The NHLPA has released a list of players who have filed for salary arbitration and Dan Carcillo is the lone Flyer on that list. The Flyers can still elect to head to salary arbitration with their other restricted free agents, David Laliberte, Matt Clackson and Darroll Powe, before a deadline set for Tuesday at 5 PM ET.
Meanwhile, Carcillo and the Flyers will meet at some point between July 20 and August 4 to hash out their differences.
What does this mean, exactly, for Carcillo’s future in orange and black? Well, essentially, filing for arbitration is just Carcillo acting on his rights. It doesn’t necessarily mean the two sides will get to that point, but it does mean that Carcillo wasn’t happy with the qualifying offer he received from the club back on June 28.
We also know that qualifying offer was at least $984,375, or a 105% raise from his 2009/10 salary of $937,500 (I’m open to a math whiz checking that, by the way). So, essentially, Carcillo’s filing for arbitration today means that he thinks he’s worth more than $984,375 next season.
Will the two sides get to arbitration? They can still negotiate up until the date of the hearing, but should arbitration be necessary, it’ll likely be a mess. Here’s how the process works.
Before anything begins, the Flyers have the right to decide whether or not Carcillo gets a two-year deal or a one-year deal at the end of the proceedings. Clubs typically elect to go with one-year deals here.
Each side gets 90 minutes to deliver their arguments. First, Carcillo, his representatives and the NHLPA will provide their case as to why he deserves more money. Then, the Flyers and their representatives will provide the counter-argument: essentially, everything bad about Dan Carcillo.
Each side then gets an opportunity to argue a rebuttal and deliver a closing argument. Again, each side gets 90 minutes, used as they see fit, to do all of that. After, Carcillo may get a chance to deliver a 10 minute surrebuttal, depending on
Arbitration hearings are never joyous occasions, and it’s common for bad blood to come out of them. You think a guy like Carcillo will be happy about a Flyers representative laying out on a table every reason why he deserves less money? Then again, Carbomb did elect to this process.
The arbitrator has 48 hours to make a decision. They decide the salary and they provide justification for their decision. Carcillo must accept this decision if he wishes to play in the NHL next season. This is a little fuzzy, but we believe the Flyers must accept the ruling if it’s below a number somewhere between $1.3 and $1.6 million. Read below in the comments for an explanation on that.
On the other hand, should the ruling exceed this set number, whatever it may be, the Flyers do not have to approve the decision. Should they reject the arbitrator’s decision in this situation, Carcillo will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
Obviously, should the Flyers accept or be forced by rule to accept, Carcillo is a Flyer again. But the bad blood that is sure to be created in this grueling process will leave doubt that the two sides can come to an agreement when necessary again in the future.
