Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
You are making too big of a leap. What would constitute "unreasonable in his contract demands"? Russell this past off-season apparently had many suitors, but his 'unreasonable contract demands' made him a very late signing at a dollar figure/term that was much less than what was rumored. It happens all the time.
The league will not bat an eye if Stone is still a UFA until after the expansion draft, and then quickly re-signs. They would investigate if it was a Thornton or similar high-profile player, but even then, it is something that is difficult to prove without one of the parties involved admitting to it.
Also, if Stone is indeed selected by Vegas, then that is ok too. I like the trade and it gives the Flames better depth, but it isn't a huge loss to see him leave either. This was a solid move to help shore-up the defence without overspending or having to worry about the expansion draft.
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Again, the NHL can and has made assumptions. What's unreasonable in my opinion is irrelevant because the NHL will do what they want. If they suspect circumvention, they will enforce it if they feel it's worthwhile. Vegas just dropped 500 million and the league certainly prefers to attract such investors, not deter them.
And they do care about Vegas drafting the best team, not just about star players being exempt. They want them to be competitive. If the Flames maintain a 7-3-1 protection model, and then sign Stone after the expansion draft, that doesn't mean Vegas lost out on Stone, that means Vegas lost out on Frolik or Bennett at the draft, which is what the league probably does cares about.
But there is one thing to consider, the Flames could've signed Stone with the intention of exposing him anyways (which is a bit of a wasted 5th), or otherwise feel he wouldnt get drafted anyways. Or they had no intention of signing him despite the condition of the pick.