent years for instance would have meant a huge cap increase, something that Vrana likely wasn’t too keen on either.
Though he’ll still be a restricted free agent at the end of this contract, Vrana will be under team control for just two more seasons meaning his next contract will be quite the raise if he continues on this development path. With Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom both unrestricted free agents next summer, the Capitals needed this two-year term to give them some cost certainty. It’s going to be tight if the team wants to re-sign both veteran players, but with another cap increase (however small) coming next summer the possibility still exists.
Today is about Vrana though, and securing a solid contract that at worst puts him in a great spot for arbitration hearings in 2021. An increased role in 2019-20 isn’t out of the question, and more powerplay time could easily result in a career-high in points.