Mike Cammalleri and Arbitration

Mike Cammalleri and the Los Angeles Kings had their arbitration hearing yesterday. Cammalleri is an excellent skater and playmaker. He scored 34 goals and 46 assists last season with a +5 rating on an otherwise lackluster team. At 5'9 180 lbs he's not the biggest forward but he is fast, agile and has great vision, all valuable attributes in today's NHL. Cammalleri also scored 55 points, including 26 goals, last season, his first as a full-time NHL player. The Kings apparently have made him a few offers but they were nowhere near what he was wanting. Considering his performance over the last two seasons, I expect the ruling to be high with a possible salary somewhere in the $4.5-5 million range. That kind of ruling could have him leaving the town I like to call HeLL-A and even at that price there will be no shortage of interested parties willing to take him.