Following the 1998-99 season, his second year with the Boston Bruins, Khristich took his club to arbitration and was awarded a $2.8 million salary.
This marked the first-time ever than an NHL franchise opted to walk away from a player after losing an arbitration case (Sinden would eventually be proven correct, as Khristich, coming off 66- and 71-point seasons, only scored 89 points over the next 3 seasons).