Pittsburgh Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese, a restricted free agent, elected for salary arbitration.
The National Hockey League Players’ Association announced Aston-Reese was one of 17 players to do so Sunday.
Aston-Reese, 26, recently completed a two-year contract that carried a salary cap hit of $1 million. Last season, Aston-Reese appeared in 45 games and scored 15 points (nine goals, six assists).
Arbitration hearings are scheduled to be held between Aug. 11 and 26.
In the NHL, this process typically is a formality in getting a new contract agreed to as teams and players want to avoid hearings and rarely reach that point.
Former Penguins forward Sam Miletic has joined the Carolina Hurricanes, signing a one-year, two-way contract for a league-minimum $750,000 at the NHL level. Miletic, 24, was a member of the Penguins organization for the past four seasons but never played for the NHL club.
