One thing to remember about these sorts of interviews is the players and teams need to be careful about what they say to avoid any troubles with the NCAA. The player doesn't want risk saying the wrong thing and jeopardizing his eligibility and the team doesn't want to give the NCAA any reason to revoke access to drafted players during the season. Everyone needs to play along with the idea that it's all about getting an education for the student athletes and they're not just working toward signing a pro contract.
If you remember back to 2014, Gaudreau gave interviews at the Hobey Baker ceremony where he was still being cagey about his plans to turn pro or return for his senior year. Then, we later found out that he had already signed the contract shortly before the ceremony.
For me, the most-interesting part of Francis' story is the start:
Quote:
Regardless of what the Calgary Flames do by Friday’s trade deadline, it certainly appears they’ll be adding a new forward by season’s end.
His name is Matthew Coronato.
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That makes it sound like his signing a contract that burns the first year is just a matter of waiting for Harvard's season to end. Treliving and Coronato need to be vague and keep things focused on finishing his college year, but that's an uncharacteristically positive statement from Eric Francis.