Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandman
My point is that you should stay with the NHL team that drafts you until you hit UFA- I guess that means 7 seasons, or until you’re 27. If there’s other mitigating circumstances, then ask for a trade- but you report.
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I'm on board with that. Or even just letting teams retain their rights for one year after their junior or college career is done just to give them a little more leverage to sign the players.
To make it maybe more fair for drafted players who are unlikely to ever be signed to get the freedom to move on earlier, they could impose a stricter limit on the number of unsigned drafted players a team could retain their rights to. More of them would get released to try their luck elsewhere, but teams would be protected from losing ones that they definitely want to sign. Just spit balling, but you could say that every July 1st, a team can only have "x" number of unsigned prospects and the rest must be released.
People can't look at a professional sports leagues the same as a regular employer. Joining a league is very different than getting hired by a company. When someone joins a league, it comes with rules that you agree to for the privilege of being able to join. It doesn't matter if it is a major professional sports league, or a local bowling league. If the current rules are hurting some teams, they are within their right to try and change them.
The problem is that there are a few teams in the NHL that benefit from the way it is now. Like the owners of the Rangers for example likely aren't complaining.