George Richards, FHN Publisher
When the Florida Panthers traded for goalie Akira Schmid last week, the restricted free agent had already been offered his qualifying offer from the Vegas Golden Knights.
The offer, per PuckPedia: $918,750 for the coming season.
But, Schmid had earned the right to get a little bit more through arbitration and, on Sunday, he filed to do just that.
What does that mean?
Schmid was among 15 restricted free agents who filed for arbitration and only a handful will likely actually reach the stage where an independent arbiter who will hear both the player and team’s side of things before deciding on a salary.
As is the case in these kind of deals, the team has one number in mind; the player, another (higher) one.
Usually a deal is reached before it lands in front of an arbiter.
The Panthers have not gone to arbitration in a long time.
The last player to even file for arbitration was MacKenzie Weegar in 2019. The two sides came to an agreement before it went too far.
Right now, the Panthers are right up against the salary cap but have budgeted the kind of money ($918K-$1.1 million) it will take to sign their backup goalie.
The nice thing about arbitration is that a deal always gets done, one way or another.
And, by electing to go to arbitration, Schmid is locked into the Panthers; another team cannot come in with an offer sheet.
Either the Schmid and the Panthers flesh things out on their own, or a contract total is assigned by a set of outside eyes.
One way or another, Schmid will be in training camp with the rest of the Panthers come September.
ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS OFFSEASON
- NHL Free Agency: Opened Wednesday
- Panthers Rookie Camp/Tournament: Late August/Early Sept.; Site TBA
- Panthers Training Camp: Early/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale
- Panthers Preseason (Four Games): Starts Sept. 20 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
- 2026-27 NHL Season Opens: Late September; Site, Opponent TBA