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Five Calgary Flames file for arbitration |
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Forty-four players filed for player elected arbitration in advance of Thursday's deadline at 5 p.m. Eastern.
Among them were five members of the Calgary Flames, which ties them with Winnipeg for most players to file.
The five Flames to do so: Elias Lindholm, Garnet Hathaway, Mark Jankowski, Brett Kulak, and David Rittich.
Now, this doesn't necessarily mean there is a massive gap in contract talks. Carolina defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk filed for arbitration only to come to terms on a contract hours later.
Arbitration hearings are not pleasant for anyone involved – you have players arguing their worth, and team representatives arguing against them – so filing is a way for players to increase the urgency to find common ground while also protecting their rights.
Micheal Ferland filed for arbitration last July and agreed to a new deal just over a week later. I expect most, if not all, of the Flames to agree to new deals in advance of any hearing.
For what it's worth, by filing these players also become ineligible to sign offer sheets so that's not a concern regardless of how far away the team and any of these players are in contract discussions.
It's also worth mentioning a second 48-hour buyout window will open three days after the final arbitration hearing is scheduled. Maybe then the Flames will get rid of Troy Brouwer. Probably not but one could hope, right?
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