Carolina Hurricanes Prepare for Arbitration Hearings and New Buyout Period

The summer vacation period is intact with the NHL, causing little news and rumors. The Carolina Hurricanes have two players who filed for arbitration Martin Necas and Jack Drury. As general manager, Eric Tulsky and staff prepare for those hearings, another buyout window will open following the arbitration hearings. Some activity will surely be picking up in the next week or two.

The NHL arbitration hearings begin on July 20th, which is a week away. The hearings can be scheduled between July 20th and August 4th. It has not been determined when the Canes duo will have their hearings but a contract can be agreed upon anytime before said hearings.

The player to watch is Necas as it appears that Necas has been difficult with trade partners found by the Canes. Teams that are looking to acquire Necas would like to have a long-term contract agreed before making the transaction. Unfortunately, Necas cannot have interest in a given team and nix an agreed trade. It is an unfair ability for such a young, unproven player.

If the Hurricanes and Necas reach arbitration it might provide a contract that makes a trade partner comfortable for at least the short-term. Despite the apparent bad blood with Carolina, it would not be unforeseen to have Necas return to Raleigh for the upcoming season. One would hope that Necas would show up and work hard if that scenario presents itself.

Another interesting storyline is that if a team has a player go to arbitration and the case is settled or awarded that team will receive a 48-hour buyout period 3 days after the settlement or award of the arbitration.

During this buyout window, only players who have a salary cap hit greater than $4 million and were on the team at the prior trade deadline are eligible for a buyout. This could bring about another consideration for buying out Jesperi Kotkaniemi, especially if Necas agrees on a long-term deal or the Canes acquire a top player to extend in a Necas trade.

This week should have some news to prepare for Caniacs as at the very least, the arbitration hearing dates should be announced but the phones will be busy on either a Necas contract or trade. That could result in some unexpected action on the buyout window.