NHL Free Agency continues to heat up as fourteen NHL restricted free agents file for salary arbitration, announced Friday, July 5, by the NHL Players’ Association.
In alphabetical order, the players are as follows: Jake Christiansen (Columbus Blue Jackets), Connor Dewar (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jack Drury (Carolina Hurricanes), Ty Emberson (San Jose Sharks), Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets), Ryan Lindgren (New York Rangers), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres), Beck Malenstyn (Buffalo Sabres), Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets), J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning), Martin Necas (Carolina Hurricanes), Spencer Stastney (Nashville Predators), Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings), Oliver Wahlstrom (New York Islanders).
GettyMartin Necas, Jack Drury
The NHL Players Who Have Filed for Arbitration
Not all restricted free agents are created equal, and players’ statistics and on-ice performance will be key materials used to negotiate the payment. Here’s how each of these players performed this season.
Jake Christianson, a defenseman, went undrafted. He’s spent the majority of the season with the AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters this season. In the 2023-24 season, he played 12 games with the Blue Jackets for 2 assists for 2 points.
Connor Dewar was drafted in 2018, 92nd overall by the Minnesota Wild. The Maple Leafs acquired the center this season in exchange for prospect Dmitry Ovchinnikov and a fourth-round draft pick. He played 74 games this season, with 11 goals and 8 assists for 19 points.
Jack Drury has been with the Carolina organization since he was drafted by the team in 2018, 42nd overall. He played 74 games this season, and collected 8 goals and 19 assists for a total of 27 points. As a rookie, Drury generated a lot of buzz, and while that excitement has ebbed somewhat over the last few years, Drury does have a lot of upside for the Hurricanes. If the Hurricanes elect not to accept the arbitrator’s decision, Drury could be a sneaky good pick for another team to pick up.
Ty Emberson was drafted in 2018 by the Arizona Coyotes, 73rd overall. The defenseman was claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers by the Sharks in September of 2023. He played 30 games with the Sharks this season, for a total of 1 goal and 9 assists totaling 10 points. He’s spent the majority of his career in the AHL, but he’s also won a silver medal with the 2018 World Junior Championships U-18 team and was on the 2020 World Junior Championships team.
Jet Greaves is an undrafted goaltender. This season he was in goal for the Blue Jackets for only 9 games, 3 of which were wins. It’s a small sample size, but in the 9 games he had a goals-against average of 3.49 and a save percentage of .908. With oodles of potential, Greaves could be a strong backup in development until he’s ready for that number-one position with a team.
Ryan Lindgren is one of the biggest names filing for arbitration. He was drafted in 2016, 49th overall by the Boston Bruins, but the Rangers acquired him in a trade in 2018. Since then, Lindgren has been a staple of the Rangers’ backend. This season, Lindgren played 76 games with 3 goals and 14 assists for 17 points.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has always been in the mix for the number-one goaltender position with the Blue Jackets. He’s been with the team since he was drafted in 2017, 54th overall. This season, he was in the net for 54 games (the majority), with 27 wins. He totaled a 2.57 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.
Beck Malenstyn was acquired by the team from the Washington Capitals just six days ago, on June 29, in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. It’s an interesting position for the team to be in, to have just traded for a player (in a deal that of course benefited the Capitals immensely) and immediately enter arbitration. Malenstyn played 81 games this season, for 6 goals and 15 assists with a total of 21 points.
Kirill Marchenko has been with the Blue Jackets since he was drafted by the team in 2018, 49th overall. This season he’s played 78 games, with 23 goals and 19 assists for a total of 42 points.
J.J. Moser, who was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in 2021 was acquired by the Lightning on June 29. Moser was a significant part of the Coyotes’ lineup but was acquired by the Lightning alongside Connor Geekie and two draft picks for Mikhail Sergachev. This season, Moser played 80 games for a total of 5 goals, and 21 assists for 26 points. As a strong presence on the blue line, Moser had big shoes to fill for the Lightning if they elect to sign him.
Martin Necas is possibly the biggest star on this list. A powerhouse forward for the Hurricanes, he was a force to be reckoned with during the playoffs (9 points in 11 games). This season he played 77 games, for 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points.
Spencer Stastney was drafted by the Nashville Predators in 2018, 131st overall. He played 20 games this season, with 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points.
Oliver Wahlstrom was drafted by the Islanders in 2018, 11th overall, which is quite an accomplishment. He played 32 games this season, for 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points.
GettyRyan Lindgren, New York Rangers
What Is Salary Arbitration?
Free agency is full of confusing terms; here’s what it means when players file for salary arbitration.
Only players who are restricted free agents are eligible for filing salary arbitration with the NHL’s Player Association. Restricted free agents’ current contracts have expired, but their teams still own their rights, and both the team and the player must agree on a new contract during negotiations.
If a player isn’t satisfied with the salary amount presented to them, presenting arbitration can be a form of leverage. Teams can also elect to take a player to arbitration if contract negotiations have come to a standstill.
The third-party arbitrator will hear both sides, with the player’s performance, history of injuries, locker room presence, and more presented as evidence in a hearing. Within 48 hours after the hearing, the arbitrator will decide what the player’s salary should be. If the team doesn’t agree with the decision, they can decline it, which will allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent.
Teams are working with a larger salary cap this year, with a cap of $88 million to work with. Players can’t be offered less than 85% of their previous salary, and with some big names on the list, it becomes a question of monetary compensation; how much will the arbitrators decide a player should receive, and will the team elect to give it to them?
Hearings will be held from July 20 to August 4.
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Martin Necas Among 14 NHL Players Filing for Salary Arbitration