The NHL’s restricted free agent salary arbitration hearings are scheduled, with dates set from July 20 to August 1. PuckPedia reports 15 player-elected cases, though three have already been resolved.
The Ottawa Senators and Xavier Bourgault, the Buffalo Sabres and Peyton Krebs, and the New York Rangers and Braden Schneider have reached agreements before their hearings. Players and teams can still negotiate up to the start of the hearing.
Players who elected arbitration are ineligible to sign offer sheets. Arbitration awards can only be one- or two-year contracts. In player-elected hearings, the team decides the term, except for players one year from unrestricted free agency, who can only get one year.
Here are the scheduled hearing dates: July 20: Jamie Drysdale (Philadelphia Flyers) and Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg Jets); July 22: Trevor Zegras (Philadelphia Flyers); July 23: Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets); July 25: Xavier Bourgault (Ottawa Senators, resolved), Jason Robertson (Dallas Stars), and Connor McMichael (St. Louis Blues); July 27: Cole Sillinger (Columbus Blue Jackets); July 28: Nick Robertson (Pittsburgh Penguins); July 29: Braden Schneider (New York Rangers, resolved) and Ronan Seeley (Carolina Hurricanes); July 30: Alex Jefferies (New York Islanders) and Kirby Dach (Montreal Canadiens); August 1: Akira Schmid (Florida Panthers) and Peyton Krebs (Buffalo Sabres, resolved).
Nick Robertson’s hearing is set for July 28. Last summer, all 11 arbitration cases were settled without hearings; in 2024, all 14 players who filed signed before arbitration. In 2023, three players—Philipp Kurashev, Ilya Samsonov, and Jeremy Swayman—went through the process, with 19 settling beforehand.
Robertson had a career year in 2025-26, playing 78 games with 16 goals, 16 assists, and 32 points. Projections from AFP Analytics and Evolving Hockey suggest a two-year deal at an AAV just north of $3 million. The Penguins have about $17 million in cap space for 2026-27, with Robertson and Ville Koivunen as remaining restricted free agents.
The hearing date serves as an unofficial deadline, often prompting agreements. Teams and players continue to negotiate, aiming to avoid the formal arbitration process.
