One way or another, the immediate future for both defenseman Tyson Barrie and forward Mikhail Grigorenko within the Colorado Avalanche organization will be decided by the end of the month.
On Monday, the NHL announced this year’s schedule for arbitration hearings. The Avalanche’s first meeting will be on July 22, when they, and Grigorenko’s representatives, are scheduled to present their cases to an arbitrator. They will follow that up on July 29, when a hearing is scheduled in regards to Barrie.
The Avalanche can, and will likely try to work out a deal with both players prior to their respective hearings. Arbitration has left a sour taste in the Avs’ mouth in the past, and they do have a history of getting deals done prior (i.e. Ryan O’Reilly).
Especially in the case of Barrie, the team’s preference is likely to get a long-term deal done. If they do go to arbitration, the team can elect for the awarded deal to be for either one or two seasons.
