Penguins' Hedberg Declines Arbitration Tuesday July 17, 2001 2:07 PM PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Johan Hedberg has declined to file for salary arbitration, saying he thought it would be counterproductive. Hedberg and forward Wayne Primeau were the only Penguins eligible for salary arbitration who did not file. Filing were forwards Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka, Jan Hrdina and Robert Lang, and defensemen Darius Kasparaitis and Ian Moran. The Penguins recently made a qualifying offer of $583,000 to Hedberg, who received a prorated salary of $375,000 when he spent the final month of last season and the playoffs with Pittsburgh. Hedberg wants more money, but he and his agent, Rick Komarow, prefer to negotiate with the Penguins rather than go to arbitration. Hedberg was 7-1-1 with the Penguins and helped them reach the Eastern Conference finals. Primeau did not file because his agent, Don Reynolds, thinks a deal with the Penguins could be reached shortly. NHL salary arbitration hearings will be held Aug. 1-15, but most players settle on contract terms before going to a hearing.
