A ruling means the Lightning defenseman will make $6.5-million over two seasons.
By BRANT JAMES
Published August 4, 2004
The Lightning budget remained reasonably within general manager Jay Feaster's hopes on Tuesday when an arbiter returned a $6.5-million decision in Pavel Kubina's salary arbitration case.
Arbiter Rolf Valpin awarded the 27-year-old All-Star defenseman a two-year contract worth $3.1-million this season and $3.4-million in 2005-06. Kubina's agent, former Lightning player Petr Svoboda, requested $8.2-million for two seasons; the Lightning submitted a bid of $5.6-million for the same span. Kubina, 27, earned $2.5-million last season when he established personal bests in goals (17), points (35) and plus-minus (9).
Feaster seemed as happy to have the first of five potential cases down as he was to have one settled close to his offer.
"The settlement demand was big," he said, "but the good news is Pavel Kubina is under contract for the next two seasons."
Feaster said he and David Schatia, the agent for Ruslan Fedotenko, negotiated until the left wing's hearing began Tuesday, but "the numbers were apart by enough that neither side was willing to give in on it." A decision is due by Thursday.
In less acrimonious business, 24-year-old left wing Dmitry Afanasenkov and 21-year-old right wing Nikita Alexeev accepted qualifying offers and one-year, two-way deals. Alexeev will earn $1,182,500; Afanasenkov $880,880. Each would have to clear waivers to be assigned to the minors. Feaster hopes that is not an issue.
"If Affy comes back to display the scoring touch he displayed in Juniors, he could find some time on the top two lines," Feaster said of the Russian, who had 99 goals in 60 games in the Quebec Major Junior league in 1999-2000. "And it's a critical year for Alexeev. He has to demonstrate he's ready to be an everyday player in the NHL."
In his first full NHL season, Afanasenkov set career bests in games (71), goals (six), assists (10) and average ice time (12:20). Shifted among various lines as his play and team need dictated, the rookie was more valuable in the playoffs after accepting a defensive-minded role on a checking line with Tim Taylor and Dave Andreychuk. A solid backcheck led to a turnover and an assist on Brad Richards' series-clinching goal against Montreal.
Afanasenkov was invited in July to play for the Russian national team at the World Cup, which begins Aug. 30.
Alexeev, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound right wing, played just 14 games at Hershey in the American Hockey League last season after surgery to repair a dislocated left shoulder. He was added to the roster but not activated during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
