The salary arbitration hearings have been set for two Avalanche restricted free agents -- defenseman
Tyson Barrie and forward
Mikhail Grigorenko.
Grigorenko's is set for July 22, Barrie for July 29.
The dates were announced by the NHL and NHL Players Association.
The sides can still negotiate and it's possible one or both could reach a contract agreement before the hearings. That's what happened two years ago when the Avalanche and
Ryan O'Reilly settled on a two-year, $12 million contract just before the scheduled hearing.
In that case, the Avalanche filed for rarely-utilized team-elected arbitration. Both Barrie, who turns 25 on July 26, and Grigorenko, 22, elected for arbitration this time.
Coincidentally, Grigorenko was part of the package the Avalanche received last summer when O'Reilly was traded to Buffalo.
Twenty-four NHL players opted for arbitration this summer, but three have already reached contract agreements with their respective teams -- Detroit goalie
Jared Coreau, New Jersey forward
Kyle Palmieri, and Philadelphia forward
Jordan Weal. The Red Wings elected to take goalie
Petr Mrazek to arbitration.
Barrie, who completed a two-year, $5.2 million contract, had 13 goals and 36 assists in 78 games last season. Grigorenko, who had six goals and 20 assists in 74 games, had a one-year, $675,000 contract.
With center
Nathan MacKinnon (seven years, $44.1 million) and goalie
Calvin Pickard (two years, $2 million) in the fold, defenseman
Duncan Siemens is Colorado's only other remaining unsigned restricted free agent.
Siemens, a former first-round pick (No. 11 in 2011), completed his three-year entry-level contract. According to
generalfanager.com, Siemens made $70,000 playing for San Antonio in the AHL with a $525,000 bonus; his NHL salary (he didn't play a game with the Avalanche last season) would have been $832,500.
*****
I wrote
NHL.com stories from the development camp on
Tyson Jost, J.T. Compher and
A.J. Greer.
So far, the
JOST STORY and
GREER STORY have been posted on the site.
*****
For anyone who missed it, I spoke with 2016 third-round pick (No. 71)
Josh Anderson on the final day of the development camp.
The 6-feet-2, 212-pound defenseman wasn't permitted to take part in most drills because he's still recovering from a cracked vertebra -- surgery wasn't needed -- that he sustained in January. He did score a goal in a breakaway drill.
"I just got cleared a couple weeks ago," Anderson said. "It's been tough not being able to do really anything, but getting back on the ice and playing with these guys has been great. Right now I'm at a stage where I'm getting back out there and skating and working out with no contact."
Anderson played in 39 games for Prince George in the Western Hockey League, where he had one goal, five assists and 86 penalty minutes.
"I went to go make a check and the kid turned on me," he said. "I fell head-first into the boards and hyper-extended my spine. It was pretty scary. I watched a video of it and it was pretty bad. I should be cleared for contact by the first week in August. I can't wait to play a regular game.
"The (camp) was great, I learned a lot. There were some drills I wasn't able to do because of my injury, so it set me back. It was a little disappointing, but at the end of the day I came here and learned a lot."
Anderson said he isn't concerned about getting hurt again and will continue to play a physical game.
"I'm a defensive defenseman, I do what I can in our D-zone before moving the puck up," he said. "I'm a hard-nosed physical guy, not afraid to mix it up. I've played this way the last couple years in the Western League and I enjoy the way I play and what it brings to our team. I'll keep playing that way."
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • 
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