The NHLPA released a list of 20 players who filed for salary arbitration on Saturday, yet there were a few interesting names that didn’t make it on that list (for whatever reasons).
Feel free to share other noteworthy RFAs who didn’t file in the comments, but here are a few of the more intriguing players who decided to ignore that process altogether:
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brandon Sutter opted against doing so, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Dave Molinari notes. (More on which Penguins decided to and the one who did here.)
Sutter, 25, scored 13 goals and 26 points while averaging 15:56 minutes per game in 81 contests last season.
- Minnesota Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper is another name that pops out (thanks to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Michael Russo). The 24-year-old had a very nice regular season and looked good before being injured in the playoffs, but with just 40 NHL games (32 regular season, 8 postseason) on his resume, he probably wouldn’t have had a great case.
- The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeremy Rutherford believes that Vladimir Sobotka’s decision not to file is a good sign that he might reach a deal with the St. Louis Blues soon.
- The Detroit Red Wings might be a little relieved to avoid the process with defenseman Danny DeKeyser (pointed out by MLive.com’s Ansar Khan).
In his second season with the Red Wings, the 24-year-old defenseman averaged 21:38 per game, the second highest total behind Niklas Kronwall (24:19). DeKeyser scored a solid 23 points in 65 games, making him a nice bargain at $1.35 million (after performance bonuses). That could be an interesting RFA negotiation process to watch this summer.
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Again, this isn’t a comprehensive list. If there are any names that stand out (note: not every RFA is eligible for salary arbitration), feel free to point some out in the comments.