Nick Robertson Leads Penguins in Arbitration Filing as Deadline Passes

The NHL Players’ Association announced today that 15 players have opted for salary arbitration, marking a significant development as the deadline approached at 5 p.m. ET. Among those players, Nick Robertson stands out as the sole representative of the Pittsburgh Penguins to file for arbitration.

The complete list of players electing for arbitration includes notable names such as Kirby Dach from the Montreal Canadiens, Jamie Drysdale of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Connor McMichael from the St. Louis Blues. As the league gears up for the arbitration process, the deadline for clubs to notify players of their own elected arbitration is set for July 6 at 5 p.m. ET, with hearings scheduled to take place from July 20 to August 1.

While Robertson is the only Penguin to initiate the arbitration process, other players like Egor Chinakhov, Arturs Silovs, and David Gustafsson opted to negotiate their contracts outside of this avenue. Despite entering arbitration, Robertson retains the ability to negotiate with the Penguins and can sign a contract at any time prior to his hearing. Historically, most arbitration cases reach a settlement before the hearings commence, making the filing a strategic move to establish a timeline for contract negotiations.

It’s important to note that with his arbitration filing, Robertson, like his brother, is now ineligible to sign an offer sheet with another team. This could open doors for Chinakhov, who remains eligible for such agreements as he has not filed for arbitration.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.