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Hearings have been scheduled for the 44 players who filed for player-elected salary arbitration in advance of the July 5th deadline.
Among them are five members of the Calgary Flames: Brett Kulak (July 22nd), Mark Jankowski (July 27th), David Rittich (July 28th), Garnet Hathaway (July 30th) and Elias Lindholm (August 1st).
Kulak is a serviceable depth defender but he has managed just 11 points in 102 NHL games. He is not eligible to become an unrestricted free agent until 2021, either, so there's nothing that would warrant him getting more than a modest raise from his 2017-18 salary of $650K. I anticipate something getting done with relative ease before the hearing.
Jankowski is coming off a 25 point rookie campaign in which four of them – all goals – came in the final game of the season. I expect a pretty cheap bridge deal (two years?) coming his way.
Rittich appeared in 21 games and posted a .904 save percentage. Among 61 eligible goaltenders (700+ minutes), he ranked 52nd in 5v5 save percentage. I don't know what case he could make to get much more than the $725K he pulled in last season. A cheap one-year deal is the likely conclusion here.
In Hathaway's case, a one-way contract is probably the biggest obstacle. His spot in the lineup, and perhaps on the roster, is in question. If I'm Hathaway, I'm pushing for the security of NHL money whether I'm on the roster or not having appeared in 99 games – 56 of which came last season. If not anything else, he surely wants a higher AHL salary than last year's ($150K) considering Stockton may be his most likely destination.
As for Lindholm, I'd be absolutely shocked if he doesn't get a new contract prior to arbitration.
Both sides prefer a long-term deal, they have plenty of time to come to terms on one, and the last thing Calgary wants to do after paying a premium to land Lindholm is go to a neutral party and argue against his worth. That's probably the worst way imaginable to start what should be a long-term relationship.
Of the five players, I think Hathaway is most likely to actually go to arbitration but I wouldn't be surprised if each player settles prior.
Recent posts:
A closer look at the Derek Ryan and Austin Czarnik signings
Flames eying long-term extension for Elias Lindholm
Five Flames file for arbitration
James Neal a necessary signing for the Flames
Reviewing the Flames' 2018 draft class
On the blockbuster trade between the Flames and Hurricanes
Dynamite U21 seasons from Andersson + Kylington put them in good company