- Dec 10, 2012
- 40,367
- 18,766
They are the primary feeder league to the NHL. Last draft, there were 224 players selected. 80 of them came out of the CHL.
If the NHL wants to do away with the rule, they will have to compensate the CHL in some other way.
BTW, the CHL isn't the only league that has age-related rules.
NHL PLAYER TRANSFER AGREEMENT HIGHLIGHTS: NHL AND SWEDEN - Beyond the Glass
Sweden is one of the top countries providing quality hockey players to the NHL. A player transfer agreement guides that relationship.beyondtheglasshockey.com
Maybe the NHL and CHL can agree to exclude 1st round picks from the rule, but the CHL doesn't have the luxury of keeping players until they are 24, so some other form of compensation would be needed.
So in other words, those other leagues with those rules have exceptions? NHL teams can talk to them about waiving certain rights? Unlike in the CHL?
When was the last time you heard about an issue with a player coming from the SHL not being able to play in an appropriate league for their ability level because of that agreement? For me, it's never, because the SHL has several different levels of play that a player can be at based on where they are in their development. The CHL has one level, and it's low. If a guy is too good for the Swedish junior leagues, but not good enough for the NHL, he probably plays in the SHL. If a guy is too good for the CHL, but not good enough for the NHL, too bad he still plays in the CHL?
And if your primary point against this is that no one outgrows the CHL and they're all fine, then what's the actual harm in having an exception for the few cases every few years where it actually helps? Look at a player like Lafreniere. He didn't go back to the CHL anyway, so him playing in the AHL wouldn't have made a difference to them. It only would have helped Lafreniere in that situation. Instead, the reality of the current system is that Lafreniere had to make the jump to the NHL because he was stuck choosing between two bad options instead of a nice middle ground that the AHL represents to some of these guys.
You keep bringing up compensation as if it matters to me. I'm not the one paying it. And I won't pretend to know what the transfer fees would be, but you haven't provided any numbers either. Most likely it's pocket change to a guy worth 4 billion to get a good prospect into a better developmental situation, yeah?
I just don't personally understand the urge to defend the transfer agreement unless you're employed by the CHL. I've already made it clear I understand why the CHL wants it.