NHL Record-setting 67 players file for salary arbitration

Arbitration hearings are set for Aug. 1-15 in Toronto.
TORONTO (AP) -- Joe Thornton of the Boston Bruins, Zdeno Chara of the Ottawa Senators and Scott Niedermayer of the New Jersey Devils are among the record 67 NHL players who have filed for salary arbitration.
Other restricted free agents who filed by Thursday's midnight deadline include Brendan Morrison and Dan Cloutier of the Vancouver Canucks, Bryan McCabe and Tomas Kaberle of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chris Phillips of the Senators, Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames, Eric Brewer of the Edmonton Oilers, Richard Zednik of the Montreal Canadiens and Alex Tanguay of the Colorado Avalanche.
Among the high-profile restricted free agents who opted not to file for arbitration are Calgary's Jarome Iginla and Chris Pronger of the St. Louis Blues.
"We made the decision not to arbitrate, which is the same decision we made two years ago and I found that quite productive the last time," said Iginla's agent Don Meehan.
Eyes long-term deal
Meehan will continue to focus on getting a long-term deal done with Flames GM Darryl Sutter.
Thornton is stalled in contract talks with the Bruins, having rejected their one-year, $5.5-million qualifying offer.
Thornton could be awarded around $8 million for one year, given that he's had more points in the last three seasons than Todd Bertuzzi -- whose new deal averages out to $7.9 million a year -- as well as Iginla, who made $7.5 million last year.
The Bruins captain has averaged 80.5 points a season over the last three years, including a career-high 101 in 2002-03.
Arbitration hearings are scheduled for Aug. 1-15 in Toronto although many of the 67 players who filed will likely reach agreement with their teams before any hearing.
Arbitration process clouded
The arbitration process is clouded by the NHL's troubled labor negotiations. The league's collective bargaining agreement with the NHLPA expires Sept. 15.
The league is expected to lock out the players if a new contract is not reached in September. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has urged "cost certainty" for the owners and is seeking some form of salary cap, which the union vehemently opposes.
The Buffalo Sabres have the most players headed for arbitration with eight: Mika Noronen, Jean-Pierre Dumont, Martin Biron, Brian Campbell, Jochen Hecht, Brad Brown, Daniel Briere and Rory Fitzpatrick.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning had five players file: Pavel Kubina, Ruslan Fedotenko, Cory Sarich, Fredrik Modin and Cory Stillman.