Vermette and Bouwmeester among 15 NHL players to take clubs to salary arbitration

TORONTO - Ottawa forward Antoine Vermette and Florida defenceman Jay Bouwmeester were among 15 players who elected to take their teams to salary arbitration, the NHL Players' Association said Saturday.

Joining them were centre Brooks Laich and defenceman Shaone Morrisonn of the Washington Capitals. The only other club to have two players go that route were the Minnesota Wild, who are set to have hearings with forwards Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Stephane Veilleux.

Also on the list: defenceman Dennis Wideman of the Boston Bruins; Carolina forward Chad LaRose; right winger Marek Svatos of the Colorado Avalanche; New York Islanders forward Sean Bergenheim; newly acquired centre Dan Fritsche of the New York Rangers; St. Louis centre Jay McClement; forward Marcel Goc of the San Jose Sharks; Detroit centre Valtteri Filppula; and Nashville defenceman Ville Koistinen.

The deadline for teams to decide to take players to salary arbitration is Sunday. Hearings will be held from July 20-Aug. 4.

For more information on the salary arbitration process, read player agent Rand Simon's blog.