As the main flurry of NHL free agency activity winds down, some players are still working to finalize their contracts.
The Buffalo Sabres have chosen salary arbitration for defenseman Bowen Byram, while the Utah Mammoth have similarly opted for arbitration with forward Jack McBain.
Teams had until 5 p.m. ET on Sunday to make their decisions regarding arbitration-eligible players. The deadline for players to file for arbitration themselves was Saturday, a path taken by eleven players.
When a team selects arbitration (as opposed to the player), the player holds the right to determine the term (length) of the resulting contract award. Additionally, players facing team-elected arbitration cannot sign offer sheets from other clubs.
Arbitration hearings are set to occur from July 20 to August 4. Teams and players, however, retain the ability to negotiate a contract settlement right up until their specific hearing date. The NHL is one of only two major professional sports leagues in North America that uses a salary arbitration system; the other is Major League Baseball (MLB).
Bowen Byram, 24, was drafted fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019. In 246 career NHL games, the blueliner has scored 110 points (33 goals, 77 assists). The Sabres acquired him in March 2024 in a trade that sent forward Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado.
Jack McBain, 25, was a third-round selection by the Minnesota Wild in the 2018 draft. He was later traded to Arizona in March 2022 in exchange for a second-round draft pick. The forward has accumulated 82 points (35 goals, 47 assists) over 241 career contests.
Here is the complete roster of the thirteen players involved in salary arbitration this year:
Players Headed for Salary Arbitration
Player-initiated:
- Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets)
- Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks)
- Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks)
- Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken)
- Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets)
- Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens)
- Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres)
- Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders)
- Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)
Team-initiated:
- Jack McBain (Utah Mammoth)
- Bowen Byram (Buffalo Sabres)
Tristan Blackwood