Boeser, McAvoy not free agents but Group 1 Players

[Dobber]

RFAs are Group 2, but Brock Boeser and Charlie McAvoy are still Group 1 players and not free agents at all.

My conversation with Cap Friendly:

CapFriendly CapFriendly
26m
Replying to @DobberHockey @hockeydraft411 and 2 others
Boeser is a Group 1 RFA (or 10.2.c). He signed as EL 20 year old, meaning he needed 3 pro seasons to qualify for Group 2 RFA at expiry. To earn 3 pro seasons at 20, he needed to play in 10 or more pro games in each of those 3 years. Boeser only played 9 games in his first season.

CapFriendly
25m
Replying to @DobberHockey @hockeydraft411 and 2 others
Charlie McAvoy in Boston falls into the same boat.

DobberHockey Dobber
24m
Replying to @CapFriendly @hockeydraft411 and 2 others
I think Group 1 is a player group, not an FA group (or RFA group). Meaning he is not even a free agent. Just a player without a contract. Correct?

Interesting about McAvoy.

@CapFriendly
Replying to @DobberHockey @hockeydraft411 and 2 others
Yes that is correct. Technically he's not even considered a FA because he has no rights (force of habit referring to them all as RFA). So long as the Canucks give him a qualifying offer prior to 5pm ET on June 25, they will have exclusive rights to negotiate with him, no one else

Thought I would share here. Interesting stuff

[ericdaoust]

So does this only mean no offer sheets for these guys?

[Dobber]

So does this only mean no offer sheets for these guys?

Yes, they have no free agent rights. Just need a new contract. No offer sheets. I guess Johnny Hockey was same thing

[ericdaoust]

If offer sheets were actually a thing this would be an important distinction

[chuckcouples]

These Group 1 players must be qualified just like and Restricted Free Agent. If they do not receive a qualifying offer as required, they become UFAs. If they do receive a qualifying offer, then they cannot be signed by any other NHL team but they are still without an NHL contract so they can go play anywhere else they want to.

I guess that makes these guys restricted free agents instead of Restricted Free Agents.

[SeaDawg]

If offer sheets were actually a thing this would be an important distinction

I'm sure Toronto and Winnipeg wishes Marner and Laine fell into this category so they couldn't use the offer sheet tactic as leverage.

[ericdaoust]

I'm sure Toronto and Winnipeg wishes Marner and Laine fell into this category so they couldn't use the offer sheet tactic as leverage.

It's not really leverage when it happens like once every 7-8 years

[SeaDawg]

It's not really leverage when it happens like once every 7-8 years

I don't know...I really get the feeling that, at least this year, the threat is real. I honestly think Marner at the very least is going to talk to other teams. It doesn't necessarily mean Marner will sign an offer sheet, but the fact he can talk to other teams might put some pressure on Toronto to offer the best deal possible. With Boeser and McAvoy not even able to talk to other teams about their value, it puts Vancouver and Boston in a slightly better position (theoretically).

[ericdaoust]

I don't know...I really get the feeling that, at least this year, the threat is real. I honestly think Marner at the very least is going to talk to other teams. It doesn't necessarily mean Marner will sign an offer sheet, but the fact he can talk to other teams might put some pressure on Toronto to offer the best deal possible. With Boeser and McAvoy not even able to talk to other teams about their value, it puts Vancouver and Boston in a slightly better position (theoretically).

I'll believe it when I see it. I think it's another media boogeyman created to keep us busy. Lots of fake news out there, even in hockey.

To me the biggest pressure on Toronto is they're in win-now mode and Nylander's holdout/return really hurt their chemistry as a group. They don't want Marner signing on the last possible day.

[lucafen4]

Clayton Keller is in the same boat

[Dobber]

I think we see an offer sheet every three or four years. Very rare. But if it happens at all between 2015 and 2022 - it's gonna be this year. The summer is nuts and a (un)surprising amount of teams are a little too close to the cap to afford paying their RFA market value. I'm pretty sure most offers would be matched, but the team doing the matching will be hurt badly