15 NHL players file for arbitration
Sunday has proven to be a newsy day across the NHL, with many notable restricted free agents exercising their right to file for arbitration ahead of the deadline of 5:00 PM Eastern, including Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson, New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider and Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves.
After reports emerged about some of the bigger names opting to go through the process, the National Hockey League Players’ Association has announced the full list, which includes 15 eligible restricted free agents.
The players who have filed for arbitration are no longer eligible to receive offer sheets from clubs who currently do not own their rights, but they and their teams are not obligated to go through with arbitration. The two sides can still work out a contract independent of the arbitration process, or the teams can include the players’ rights in a trade to another team.
While these are all of the players to opt for the arbitration process, teams will have their own window to choose to utilize this mechanism. Once the schedule for hearings is set, the player and team will meet with a neutral arbitrator to come to an agreement if one is not reached beforehand.
Xavier Borgault, Ottawa Senators
Kirby Dach, Montreal Canadiens
Jamie Drysdale, Philadelphia Flyers
Jet Greaves, Columbus Blue Jackets
Alex Jefferies, New York Islanders
Peyton Krebs, Buffalo Sabres
Connor McMichael, St. Louis Blues
Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets
Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Nick Robertson, Pittsburgh Penguins
Akira Schmid, Florida Panthers
Braden Schneider, New York Rangers
Ronan Seeley, Carolina Hurricanes
Cole Sillinger, Columbus Blue Jackets
Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia Flyers
Zegras, 25, is coming off the best season of his career in his first with the Flyers after a trade last season sent him to Philly from Anaheim. The New York native racked up 26 goals and 41 assists for 67 points in 81 regular season contests before chipping in 6 points in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games as the Flyers made a surprise appearance in the second round. Zegras is looking for a raise from his three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5.75 million that just expired.
Greaves, one of the top young goaltenders in the league, posted a .908 save percentage and 2.60 goals against average in his first season carrying a starter’s workload, posting a 26-19-9 record across 53 starts and 55 appearances.