In today’s NHL rumors rundown, 14 players were elected for arbitration, including some bigger names like Ryan Lindgren and Martin Necas. Meanwhile, star goaltender Jeremy Swayman did not. Also, the Colorado Avalanche doesn’t seem willing to trade Valeri Nichushkin. Finally, the Edmonton Oilers have cleared some cap space by trading Ryan McLeod to the Buffalo Sabres for star prospect Matthew Savoie.
Swayman Steers Away From Another Arbitration
Arbitration can get tough on players, as the team is looking to find as good a deal as possible. Often, management comes prepared with ways to critique the player in ways they otherwise wouldn’t have. Arbitration can get messy.
After going through arbitration in 2023, Swayman had this to say after the process was over:
I think the biggest thing was living day by day, understanding that what you hear might not be the truth at all times. And again, it’s a business and I wanted to make sure that whatever was thrown my way I was going to be able to attack with a good mindset and making sure that at the end of the day, I was doing everything I could to be a Boston Bruin
Jeremy Swayman after being award a one-year, $3.475 million deal via arbitration.
He followed that statement by saying that he is glad it is over, he is more than happy to be a Boston Bruin, and that there are no hard feelings; it is just the cost of doing business sometimes. As Swayman returned to his restricted free agent (RFA) status, he opted not to file for arbitration. The team-elected arbitration is due July 6 at 5 p.m., and there is still a chance that he could return to arbitration, but the belief is that the Bruins want a long-term deal done.
Related: NHL Rumors: Blues, Rangers, Penguins, Oilers
The players who filed for arbitration, notably Lindgren, Necas, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and J.J. Moser, are ineligible for an offer sheet and can sign a contract with their respective teams until they enter the arbitration negotiation.
Avalanche Won’t Look to Trade Nichushkin
On a recent episode of The Chris Johnston Show, Johnston spoke about the latest news on Nichushkin and believes that the Avalanche are not looking to move on from the winger.
Nichushkin was entered into Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and he is ineligible to play for six months from that date, which will be in November. According to Johnston, teams have called Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland about Nichushkin’s availability, and he has been telling…
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