Players who have been tendered a qualifying offer by their respective clubs are subject to draft choice compensation and right to match by their previous club. The draft choice compensation scale is based on compensation offered by the new club. Players with insufficient professional experience to qualify for free agency but have received qualifying offers from their clubs, who retain their exclusive rights. Should a player not elect to become an unrestricted free agent, since his prior club has tendered him a qualifying offer he shall remain subject to draft choice compensation and right to match as applies to a Group II free agents. Once again, the NHL can't make anything simple so now we shall cover the topic of salary arbitration.
Arbitration is a whispered word, one that strikes fear into the hearts of players and teams alike.
Frankly it's one most fans don't understand at all nor does the NHL ever try to explain the process. The reality of arbitration is that it's a horrible event, difficult on teams and brutal on players. Most arbitration cases are heard in mid-August which generally gives the players and the teams time to prepare their cases. A neutral third party is designated as the arbitrator. The player presents his salary demand to the arbitrator and backs it up with his stats, intangibles and worth to the team.