24-year-old right-shot forward with prolific WHL and ECHL scoring who hasn't really gotten much of a shot in the A, yet.
Funny you should ask — I talk about Estephan and some other less-heralded Heat players in this week's issue of "The Heat Beat" newsletter, which was just published five minutes ago:
I and others have been lamenting sending junior age players back to the CHL despite the players productivity in the AHL.
Sounds like NHL GMs are seeing the results and wondering the same thing. Good news is that the transfer agreement is expiring after this season, so there may be an opportunity to make changes
Quote:
“It’s been so beneficial to have these guys around our organization,” one NHL GM said Thursday, asking to not be quoted because of the sensitivity around the agreement. “We would have loved to have kept our player. I think there’s a way to do it.”
The NHL-CHL transfer agreement is a touchy topic because, as AHL commissioner Scott Howson said this week, “everyone has so much respect for what junior hockey does for prospects and for the game as a whole.”
Not only that, but amending the CHL transfer agreement has seemingly been an annual talking point without any tangible change.
There is also a significant sum of grant money involved; the NHL is responsible for a big part of the CHL budget. The NHL agreed to pay the CHL a total of $12.6 million in grants for the 2019-20 season, according to a copy of the agreement. Teams are also required to pay $60,000 for skaters and $75,000 for goaltenders who are eligible to return to junior but remain in the NHL.
A second GM said Wednesday that the CHL transfer agreement was a topic of conversation last March at the NHL’s GM meetings in Florida that went quiet once the pandemic hit. And while NHL GMs are mindful of the junior hockey business, they are also trying to look out for their own business interests at the same time – and it's no secret they'd like to keep their hands on their prospects as much as possible.
The second GM's idea is to carve out an exception in the next CHL transfer agreement that would allow each NHL organization the option to place one 18- or 19-year-old prospect in the AHL. There could be certain criteria put in place – that the prospect be a first-round pick, or he must have played three seasons of major junior.
Interesting to see Stone in the lineup
Sutter mentioned the bottom pair was to be battled out by 4 players. I thought he was including Mackey among the four, but maybe he meant Stone. Stone hasn't played in a long time, but might expect him in the Flames lineup sooner than later
