Adam Fox - why no love?

[agentzero]

Easier said than done considering a lot of these high end kids are getting drafted before they even commit to the College route, or have just commited. A lot of them are getting drafted out of Jr leagues before they even make it to the College scene.

Given the conundrum it poses, there really should be an NCAA exception so that teams drafting players who choose that route can retain contract rights until the conclusion of the player’s college career, +1 season. It makes no difference to the player’s expectations really and it makes a world of a difference to the drafting team. It would be better for the league IMO. No wasted scouting and development resources.

[lucafen4]

Given the conundrum it poses, there really should be an NCAA exception so that teams drafting players who choose that route can retain contract rights until the conclusion of the player’s college career, +1 season. It makes no difference to the player’s expectations really and it makes a world of a difference to the drafting team. It would be better for the league IMO. No wasted scouting and development resources.

I expect this to be one change made in the next CA. Extra red flags for players going to Harvard I guess?
Not sure I really blame Fox though, you look at the two teams that have owned his rights, Cgy, Car. and their two of the deepest teams in the league with D prospects.
If he wants to play.... UFA is the best option.

[ericdaoust]

1) This is not the player's fault at all. I'm fully in favor of all players taking advantage of the options they have to get the best experience out of their hockey years.
2) This "loophole" affects NCAA players more because junior/Europe players can sign their ELC and stay in their respective leagues for the time being. NCAA players become ineligible once they sign their ELC. As the years pass the player's UFA option becomes more and more appealing.

[agentzero]

The player is never to be blamed here; they take the options given to them. However, if management teams feel strongly enough about the negative impact, then they should lobby for change (and I would).

[chuckcouples]

Given the conundrum it poses, there really should be an NCAA exception so that teams drafting players who choose that route can retain contract rights until the conclusion of the player’s college career, +1 season. It makes no difference to the player’s expectations really and it makes a world of a difference to the drafting team. It would be better for the league IMO. No wasted scouting and development resources.

NHL teams pay nothing to the NCAA for development of their prospects so the teams already benefit financially from drafting "college kids".

Your proposed rule change would mean a lot to the player's expectations. They would love that idea since they could become unrestricted free agents 3 years earlier as they would leave college after their freshman season, play a year of junior or in europe and then become unrestricted free agents. Anytime there is a demand for a rule change, all of the options need to be fully explored before deciding who the proposed rule would benefit.

I like the rules the way they are. If an NHL team can't convince a prospect to sign a contract in the first 4 years after they drafted him, the NHL team does not deserve to retain his rights.

The other thing to consider is that there are way less drafted college players that NHL teams WANT TO SIGN that become UFAs than there are drafted players that NHL teams DO NOT WANT to sign that become UFAs. Would it be fair to those kids to have an NHL team that does not want them to keep their rights for a longer period of time?

[bondon]

This might be a stupid question, but are teams allowed to meet with all draft eligible players to chat with them before the draft? I only see this being a really big issue if a player deliberately misleads someone into drafting them, and then decides at the last minute to change their mind.

I don't know the specifics around the rules when drafted via different routes, but I do think that there should be an equitable process in the development structure. Like I think it stinks that OHL players etc. can't play in the AHL until a certain age, forcing teams to either keep a player up in a league they're not ready for quite yet and play sheltered minutes or send them back to a league they are too good for.

[agentzero]

NHL teams pay nothing to the NCAA for development of their prospects so the teams already benefit financially from drafting "college kids".

Your proposed rule change would mean a lot to the player's expectations. They would love that idea since they could become unrestricted free agents 3 years earlier as they would leave college after their freshman season, play a year of junior or in europe and then become unrestricted free agents. Anytime there is a demand for a rule change, all of the options need to be fully explored before deciding who the proposed rule would benefit.

I like the rules the way they are. If an NHL team can't convince a prospect to sign a contract in the first 4 years after they drafted him, the NHL team does not deserve to retain his rights.

The other thing to consider is that there are way less drafted college players that NHL teams WANT TO SIGN that become UFAs than there are drafted players that NHL teams DO NOT WANT to sign that become UFAs. Would it be fair to those kids to have an NHL team that does not want them to keep their rights for a longer period of time?

