Today at 5 PM ET was the deadline for arbitration-eligible restricted free agents to file for a salary arbitration hearing. Out of the New Jersey Devils’ RFAs, four were eligible: Nick Lappin, Kevin Rooney, Blake Coleman, and Stefan Noesen. As reported in this article by Chris Ryan at NJ.com, Coleman and Noesen both filed while Rooney and Lappin did not. That’s right, the Texas Twosome took the two-step towards a hearing.
There is no cause for alarm. It is common for RFAs around the league to file for arbitration, have a date for a hearing set, and never get to the actual hearing.