AP Photo / Ross D. Franklin
Washington Capitals’ Nate Schmidt pauses on the ice during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Arizona Coyotes Saturday, April 2, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The Coyotes defeated the Capitals 3-0.
Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017 | 2 a.m.
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It didn’t take Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt long to embrace the spirit of Las Vegas.
The 26-year-old defenseman, who was claimed from Washington in June’s expansion draft, didn’t get off a plane and head straight for the craps tables, roulette wheel or poker room.
Schmidt’s first wager in Las Vegas had much higher stakes.
At a time in professional sports where athletes are constantly seeking longer, guaranteed deals to reach financial security, Schmidt wanted to bet on himself.
He wanted a 1-year deal with the expansion team, hoping to thrive in Las Vegas and earn a massive payday in 2018. Golden Knights’ General Manager George McPhee wanted to lock up Schmidt for longer.
In the end, the two sides reached a compromise last Thursday when an arbiter awarded Schmidt a 2-year contract totaling $4.45 million.
Arbitration is a salary-negotiation tool available to restricted free agents in the NHL when they can’t come to an agreement with their team. Both sides propose a salary, and argue their cases to the neutral third-party arbiter.
The arbiter analyzes both sides and sets the contract terms, which the team can then either agree to or release the player into unrestricted free agency.
The process is rare in the NHL, as Schmidt’s case was the first to reach a ruling since 2015. Twenty-nine other players filed for arbitration this offseason, but they all came to agreements before a ruling.
McPhee and Schmidt remained deadlock until an arbiter came up with a seemingly fair split of what the two sides sought. Schmidt will earn $2.15 million this season, which is more than double his previous career-high, and the Golden Knights will get two years to evaluate his long-term role.
In Washington, Schmidt was buried on the depth chart under one of the deepest blue lines in the league. Behind the likes of Matt Niskanen, John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov, Kevin Shattenkirk, Carl Alzner and Brooks Orpik, Schmidt was relegated to the third defensive pairing and got limited ice time for the Capitals.
Schmidt managed to register three goals and 14 assists in 15:29 of ice time per game.
Schmidt is likely to be a top-pairing defenseman with the Golden Knights, and could see time on the power play. He’s expecting a breakout season with the increased playing time to make himself more valuable.
That’s why he wouldn’t budge on a 1-year deal, which ultimately caused negotiations with McPhee to hit an impasse.
The two have a unique history, as McPhee has now employed Schmidt twice. Schmidt went undrafted in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, but McPhee signed him to a free-agent contract with the Capitals.
They reunited with the Golden Knights when the Capitals’ glut of defensemen forced them to leave Schmidt unprotected in the expansion draft.
Going to arbitration was a bumpy start to their renewed relationship, but it should all smooth out once Schmidt hits the ice.
And if he plays as well as he believes he’s capable, he’ll hit his jackpot two years from now.
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