Cooley decides to return to University of Minnesota

[Belexus75]

So you’re telling me he’s not playing in Arizona is worth $3-5 million dollars? Either way the kid is an idiot. I can’t believe someone would be stupid enough to pass on signing an ELC because the organization has issues. In game 1 this season in Minnesota if he blows out a knee or trashes a shoulder then what? Whatever his reason his family must be wealthy or really stupid to advise him to do this. It sure as hell shouldn’t be what’s happening with the team. Give me a ****ing break. There must be something compelling pushing him to return to college. If it really is that he was drafted by Arizona that’s beyond stupid. Take the $$ and do your time. It’s a GD NHL contract.

so i was reading all these posts and i couldn't believe how many people said good for him not to go to NHL...crazy...however this here maybe overboard the other way.

Fact is that we dont know why he is going back...if he is going back cause he wants to be at university one more year, well why not...unless he has catastrophic injury, one year will not change anything for him...may even help if he develops even further. But if he is in fact staying in University just not to go to desert then yeah i agree it would be idiotic and not best thing for him...I do find the timing curious...

NHL is NHL...outside of KHL its only place to make lots of money playing hockey and it does not matter if its Championship Contender or pretender, they all pay the same ....

[newfcollins]

For anyone who missed the news, Craig Morgan on Twitter posted:

I followed up and Logan Cooley said the result of the Tempe vote definitely impacted his decision. He was leaning toward going pro had the vote gone in the Coyotes' favor but again, he noted that returning to Minnesota was still a good option.

Logan Cooley said he's not concerned about the Coyotes situation: "I know they'll figure it out. I know the NHL will do things the right way." He also said he spoke to Clayton Keller for advice on the Coyotes' situation and on making the leap from college to the NHL.

Logan Cooley on his decision to return to the Minnesota: "Both options are great but I felt I had a little more left to do in college hockey... I still feel like I have room to grow... After one more season of college hockey I think I'll be even more prepared to make the jump."

[tweetdrivr]

Stop taking advice from Keller. Sign the ELC hit the bank. Not a smart move at all. Hope it doesn’t backfire on him. Hopefully his “little more left to do” doesn’t involve squandering millions in career earning potential. I thought about signing an ELC too once but it would have been with Atlanta and they were really bad and sorta not settled so I went back to college where I play for a $30k a year scholarship. I don’t need a Ferrari or to set my family up forever. Ho hum. It’s just the NHL.

[butch]

risk career ending injury in college in the next 3 seasons while becoming ufa via college loophole verses making aprox 3 mil on your elc .

the AZ situation has to come to a head sooner rather than later this time around so I'd just suck it up and play for them .

[random-d]

If career ending injury is the risk I would say it's mitigated more by playing in college. He can literally just keep it in 3rd gear and coast vs having to go harder against better competition in the pros.

[newfcollins]

I don't know. It worked out well for Fox. Semi worked out for Kerfoot. Didn't work out for Vesey. So there's some risk there, but it's his life. If this is the path he chooses, great.

But who else should he be talking to? I mean, Keller could probably tell him exactly what is going on there, especially in the locker room, the general feeling of the Coyote players over the past number of years, the struggles of new players, the struggles of the offense, the struggles of a team that spends to the bare minimum of the cap, the mental struggles of constantly losing in front of few fans, etc.

Not everyone cares about money. If Cooley wants to stay in university instead of going to the Coyotes, more power to him. If he does care about money, he may see this as the best way to make more money down the road, since the Coyotes are a penny-pinching operation and probably would play hardball on his second contract.

[PicklePickle]

Last time we saw a top 5 pick dont sign with the team and stay in college for 4 years was blake wheeler and it was also with the Coyotes

[Pengwin7]

I think what people are missing is that Cooley isn't a 19-year old kid making this decision on his own.
He's got an agent & other people looking out for his best interests.

The end goal for him is to have a career in hockey that works for him.
Right now - Arizona... does any player want to commit through age 27 to that organization knowing what we know?
(There's no guarantee they decide to burn his ELC years, they might Eklund him into the AHL for two years...)

