Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) fights for the puck against Vancouver Canucks center Nic Petan (7) and right wing Conor Garland (8) during the second period of an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Wednesday, April 6, 2022.
Sunday, July 17, 2022 | 4:08 p.m.
Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar has elected for salary arbitration on his next contract and is one of 24 players that could have their next deal decided by an independent adjudicator.
Restricted free agents across the league have the option to file for arbitration should the player and team not come to an agreement.
This doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a disagreement between the player and team, but this puts a more sensitive time frame for both parties to come toward an agreement.
Should the Golden Knights and Kolesar not agree to terms, arbitration meetings will be held between July 27 and Aug. 11, in which a mutual third party will determine what Kolesar’s new contract will look like. The team and player will each propose a salary and then the third party will make a ruling.
In the event a team walks away from the arbitrator’s ruling, that player becomes an unrestricted free agent. The chances of that happening are unlikely, however. Most cases are usually resolved prior to a hearing.
Kolesar was one of six restricted free agents who received qualifying offers from the Golden Knights last Monday. Vegas signed one of them, Jonas Rondbjerg, to a three-year extension when free agency began on Wednesday.
Forward Nicolas Roy did not elect for arbitration, leaving open the possibility of an offer sheet from another team along with defenseman Nic Hague, but general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Thursday that negotiations have gone well and he anticipates getting deals done prior to training camp in two months.
This isn’t the first time the Golden Knights have had to deal with arbitration. Former defenseman Nate Schmidt was awarded a two-year deal that totaled $4.45 million after his case actually reached an arbitrator, the first time since 2015. Schmidt signed a six-year extension in October 2018.
Vegas center William Karlsson filed for arbitration in 2018 following his breakout 43-goal season in the expansion year, but the sides agreed on a one-year, $5.25 million deal before the hearing. Karlsson then signed a eight-year extension the following year.
Kolesar just finished a two-year contract at an average annual value of $725,000. He’s coming off a career-high 77 games played which he had 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) as a bottom-six forward.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
