2012 NHL Arbitration

The following NHL players have elected to file for salary arbitration this summer. The hearings will be held from July 20 to August 4. Arbitrators are only allowed to hand out one to two year deals and their decisions must be made within 48 hours of the hearing. Teams then have 48 hours to accept or decline the arbitrator's decision. If a team has more than one player filing for arbitration, that team has 48 hours from their last player's hearing to decide if they want to accept or decline the arbitrator's decision. If a team declines an arbitrator's decision, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. If an arbitrator's award is for more than $1,633,131 on a one-year contract, the team has the right to walk away from the decision and let the player become an unrestricted free agent. Anything under that amount, the team must accept the award. Players who have filed for arbitration cannot be given an offer sheet. The following players are still scheduled for arbitration:


All players re-signed with their teams before their arbitration dates.


The following players have re-signed with their teams prior to their arbitration hearings:

Anaheim Ducks
Nick Bonino, C - 2 years, $1.4 million (7/12/12)

Colorado Avalanche
Jamie McGinn, RW - 2 years, $3.5 million (7/13/12)

Dallas Stars
Richard Bachman, G - 1 year, $625,000 (7/12/12)
Mark Fistric, D - 1 year, $1.475 million (7/21/12)

Detroit Red Wings
Kyle Quincey, D - 2 years, $7.55 million (7/18/12)

Edmonton Oilers
Sam Gagner, C - 1 year, $3.2 million (7/20/12)

Florida Panthers
Kris Versteeg, RW - 4 years, $17.6 million (7/23/12)

Montreal Canadiens
Raphael Diaz, D - 2 years, $2.45 million (7/13/12)

Nashville Predators
Sergei Kostitsyn, LW - 2 years, $6 million (7/23/12)

New Jersey Devils
Mark Fayne, D - 2 years, $2.6 million (7/21/12)

New York Rangers
Anton Stralman, D - 2 years, $3.4 million (7/26/12)

Ottawa Senators
Kaspars Daugavins, LW - 1 year, $635,000 (7/23/12)

St. Louis Blues
T.J. Oshie, RW - 5 years, $20.875 million (7/19/12)
David Perron, LW - 4 years, $15.25 million (7/5/12)

San Jose Sharks
T.J. Galiardi, C - 1 year, $950,000 (7/9/12)

Toronto Maple Leafs
Nikolai Kulemin, RW - 2 years, $5.6 million (7/20/12)

Vancouver Canucks
Mason Raymond, RW - 1 year, $2.275 million (7/9/12)
Dale Weise, RW - 1 year, undisclosed (7/25/12)

Panthers Acquire Kris Versteeg from Flyers

The Florida Panthers continued to re-vamp their roster on the first day of free agency by acquiring right wing Kris Versteeg from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a second round draft pick in 2012 or 2013 and a third round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. He has one more year left on his current contract. In 80 games last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers, he had 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points. This is a good trade for the Panthers, as Versteeg brings plenty of offensive skill to the forward lines. He will also add some skill to the power play and penalty kill, as well as a little bit of grit. Versteeg will likely play on the top line for the Panthers next season. The move also helps Florida get closer to the salary cap floor, while the Flyers cut some salary as they continue to retool their team.

Flyers Acquire Kris Versteeg from Maple Leafs

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Monday evening that they have acquired right wing Kris Versteeg from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Philadelphia's first and third round picks in the 2011 Entry Draft. He still has one more year left on his current contract. The Maple Leafs originally acquired Versteeg last summer from the Chicago Blackhawks along with Bill Sweatt in exchange for prospect forwards Viktor Stahlberg, Chris DiDomenico, and Philippe Paradis. In 53 games this season, he has 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points. Not a bad move for the Flyers, as Versteeg is sure to add some offensive punch to the team. He will add some skill to the power play and penalty kill, as well as a little toughness to the forward lines. The Beauchemin and Versteeg trades now indicate that the Maple Leafs will be sellers going into the February 28 trade deadline, so it's likely that more players could be shopped over the next two weeks.

Maple Leafs Acquire Versteeg from Blackhawks

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Wednesday night that they have acquired right wing Kris Versteeg and the rights to left wing Bill Sweatt from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for left wing Viktor Stalberg, center Chris DiDomenico, and center Philippe Paradis. I'll have analysis on this trade tomorrow, as I have to get up very early, but needless to say, the Maple Leafs got a good scoring winger in Versteeg and a decent prospect in Sweatt. The Blackhawks loaded up on prospects in this move, as Stalberg, DiDomenico, and Paradis all have lots of promise and could help keep the Blackhawks competitive foryears down the road.

Blackhawks Re-Sign Forwards Versteeg and Bickell

The Chicago Blackhawks locked-up their last two restricted free agents last Wednesday by signing left wing Kris Versteeg to a three-year contract worth $9.2 million and left wing Bryan Bickell to a one-year deal. Versteeg’s deal averages out to $3.067 million, while the terms of Bickell’s contract were not disclosed. The signing comes in the wake of the NHLPA filing a grievance over the Blackhawks’ supposed improper qualifications of their restricted free agents. In 78 games last season with the Blackhawks, Versteeg scored 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points and 55 penalty minutes. He was a Calder Trophy finalist this past season as rookie-of-the-year, but lost out to goalie sensation Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bickell did not appear in any NHL games last season, instead appearing in 42 games with the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate in Rockford, scoring six goals and eight assists for 14 points and 60 penalty minutes.

The Bickell signing is mostly for offensive depth. If he makes the team next season, it will likely be on the fourth line given their offensive depth. The Versteeg signing is a good one for the Blackhawks, as he has lots of offensive potential and plays with plenty of toughness. However, his contract puts the team very close to the salary cap for the next two seasons and the team has to re-sign star prospects Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith next summer. The Blackhawks will likely have to make a salary dumping trade between now and next summer in order to afford to retain their young talent. Versteeg, Patrick Sharp, and Brent Seabrook have all been rumored to be on the trade block to dump salary. The Blackhawks would not be in this position if they had not signed Marian Hossa to such an expensive and long-term contract. Sure, signing Hossa could help the team have a long playoff run this season, but it could hurt the team in the long run because now they don’t have a lot of salary to re-sign key players. It will be interesting to see how the team remedies this situation between now and next summer.