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Lightning, defenseman Smaby hope to avoid arbitration

Tribune file photo by JASON BEHNKEN

Smaby is believed to be seeking a one-way contract before a scheduled arbitration hearing on July 28.

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 20, 2009

Updated: 07/21/2009 12:17 am

Lightning general manager Brian Lawton made progress during a meeting with the agent for defenseman Matt Smaby on Monday in Minnesota, in hopes of hammering out a deal before next week's arbitration hearing.

Lawton had lunch with Minneapolis-based agent Ben Hankinson to continue negotiations before a scheduled arbitration hearing on July 28 in Toronto.

Smaby is believed to be seeking a one-way contract, which would pay the 24-year-old defenseman the same amount of money whether he played at the NHL level or in the minor leagues. The differences don't appear to be about dollar figures.

"No deal yet, but we are moving forward and there is some common ground that we agree upon,'' Hankinson said in an email.

Lawton shared the optimism.

"We are making progress and hope to have it completed before next week,'' Lawton said in an email. "Maybe as early as this weekend.''

In his third professional season, Smaby appeared in a career-high 43 games last season with the Lightning, recording four assists and 50 penalty minutes. He played most of the final month with a broken bone in his foot as Tampa Bay used an NHL-record 23 different defensemen.

The former second-round pick in 2003 spent three seasons at North Dakota before turning pro.

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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