Kyle Wellwood’s arbitration hearing with the Vancouver Canucks happened earlier today.

What will the decision of the arbitrator be?

First of all, the Canucks qualifying offer had to be a minimum of 105% of last year’s salary. Last year, Wellwood earned $997K. So his offer would have been $1.047m.

Further to that, if the arbitrator decides that Wellwood’s contract should be more than 50% higher than the qualifying offer (which wold be $1.57m), then the Canucks can walk away and Wellwood would be an unrestricted free agent.

If the decision is for less than 50% higher than the qualifying offer, then the Canucks have to offer Wellwood a contract at the awarded value.

So… is the arbitrator going to award Wellwood $1.57m or more? HELLLLLLLLLLLL NO!

My thought here is that the decision will be for $1.2m and the Canucks will re-sign him. He did score 18 goals last year, but they mostly came in a short burst at the beginning of the season and then went over 25 games without a goal.

Wellwood proved at the end of the season, as he transitioned to a third-line player, that he is worth this money. He plays this role effectively but it’s not a highly paid role. So $1.2m-$1.4m is about right.

If Wellwood can get come consistency back into his game this season, he’ll earn more in his next contract.

For now, he’s worth what he’s going to get.

Go Canucks Go!

– Cam Davie