The arbitration calendar was supposed to get rolling today, but a couple of the players set for hearings already found new deals instead. Cole Perfetti landed a five-year contract with Winnipeg worth a $6 million AAV, while Jamie Drysdale reached a four-year agreement with Philadelphia at $6.5 million per season. Trevor Zegras also got a deal done with the Flyers, signing for four seasons with a $9.125 million cap hit.
That leaves Jason Robertson as the biggest name still sitting in the arbitration mix. The Dallas forward is scheduled for a hearing on Saturday as the sides keep working toward a deal, or perhaps a trade. One possible guidepost is Connor Bedard’s recent five-year, $15 million contract, which could serve as a framework for Robertson, who already has 215 career goals.
The contract traffic isn’t limited to the arbitration crowd, either. Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier is still without a deal after Ducks GM Pat Verbeek matched the five-year, $90 million offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, which included a $19.5 million signing bonus. With only $9 million in cap space, Anaheim may need to clear room, and Verbeek could have to move a veteran like Alex Killorn or Chris Kreider if he wants to keep Gauthier in the fold.
There are still several other young players without contracts as prospect camps draw closer, including Adam Fantilli in Columbus, Alexander Nikishin in Carolina, Cole Sillinger in Columbus, and Simon Edvinsson in Detroit. Their situations could also help set the stage for unrestricted free agency, where a few productive names are still looking for new homes.
Is Jeffrey Viel the right player at the right time for the Lightning? The Tampa Bay Times asked that question while noting that unless he scores 30 goals over the next three seasons, the contract is likely to stand out as one of the strangest in Lightning history. Even so, the 29-year-old could still make an impact, and the piece raises the possibility that Tampa Bay may have found a late bloomer.
The Athletic also took a look at which NHL teams improved the most this offseason, with Nashville among the busier clubs. The Predators didn’t hand out the kind of massive contracts they were known for a few summers ago, but they still made solid additions. Toronto checked in at No. 4, while Tampa Bay landed at No. 15, with The Athletic saying the Lightning did “fairly well to replace what they lost in free agency”.
And in Minnesota, the big question around Quinn Hughes isn’t whether the Wild want to keep him - they do. Hockey Wilderness reported that the hold-up is term, with the two sides trying to work out how long the extension should be.
In Other News...
Lightning Are About To Start A New Chapter With No. 74
A jersey number can tell a quiet little franchise story, and for Tampa Bay, No. 74 has had a short but varied run. Brantt Myhres was the first Lightning player to wear it, Nick Tarnasky carried it next, and Sean Day was the most recent to do so, giving the number a history that stretches across different eras and different roles on the roster.
Now the number is about to get a new chapter this fall, with John Carlson set to take it over. For a team that has seen 74 passed along from one player to another without ever becoming one of the rosters signature digits, the next name attached to it adds a fresh layer to a small but notable bit of Lightning trivia. [Read more 🡒]