Prospect Info: AHL Playoff Rules

[BigG44]

I've mentioned this once, but it likely deserves a thread:

AHL Clear Day roster restrictions have been removed. Any eligible player on a club’s roster may participate at any time during the remainder of the regular season and the Calder Cup Playoffs.

And per National Hockey League rules, only those players who have been recalled from an AHL club following the NHL trade deadline (Wednesday, Apr. 3 at 3 p.m. ET) may be returned to the AHL during the remainder of the season.

This is the most official source I've seen since it comes directly from the AHL (which is why I think it's threadworthy now). Several medial members have discussed it on Twitter in the past month, but they didn't have anything concrete.

This means if Roussel, Smith, Eakin, Oleksiak, and Dillon are on the NHL roster on April 3rd, they won't be able to join Texas in the playoffs. That's a huge loss, IMO.

Solution 1: AHL mentions the trade deadline is the cutoff point. Dallas could assign the players to Idaho (ECHL) on the 2nd (Dallas doesn't have a game). I think technically the players, once they check in at Idaho (required when an assignment is made), they could immediately head back to Anaheim for the game on the 3rd. Right after the trade deadline, you should be able to recall them no problem.

Solution 2: Let's say you can't start traveling until the assignment is made. Therefore the players couldn't get on a flight in Idaho until 3 PM Eastern which would give them 7 hours to make the game. Even if you have to charter a flight, it's worth it IMO.

Solution 3: Worst case scenario, this doesn't seem to be the case, but say they can't play the game in Anaheim. Hope that Rome is healthy, and send down Oleksiak and Dillon. For one game the D would be: Rome-Robidas; Benn-Daley; Goligoski-Larsen. Assuming Morrow was traded, Send down Reilly Smith and Cody Eakin, call up Toby Petersen and Tom Wandell. Petersen and Wandell can't play in the AHL again, but they can be the 13th and 14th forward in Dallas after calling Smith and Eakin back up. The only young player left in the NHL that can't play in the AHL playoffs are the older guys: Benn and Roussel.

It'll be interesting to see how they handle this. Hopefully the league will allow Solution 1 ... then there's no problem.

 

[txomisc]

I've mentioned this once, but it likely deserves a thread:



This is the most official source I've seen since it comes directly from the AHL (which is why I think it's threadworthy now). Several medial members have discussed it on Twitter in the past month, but they didn't have anything concrete.

This means if Roussel, Smith, Eakin, Oleksiak, and Dillon are on the NHL roster on April 3rd, they won't be able to join Texas in the playoffs. That's a huge loss, IMO.

Solution 1: AHL mentions the trade deadline is the cutoff point. Dallas could assign the players to Idaho (ECHL) on the 2nd (Dallas doesn't have a game). I think technically the players, once they check in at Idaho (required when an assignment is made), they could immediately head back to Anaheim for the game on the 3rd. Right after the trade deadline, you should be able to recall them no problem.

Solution 2: Let's say you can't start traveling until the assignment is made. Therefore the players couldn't get on a flight in Idaho until 3 PM Eastern which would give them 7 hours to make the game. Even if you have to charter a flight, it's worth it IMO.

Solution 3: Worst case scenario, this doesn't seem to be the case, but say they can't play the game in Anaheim. Hope that Rome is healthy, and send down Oleksiak and Dillon. For one game the D would be: Rome-Robidas; Benn-Daley; Goligoski-Larsen. Assuming Morrow was traded, Send down Reilly Smith and Cody Eakin, call up Toby Petersen and Tom Wandell. Petersen and Wandell can't play in the AHL again, but they can be the 13th and 14th forward in Dallas after calling Smith and Eakin back up. The only young player left in the NHL that can't play in the AHL playoffs are the older guys: Benn and Roussel.

It'll be interesting to see how they handle this. Hopefully the league will allow Solution 1 ... then there's no problem.

I think they will want Wandell and Petersen to play in Texas for the playoffs so itll definitely be interesting to see which players eligibility is sacrificed if it comes down to solution 3.

 

[BigG44]

I asked Heika about this, and he pointed me in the direction of a rule I forgot about.

Teams are only permitted 4 regular call ups after April 3rd. That means pretty much nothing I said would work. Boils down to ... it seems at least ... that very few of the "regular" young guys will have a chance to return to Austin and play in the playoffs.

 

[BigG44]

I don't want to derail the Trade Deadline thread with AHL playoff talk.

I think Worley is probably right that you are no longer limited to 4 call ups after the deadline. That link seems legit since a AHL team official is quoted.

I doubt they waived the rule that players have to actually physically report to where they are assigned, and the wording from the AHL suggests that being assigned to the ECHL (Idaho ... closer geographically to California) wouldn't accomplish getting players into the playoffs.

With unlimited call ups .... I think the only logical thing to do would be to assign all two way players on Tuesday after the Anaheim home game to Austin. They'd fly down and officially report. I don't see why those players couldn't immediately get on a flight Wednesday morning to California. They could be officially assigned back on the NHL roster after the 3 PM Eastern trade deadline.

 

[________]

If the four call up rule existed, I'd think it would be mentioned on the official AHL playoff rules.