Earlier this week Keegan Kolesar filed for salary arbitration, and unless him and the Vegas Golden Knights come to an agreement on a new contract in the next few weeks, both sides will meet with an arbitrator on August 10.
Today the NHLPA unveiled the full schedule of dates for arbitration cases, and Kolesar’s appointment comes on the second to last day of all cases. Kolesar made $725,000 for the past two seasons in Vegas, and this past season he finished with a career high 7 goals, 17 assists, and 24 points in 77 games played.
Given what he was making, and the odds of what he could realistically get after going through an arbitration case, I expect him and the Golden Knights to come to an agreement on a deal ahead of a hearing that pays him slightly more than he would have earned by taking his qualifying offer of $750,000.
As things currently stand, the Golden Knights are over the salary cap by $1,394,643 according to Cap Friendly with a roster size of 16. There is still a lot of work for General Manager Kelly McCrimmon to do, as Nicolas Roy is another restricted free agent that needs a new contract.