While 22 players filed for salary arbitration this summer, none have actually had a hearing yet. Ryan Callahan was the most recent of 17 players who avoided the often awkward process, signing a three-year deal worth $12.85 million on Wednesday.
If that trend continues, then there’s no reason to worry about Vancouver Canucks forward Jannik Hansen, whose salary arbitration hearing is scheduled for Friday. It might be different with Hansen, though, as the 25-year-old forward went through the process last year as well. Hansen received a one-year, $825K deal thanks to the 2010 hearing, but the Vancouver Sun indicates that Hansen hopes to at least double that salary after he scored a career-high 29 points and had a solid all-around season in 2010-11.
Arbitration hearings can be contentious and uncomfortable at times, but if a hearing does take place Friday, Canucks assistant GM Laurence Gilman said that he expects it to be a “respectful” process.
It’s quite possible that we might hear about a new deal today (or even a short time before the hearing is supposed to take place), but either way, we’ll keep an eye on the process. The arbitrator’s decision might not be revealed until this weekend or early next week, though.