Having already been tendered qualifying offers by the Edmonton Oilers, Gilbert Brule, Jeff Deslauriers and J.F. Jacques have filed for salary arbitration, as per a news release by the NHLPA.

So, while GM Steve Tambellini got his biggest signing of the off-season done today by inking Taylor Hall to a three-year entry level contract, he’s still got some work remaining at the contract table.

— Brule made $800,000 in salary in 2009-10, a season in which he scored 17-20-37 and was minus-8 in 65 games. Those totals put Brule fourth in team scoring behind Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner and Ryan Whitney.

— Deslauriers earned $700,000 last season, one in which he carried most of the load as the starter after Nikolai Khabibulin went down with a back injury. He made a career-high 48 appearances, going 16-28-4 with a 3.26 goals-against average and saves percentage of .901.

— Jacques, limited to 49 games because of back problems, made just $525,000 this season, one in which he scored 4-7-11 and was minus-15 with 78 penalty minutes.

The deadline for team-elected salary arbitration notification is tomorrow at 5 p.m. EDT. Hearings will be held in Toronto July 20 to August 4.

I had a chat with former Oilers captain Jason Smith the other day and I came away from the conversation with the feeling it’s only a matter of time that he gets back in the game.

In what capacity, I don’t know, although there’s a lot of people out there who feel Smith has the credentials and experience that would make him a good assistant coach.

As for the timing of any return, Smith, who has moved his family back to Calgary from Ottawa, didn’t commit to a timeline.

"I’ve definitely thought about it, but I’m not sure about the time commitment or if I’d like to start out coaching," Smith said. "I’ve enjoyed this year off, so we’ll have to see. It might be nice to get back in."

— Tambellini said today not to expect any further deletions from the scouting staff, although he left the door open for some additions to chief scout Stu MacGregor’s crew.

— MacGregor is taking some time for rest and relaxation after the Entry Draft and won’t attend the prospects camp that begins at Clareview Arena Tuesday. It’ll be overseen by director of player development Mike Sillinger.