By Andrew Allsman| Posted: July 10, 2014| Contact |
Vladimir Sobotka will be a Blue for the 2014-15 season, assuming he plays in the NHL next season. On Wednesday, it became a bit clearer as to when a deal will completed with
the free-agent forward.
A deal between the Blues and Sobotka will have to be
finalized by early August after the Blues filed for arbitration on the
restricted free agent last Saturday. That arbitration hearing, if needed, will
take place on July 21, meaning that a deal will be in place before, or shortly
after that date.
The deadline for NHL players to file for arbitration was last
Saturday. Sobotka, who had the right to file for an arbitration hearing for the
first time in his career, chose not to exercise the option. However, teams were allotted 24 hours to file
for arbitration on their players, and the Blues chose to go that route with
Sobotka.
Sobotka, 27, is coming off of a three-year, $3.9 million
contract, which he signed with the Blues in 2011. The forward made $1.4 million in the final
year of his contract with the Blues. He is guaranteed to make at least
85-percent of that in arbitration. But there is more to the Blues’ decision
than a financial difference.
By filing for arbitration against Sobotka, the Blues
guarantee several things. For starters, Sobotka has zero chance of being in a
different NHL team’s lineup next season. If he remains in the NHL, he will be a member of the Blues for at
least one more year, no matter what happens in arbitration. With the Blues filing
against the forward, he can no longer accept an offer sheet from another team,
something he would have been able to do, had the two sides negotiated without
the interference of a third party.
If the two parties do not reach an agreement prior to the case date, the arbiter will take into account Sobotka’s value and performance with the Blues and then determine a fitting salary number.
The Blues also put themselves in a good position salary-wise
with their free agent, who, if the case does in fact make it to July 21, will
be required to accept whatever financial compensation the third-party arbiter
decides upon. However, Sobotka will be able to choose between a one-year or
two-year deal in that scenario. He would be an unrestricted free agent after
the contract expires, no matter which option he chose.
A member of the Blues for the past four seasons, Sobotka tallied
a career-high 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) last season, which will be
taken into account by an arbiter. Prior to last season, Sobotka’s highest point
total with the Blues was 29 points, so it’s reasonable to believe that any raise
would be minute.
The Blues realize as much, but want a deal to be finalized
as early as possible with restricted free agent Jaden Schwartz also in need of
a new contract. By filing for arbitration, the club guarantees that
negotiations do not drag past early August, and that they can get all of their
ducks in a row prior to training camp.