The dates came out a couple of days ago for the 20 or so players still facing an arbitration hearing, and the one of most interest to Senators fans is of course that of Mike Hoffman.
August 4th is the date for Hoffman, which is the last day of hearings.
That could be for the best for those hoping, or expecting, that a resolution on a longer term deal can be reached before they have to go through the hearing process again.
Being the last guy through, the bars will have already been set by the likes of Jaden Schwartz, Chris Krieder, Alex Killorn and Brayden Schenn, who will all have new contracts by then, either by agreeing before the hearings (the most likely scenario) or having their respective awards handed down by their arbitrator, since hearings begin July 20th
The Senators and Hoffman will know where the trend is, Hoffman's comparable to the players listed, as well as a couple who have already signed (Kyle Palmeiri's 5 yr. $23.5 contract with the Devils is probably pretty close).
So while waiting three weeks from today. the hearing date, will make for a long July for some, don't expect a deal before at least a couple of the early returns are in and they can really get down to the nitty gritty.
I wouldn't anticipate a contract in July, and the calendar will turn to August before it becomes clear what direction this saga is going to take over the next year, or if saner heads prevail and they get a multi-year deal done without having to throw mud at each other in the arbitration hearing.