It complicates things when educational institutions are involved. It’s not the same as leaving junior early; you don’t get a valuable university degree from a reputable school if you do all your years. By player expectations I meant that generally it is a reasonable expectation for a player drafted by a given team to sign a contract with that same team; there are exceptions of course but generally drafted players sign their first contracts with the team that drafted them, barring a trade. I’m also not for the proposition of players hitting UFA earlier as I generally think it inflates salaries and eventually leads to ballooning the access costs for the consumer. I know nhl teams don’t contribute to ncaa like they do to junior for development, but they also don’t contribute to European squads. I just think it’s a dumb loophole for a player to be able to hit ufa after being drafted just for going ncaa where so many don’t hit ufa until way later. I just don’t like it.

[agentzero]

This might be a stupid question, but are teams allowed to meet with all draft eligible players to chat with them before the draft? I only see this being a really big issue if a player deliberately misleads someone into drafting them, and then decides at the last minute to change their mind.

I don't know the specifics around the rules when drafted via different routes, but I do think that there should be an equitable process in the development structure. Like I think it stinks that OHL players etc. can't play in the AHL until a certain age, forcing teams to either keep a player up in a league they're not ready for quite yet and play sheltered minutes or send them back to a league they are too good for.

I know they interview players at the combine and before the draft so if that means they meet with them, then sure I think they do. There is a lot of clandestine work with agents and nhl team underlings that goes on.

[ericdaoust]

Players interview with prepared answers telling teams what they want to hear

[Axeman33]

Interesting comments from Pierre Lebrun during TSNs Insider Trading when James Duthie posed the question:

The Calgary Flames figured they wouldn't be able to sign Adam Fox so they packaged him in a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. Now the question is; will Carolina be able to sign him?

LeBrun:

Boy, that is a big question. And it would be a big blow to the Hurricanes if they can't because they really viewed him as a key part of that deal. As of now, our understanding is that Adam Fox has not made a final decision on what he's going to do. Of course, he's got a lot of decisions ahead of him. His team, Harvard, plays UMass on Friday in the NCAA regionals. If his team loses, his season is over. He could decide to go back to Harvard for his senior year. He could decide to sign with the Hurricanes. He could also tell the Hurricanes that he's not signing with them forcing a potential trade. So three scenarios there. I'm told that within 48 hours of his season ending, that Adam Fox and his group will let the Hurricanes know what their intentions are. Here's the thing. For sure, Carolina will trade his rights if he doesn't sign with them. The question is when? Because Adam Fox would want to sign with an NHL club right away, perhaps with Carolina to burn that first year of his entry-level deal before the end of the season this year. But Carolina could wait until the off-season if they decide to trade him which would set Carolina back a year in terms of starting his pro career. So a lot of different dynamics here. A lot of people watching how the Adam Fox situation plays out.

I don't know who's got the more insider info, Lebrun or the guy quoted earlier in this thread about Fox and his future, but it's going to be interesting to see how this unfolds once Harvard is done for the year.

[agentzero]

Players interview with prepared answers telling teams what they want to hear

You mean like, all job interviews, ever?

[agentzero]

Excellent info from Lebrun thanks for sharing Axeman.

[StuM]

Well, Harvard is out. Let's see what happens next.

[Brosive]

Rangers have acquired the rights to Fox from Carolina for a 2nd and conditional 3rd.
Good news is there is less in the way for him in NY to be the go-to

[rataylor22]

It complicates things when educational institutions are involved. It’s not the same as leaving junior early; you don’t get a valuable university degree from a reputable school if you do all your years. By player expectations I meant that generally it is a reasonable expectation for a player drafted by a given team to sign a contract with that same team; there are exceptions of course but generally drafted players sign their first contracts with the team that drafted them, barring a trade. I’m also not for the proposition of players hitting UFA earlier as I generally think it inflates salaries and eventually leads to ballooning the access costs for the consumer. I know nhl teams don’t contribute to ncaa like they do to junior for development, but they also don’t contribute to European squads. I just think it’s a dumb loophole for a player to be able to hit ufa after being drafted just for going ncaa where so many don’t hit ufa until way later. I just don’t like it.

This isn't a college loophole, any player can do this. Get drafted and don't sign your contract for four years and you become a UFA.

Players have almost no control over anything in their careers and people still want teams to have more control. Ridiculous.