Hockey

NHL Arbitration Season Wraps Up with All Cases Settled Early

by
William Caldwell
July 24, 2026

The NHL’s salary arbitration season has concluded without a single case being heard, a rarity that underscores the league’s trend toward early settlements. This year, only one player was on the brink of an arbitration hearing before reaching an agreement. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger and Florida Panthers goalie Akira Schmid finalized their deals on July 24, just days before their scheduled arbitration hearings.

Settling early is a common practice in the NHL, as the looming deadline of arbitration encourages both sides to negotiate and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Sillinger’s new three-year contract averages $4.625 million, while Schmid, acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights, will earn an average of $2 million over two years, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Among the arbitration candidates, Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves was the closest to going through the process. He secured a three-year, $15 million deal just before his Thursday hearing. Greaves had requested $7.5 million, while the team proposed a significantly lower $2.8 million for the goaltender who stepped up as a No. 1 netminder last season.

Earlier this week, Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson, who tallied an impressive 96 points last season, also settled for one year at $12 million. This flurry of agreements highlights the urgency for teams to finalize contracts before the arbitration process can complicate negotiations further.

Below is a list of the 15 players who filed for arbitration, along with their original hearing dates and the deals they reached by settling early: