Simoneau started on an AHL deal but signed his ELC earlier this year.Yep, he went down the RHP route in that RHP was drafted I think at 20 and only earned an AHL contract. RHP of course proved himself and earned an NHL entry level contract less than a year later. I think Simoneau is also on an AHL deal, I could be wrong.
I love this approach of taking shots at late bloomers and using the extra year of junior/first year of AHL for holding the rights.