Twenty players filed for salary arbitration before the July 5 deadline -- and three more players will be taken to arbitration by their team -- and the hearings are scheduled to begin on Monday, July 21, with Cody Franson of the Toronto Maple Leafs.    

Here is a quick refresher course for how the arbitration process works. 

It's a process that teams and players usually try to avoid at all costs. The hearings can be brutal as both sides make their arguments for what the player is worth.

Both sides have an agenda, and while the player and his representation are going to make their case for why they deserve a higher contract, the team will make it's case for why they don't. 

Even though a player -- or team -- chooses to go the arbitration route and files for it, the hearing can still be avoided by reaching a new contract agreement before the hearing date, something that usually tends to happen.

St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka, one of the three players that was going to be taken to arbitration by his team (joining Michael Frolik and Ryan O'Reilly), is also scheduled to have a hearing on July 21, but he recently signed a three-year contract with Omsk, a team in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. Before signing with Omsk the Blues and Sobotka were reportedly only a couple hundred thousand dollars apart in their negotiations.  

This year's list includes 15 forwards, four defensemen and two goalies. Four teams (New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs) are scheduled to have multiple hearings, while the Rangers lead the way with three, all of whom are key players on their roster (Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard and Chris Kreider).

 

Other notable names scheduled for hearings include 2012-13 Norris Trophy winning defenseman P.K. Subban (Montreal Canadiens), Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer, and Colorado Avalanche center Ryan O'Reilly, one of the best young, two-way centers in the NHL. 

Here is the rest of the schedule, sorted by hearing date.

Player	Position	Date	Team	2013-14 Salary
Vladimir Sobotka	Forward	July 21, 2014	St. Louis Blues	$1.4 million
Cody Franson	Defense	July 21, 2014	Toronto Maple Leafs	$2 million
Antoine Roussel	Forward	July 22, 2014	Dallas Stars	$625,000
Jason Demers	Defense	July 22, 2014	San Jose Sharks	$1.5 million
Ryan O'Reilly	Forward	July 23, 2014	Colorado Avalanche	$6.5 million
Chris Kreider	Forward	July 23, 2014	New York Rangers	$900,000
Derek Grant	Forward	July 24, 2014	Ottawa Senators	$660,000
Cameron Gaunce	Defense	July 25, 2014	Dallas Stars	$650,000
Lars Eller	Forward	July 25, 2014	Montreal Canadiens	$1.5 million
Mats Zuccarello	Forward	July 25, 2014	New York Rangers	$1.15 million
Derick Brassard	Forward	July 28, 2014	New York Rangers	$3.7 million
James Reimer	Goalie	July 28, 2014	Toronto Maple Leafs	$1.6 million
Brandon McMillan	Forward	July 29, 2014	Arizona Coyotes	$709,500
Jimmy Hayes	Forward	July 29, 2014	Florida Panthers	$687,000
Kevin Poulin	Goalie	July 30, 2014	New York Islanders	$577,000
Nick Spaling	Forward	July 31, 2014	Pittsburgh Penguins	$1.5 million
Michael Frolik	Forward	July 31, 2014	Winnipeg Jets	$1.9 million
Joe Colborne	Forward	August 1, 2014	Calgary Flames	$600,000
Dwight King	Forward	August 1, 2014	Los Angeles Kings	$750,000
Justin Fontaine	Forward	August 1, 2014	Minnesota Wild	$600,000
P.K. Subban	Defense	August 1, 2014	Montreal Canadiens	$3.75 million