Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
I don't think he was NHL, or even AHL, ready for at least the first couple of years after he was drafted, so it's unlikely he actually lost those years. Signing him would have been a detriment to the player (immediate money, but potential development issues). That is one of the main factors here. If a player is a few years off, as most 3rd rounders are, by the time they reach the level where they are ready, they don't have to wait long to become a free agent. Maybe he lost a year.
A player that signs an ELC at 22 only has to sign a 2-year deal, so that also potentially makes up for it.
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I'd to go back and look, but I think the concern with Fox started happening after his first year in college when he blew up...he left Harvard with one year of eligibility remaining...which was the same as Gaudreau.
All I am saying is it sucks that this happened to Calgary, but Fox is the outlier... I'd be hard pressed to find someone else that did this and became a star in the NHL.
If there are concerns with it, the solution is easy - do not draft someone that is intending to go to a US college program. The other solution is getting the NHLPA to agree to indefinite draft rights, which is highly unlikely.