[getbak]

One thing I haven't seen brought up is the AHL playoff eligibility rules. This was something that came up last season where Agostino, Van Brabant, Gaudreau, and Arnold were all signed to NHL contracts after the trade deadline, so they were ineligible to play for the Heat in the playoffs.

According to the CBA, a player can only be sent from the NHL to the AHL after the trade deadline if he was also called up from the AHL after the trade deadline. That's why there's always a bunch of paper transactions to "send down" players on the morning of the deadline and immediately recall them after the deadline (which, barring any changes to the lineup between now and then, will likely happen with Wolf and possibly Jooris this year).

The only players who can play in the AHL playoffs are those who were on the AHL roster at the NHL trade deadline plus any draft picks/signees who were in an amateur league at the deadline who go to the AHL after the completion of their junior/college season.


I believe that Bennett can only be eligible to play in the AHL playoffs if he is returned to Kingston prior to the deadline (or upon being cleared to play if it's after the deadline). If he is on Calgary's active NHL roster after the trade deadline, I believe it would make him ineligible for the AHL playoffs (because he can't be "paper transactioned" at the deadline).

Oddly enough, if I understand the rules correctly, he could be in Adirondack on a conditioning loan at the trade deadline and it would make him ineligible to play for Adirondack in the playoffs because he would be considered to be on Calgary's roster.


This will likely have minimal impact on Treliving's decision, just as it had no impact on the Gaudreau and Arnold signings last year, but you'd have to think it's one more thing for them to consider.