[tkflames]

It seems to me that with Kulak, you are at the complete mercy of the arbitrator. You cannot walk away from the deal, just constrain it for one year.

I wonder if this is a tactic to show him and the arbitrator that no one else wants him, or if the arbitrator ignores this because teams may have ignored him due to the uncertainty.

If someone picks him up, it opens up a spot for a young guy. If no one picks him up, perhaps this helps negotiations in the "you can work with us on a favourable contract or you can be out of the league" sense.