Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylvanfan
Did it used to be that the trade deadline was a key date? I remember the Oilers wanting to acquire Hymans rights to add a meaningless 8th year to get his AAV down, but because he wasn't an Oiler at the deadline they could not sign him for 8 years.
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Yes, the trade deadline is the important date. In the past, it was only the most-recent trade deadline that mattered, but they changed it a few years ago to also take the next deadline into account if the player still has a year left in his contract.
Between the trade deadline and the end of the season (June 30), a player who doesn't have a contract for the next season can only sign an 8-year extension with the team that held his rights at the most-recent trade deadline.
From July 1 until the trade deadline, a player who is in the final year of his contract can sign an 8-year extension with the team who holds his rights at the time of signing regardless of who held his rights at the most-recent trade deadline.
Once a player becomes a UFA, he can't sign an 8-year contract with any team. If a player is an RFA, he can sign an 8-year extension with his current team, but could only sign a 7-year offer sheet.
In Tkachuk's case, he didn't have a contract for 2022-23, so he could only sign for 8 years with the Flames.
In Hyman's case, he was set to become a UFA, but could have signed for 8 years with Toronto in a sign-and-trade before he hit UFA status, but the Oilers weren't willing to pay what the Leafs wanted in order to make it happen.
In Lindholm's case, because he is under contract for 2023-24, he can sign for 8 years with the team that holds his rights at the time of signing. It doesn't have to be the Flames.