Staal spent parts of 12 seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes - serving as captain for six years - before being traded to the New York Rangers at the deadline last year. He signed a three-year, $10.5-million deal with the Minnesota Wild on July 1.
Shaw signed a six-year, $23.5-million contract with the Montreal Canadiens last week after being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on draft night.
The 24-year-old spent five seasons with the Blackhawks after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 draft.
Tuesday marked the deadline for players to make their decision and this time around many high-profiled names elected for third-party assistance.
While general managers and team executives might do their best to talk-down the price of their very own players - and could sign before an arbitrator is needed - sometimes the player's performance speaks loudest and in such cases that player is going to get paid.
Here are five players most likely to cash in via arbitration:
Mike Hoffman
It's a position that is becoming all too familiar for Mike Hoffman.
After being awarded a one-year $2-million contract in arbitration last season, Hoffman is back at the table and this time is set to make the Ottawa Senators pay, literally.
The 26-year-old went to arbitration after failing to come to terms with the Senators last season, even after leading the team with 27 goals during the 2014-15 campaign.
Well it appears that was no fluke as for the second-straight year Hoffman once again led the team in goals, this time with 29 while adding 30 assists.
He is the club's most skilled marksman and this time around he should be paid as such.
After a career-year that saw him collect 28 goals and 63 points, Schwartz was limited to just 33 games this time around, managing just eight goals and 22 points.
Schwartz's last contract - that paid him $4.7 million over two years - came prior to his career-season. Couple this with a strong postseason which saw him put up 14 points in 20 games this past season, that dollar figure is sure to go up.
What could fault Schwartz is that he didn't play a full season, but factor in that the team won 23 of its 33 with Schwartz in the lineup during the regular season and it's quite obvious the team is significantly better when's he's playing.
Tyson Barrie
Whether the Colorado Avalanche want to trade away Tyson Barrie or not the team can't deny that he has been one of the most productive defensemen in the game.
Barrie has averaged 51 points the past two seasons and this year hit a career-high 13 goals. With seven more goals and 15 more points than second-place Francois Beauchemin on the club, he is by far the team's valuable asset on the back end.
The 24-year-old also hasn't been afraid of coming up clutch for his team, finishing second this season with five game-winning goals.
Barrie produces like a top defensemen, it's about time he got paid like one.
Kyle Palmieri
Few players saw their production sky-rocket this year quite like Kyle Palmieri.
After collecting 14 goals and 29 points in 57 games during the 2014-15 season with the Anaheim Ducks, the 25-year-old was traded to the New Jersey Devils where he erupted for 30 goals and 57 points. This coming off the final year of a three-year contract signed with the Ducks that paid him an annual average under $1.5 million
Factor in his four game-winning goals, his 11 power play markers, and 23 power play points, it's clear Palmieri deserves notably more than a "measly" $1.5 million.
J.T. Miller
J.T. Miller received less money than his entry-level contract awarded him this season and it appears that didn't sit well with him.
After receiving a three-year entry-level deal worth an average of $894,166, he was signed to a one-year contract worth just $874,000 and used it as motivation.
The 2011 first-round pick had a career year with 22 goals - more than twice as much as his previous three years combined - and 43 points. What makes his numbers ever more impressing is that 20 of his goals and 39 of his points came at even strength.
OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators have signed defenceman Fredrik Claesson on a one-year, two-way contract.
The contract will carry an annual value of US$700,000 in the National Hockey League and of $100,000 in the American Hockey League.
The 23...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Predators have signed forward Michael Liambas to a one-year, two-way contract.
Liambas' deal, which was announced Wednesday, is worth $575,000 at the NHL level and $75,000 at the American Hockey League level.
...
NEWARK, N.J. - Restricted free agent centre Sergey Kalinin has re-signed with the Devils for one year and $800,000.
General manager Ray Shero announced the deal on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old had eight goals and seven assists in 78 games, a...
LAWRENCE, Mass. - Former Boston Bruins star Ray Bourque is expected to appear in a Massachusetts court to try to resolve a drunken driving charge.
A spokeswoman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett confirmed that the office has been advised that Bourque will be in Lawrence District Court on Wednesday to try to resolve the case.
Bourque pleaded not guilty last week to operating under the influence of alcohol after his Mercedes-Benz rear-ended a minivan in Andover on June 24. No one was hurt.
Police said Bourque had a blood-alcohol level of 0.249, three times the state's legal limit to drive.
Bourque said in a statement last week: ''I am not happy about the situation I put myself into.''
He retired from the NHL in 2001 after helping the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup.
Mike Hoffman is no stranger to the NHL's arbitration process.
For the second straight summer, the Ottawa Senators winger has filed for arbitration, with both sides expected to ramp up talks with a view to a long-term contract, according to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen.
Here's a look at what Hoffman's next deal might look like.
The background
Selected in the fifth round of the 2009 NHL Draft (130th overall), Hoffman made the jump to the NHL late in the 2013-14 season, establishing himself as a regular in the Senators' lineup at the beginning of the next season after four years in the AHL.