As Zona is (probably) strapped for cash without gate sales... they are low on money.
That means they are low on what they can or will offer him.

His options:
*Arizona (or who knows) - possibly through age 27 - negotiating his RFA contracts probably to minimal amounts, sourcing their lack of income.
*Somewhere else in 3 years.

I think Cooley is headed straight down Adam Fox Lane.
And that's a damn attractive route, IMO.

[and... Adam Fox went to Harvard... so it's not like he was a questionable decision maker![

[Axeman33]

As the 3rd overall picks, if he shanks the Coyotes, that's a greasy d!ck move on his part.

If he doesn't want to play there, he should just tell them straight up so they can trade his rights and get something valuable in return.

[TrailerParkFlyers]

As the 3rd overall picks, if he shanks the Coyotes, that's a greasy d!ck move on his part.

If he doesn't want to play there, he should just tell them straight up so they can trade his rights and get something valuable in return.

I don't feel sorry for the Coyotes at all if they lose Cooley. They are a joke team. They aren't trying to win. They play in a joke arena for an NHL team. All of this is supported by the NHL. If I was Cooley I may ask to be traded for my own benefit but not for any feeling bad for the Coyotes. The Coyotes with full support from the NHL have brought on themselves any bad thing that happens to the franchise.

[stevegamer]

Always tough for a young man to choose between universities.

I laughed and couldn't give you rep, but thanks for the laugh.

Seriously, pretty much any decent hockey university would be a better option than a dysfunctional NHL organization.

[tweetdrivr]

Seriously, pretty much any decent hockey university would be a better option than a dysfunctional NHL organization.

In what world is this true? College programs are not paying you 900k plus performance bonuses. College programs are not allowing you to learn from and play against NHL talent. My goodness. Yes the Coyotes are a clown show. But they are an NHL team. They play against Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. You’re in the locker room with professionals. Actual professionals. This decision allows him to be comfortable and lazy in his game and costs him a lot of money. That’s the bottom line.

[random-d]

In what world is this true? College programs are not paying you 900k plus performance bonuses. College programs are not allowing you to learn from and play against NHL talent. My goodness. Yes the Coyotes are a clown show. But they are an NHL team. They play against Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. You’re in the locker room with professionals. Actual professionals. This decision allows him to be comfortable and lazy in his game and costs him a lot of money. That’s the bottom line.

I'm having a hard time understanding why you seem so personally invested in this narrative that "NHL is always better than college". Like he's the first player to ever go back to college for another year and it never works out. It's not that I think you're entirely wrong, I'm sure there's some validity to that position, but it also seems like an oversimplification of an equation with alot of variables.

[tweetdrivr]

Meh. I realize it’s been done before. Still doesn’t make sense. I agree there are a lot of variables and I just don’t see how the value of the equation comes out in favor of returning to college vs. the National Hockey League. Doesn’t make sense. Moving on I guess. Sorry if my apparent level of investment was upsetting.

[2014olympicgold]

My assumption whenever a player who is NHL ready who chooses to go back to college is part of a family that doesn't need $90,000 off the bat.

Aku Raty signed a deal with the Coyotes a few weeks ago and it was a 2yr deal that includes performance bonus of $57,500 and a signing bonus of $92,500. I'd assume Cooley's would include a signing bonus of that too.

If your family doesn't need that money, go back to school. And most hockey familys don't need $92,500 as that's a lot of money, but is it completely life changing? No. Smart choice by Cooley here. Until you can guarantee an NHL spot, and have team success, why would you get into that?

The next thing is, he can sign a deal at 22yrs that's a 2yr ELC, which means he can manipulate the system a bit and go to college for 4yrs. In April 2026 when he's 22yrs old, he can sign a 2yr ELC with the Coyotes, play 1 game and get his signing bonus, then get a signing bonus for yr 2 on July 1st. And play 1yr under his ELC and hit RFA status after 83games in the NHL.

That's so far away though.