tomd
Registered User
Ahhh... Thanks.
Did some digging and found this from nhl.com:
Other players may be signed to contracts but returned to the player’s junior club – most often this takes place between an NHL club and Canadian Major Junior teams (teams that play in the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, or Western Hockey League, collectively the CHL). But 18 and 19-year-old players assigned to their team in the CHL do not count against the 50-contract maximum, until they have played at least 11 NHL games in one season.
I don't know if there's a special rule for European players. For NCAA players, once they're signed they are no longer eligible to play for the NCAA, but I don't know much else after that.
We currently have four slide candidates:
Zegras (signed from NCAA)
Tracey (signed from CHL)
Drysdale (signed from CHL)
Perreault (signed from CHL)
Tracey, Drysdale, and Perreault can be exempted from the contracts list if they do not play 11 NHL games. This helps me understand why GM Murray wasn't concerned about Comtois reaching the 10-game threshold in 2018-19 season, but the 11th game as Comtois would be a part of the NHL team in 2018-19 as his first NHL year. That would subject Comtois to the Seattle XD because Comtois would be under an NHL contract for three seasons after the 2020-2021 season. Comtois lost his slide rule exemption by playing 10 games, but did not count towards an NHL contract season because he did not play 11 NHL games. Here's a quote from another nhl.com article: "All first- and second-year NHL players, and all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward protection limits."
As for Zegras' contract, I don't know if he does or doesn't count already because Zegras doesn't belong to any CHL team and cannot return to the NCAA. His options are NHL, AHL, or get loaned across the pond. I guess once Zegras plays 10-NHL games, then his contract becomes an NHL contract that counts against the 50-player contract limit as well as lose his slide exemption.
We're currently at 49/50 NHL contracts as per capfriendly. We technically have four candidates whose contract do not count against the 50-player NHL contract at this moment. Potentially, we could have 45/50 NHL contracts, assuming Zegras doesn't count until he plays his 10th NHL game. If all three CHL players are returned and Zegras does play at least 10 NHL games, then we would be at 46/50 NHL contracts.
So assuming that Zegras doesn't play 10 NHL games this year, the Ducks are at 46 NHL contracts (Drysdale, Perrault, Tracey and Zegras exempted). Note that Tracey was already not included in the 49 contracts.
I don't think you have it quite right on Comtois. Capfriendly lists him as exempt in their Seattle expansion draft simulator tool. My understanding is that by playing 11 games he is a year closer to UFA status.
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