Last summer, Hoffman was reportedly seeking $3.4 million in arbitration on the strength of a team-leading 27-goal campaign, while the Senators were believed to be offering $1.75 million. Hoffman was eventually awarded a one-year, $2-million contract, and, having played that out, can become an unrestricted free agent in 2017 if he and the club settle for another one-year deal.
For the time being, he's a restricted free agent, and no longer open to sign an offer sheet with another team after having filed for arbitration.
The numbers
In short, Hoffman has been one of the highest-scoring forwards at 5-on-5 over the past two seasons.
The 26-year-old is tied for the seventh-highest goal total among all players in that situation, with nine high-paid forwards ahead of him on that list.
The players also with 39 goals are Matt Duchene, Max Pacioretty, and James Neal, all of whom only secure Hoffman's place among the league's high-end talent.
In total, Hoffman has scored 56 goals over the past two seasons, leading the Senators in each while displaying a deadly combination of skill and speed that's desperately needed in Ottawa.
In terms of assists, Hoffman recorded 30 in 2015-16, up from 21 the year before. And for his career he's averaging 26 goals and 50 points for every 82 games played.
The knock
Despite Hoffman's clear scoring prowess, former Ottawa head coach Dave Cameron didn't seem to trust the winger, especially in his own end.
New bench boss Guy Boucher admitted Hoffman needs to work on developing a more complete game, albeit while heaping praise on his former junior player.
"I think Mike has shown great things in the NHL. He was in the All-Star Game. Let's focus on his strengths, the fact he's a game-breaker. He can shoot, score, and change the game," Boucher told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
"Does he have things he can improve? Of course, but I'm so excited to be coaching him again. I know him. I know what to do with this guy and I know how to surround him."
Hoffman averaged only 17:33 of ice time, slotting him 104th among all NHL forwards.
The comparables
In the report mentioned above citing upcoming contract talks between Hoffman and the Senators, Ken Warren offers two players that serve as rough comparables when assessing what Hoffman might command on a new deal: Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings and Reilly Smith of the Florida Panthers.
The 26-year-old Nyquist signed a four-year, $19-million extension in 2016 and has scored 44 goals over the past two seasons - 20 of which came at 5-on-5. Smith, 25, recently signed a five-year, $25-million extension that won't kick in until the 2017-18 season after recording a career-high 25 goals this past season. Over the past two seasons, he's scored 38 - 29 of which came at 5-on-5.
Another player that comes to mind is Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators, who signed a six-year, $36-million contract extension in late June. Hoffman comes in at one fewer goal at 5-on-5 over the past two seasons, with 59 total to his credit in that time.
He is, however, five years younger than Hoffman and possesses a higher ceiling, hence the long-term, big-money commitment from the Predators.
The contract
So what should Hoffman reasonably expect to command on his next deal?
Based on his sparkling yet limited track record (having not yet hit the 200-game mark for his career), questions about his defensive game and a few comparable contracts, a five-year, $27.5-million deal ($5.5 million average annual valuation) seems entirely reasonable for a player of Hoffman's skill set.
When one considers the amount of money tossed at free agents seemingly on the decline on July 1 (see: David Backes, Andrew Ladd), that would be a nice deal for the Senators, making Hoffman the team's second-highest paid forward, behind Bobby Ryan ($7.25 million cap hit) and ahead of Mark Stone and Kyle Turris ($3.5 million each per season).
Whether the two sides can reach a deal prior to arbitration remains to be seen, but under Boucher's guidance, Hoffman's star is only set to rise, and he would command a high amount of attention as a UFA in 2017.
Ottawa, then, would be well served by resolving this contract situation sooner than later.
McRae spent the last two years as part-owner, alternate governor, and general manager of the OHL's London Knights, who won the Memorial Cup in the spring.
He was a scout for the Blue Jackets in 2013-14 and spent five seasons in the same role for the St. Louis Blues before that.
McRae played 16 years in the NHL, racking up 2,453 penalty minutes and 136 points in 576 games.
The Blue Jackets made three other personnel moves Wednesday, promoting Ville Siren to head amateur scout, Chris Morehouse to assistant director of amateur scouting, and Josef Boumedienne to director of European scouting.
A pair of eight-year contract extensions will allow two Tampa Bay Lightning stars to keep the bromance alive.
Drafted first and second overall at the 2008 and 2009 NHL drafts respectively, Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman have not only become franchise cornerstones, but also close friends. That relationship, Stamkos says, played a big part in his decision to re-sign with the Lightning.
"Victor and I are extremely close friends," Stamkos told Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. "We came up in this organization as 18-year-old kids. To say that we're going to be together for the long run, and on one team, that's something special.
"It was extremely exciting to see him sign. A big reason why both of us stuck around is because of the relationship that we have as teammates and as friends as well."
Stamkos, of course, could have become one of the most high-profile unrestricted free agents in NHL history, but chose instead to sign an eight-year, $68-million contract extension. Hedman, meanwhile, signed his own eight-year deal (worth $63 million) that will kick in at the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
Both players would likely have commanded more on the open market, but the opportunity to stick together - and compete for the Stanley Cup on an annual basis - clearly helped tip the scales in the Lightning's favor.
