Every year on June 1st, teams around the league see rights expire with dozens of draft picks that failed to sign. Many of those players become unrestricted free agents, while others go back into the draft to try and be picked by another team. As always, the best resource for these types of lists is CapFriendly, who provided us with a chart of all unsigned picks this morning. The list is as follows, broken down by team:
Anaheim Ducks:
F Tyler Soy (7th round, 2016)
Arizona Coyotes:
F Anton Karlsson (3rd round, 2014)
D David Westlund (6th round, 2014)
Buffalo Sabres:
D Vojtech Budik (5th round, 2016)
F Brandon Hagel (6th round, 2016)
D Austin Osmanski (7th round, 2016)
Calgary Flames:
D Adam Ollas Mattsson (6th round, 2014)
Carolina Hurricanes:
C Hudson Elynuik (3rd round, 2016)
D Noah Carroll (6th round, 2016)
Chicago Blackhawks:
D Andreas Soderberg (5th round, 2014)
Colorado Avalanche:
G Maximilian Pajpach (6th round, 2014)
Dallas Stars:
D Miro Karjalainen (5th round, 2014)
Detroit Red Wings:
D Jordan Sambrook (5th round, 2016)
F Julius Vahatalo (6th round, 2014)
Florida Panthers:
G Hugo Fagerblom (7th round, 2014)
C Adam Mascherin (2nd round, 2016)
Los Angeles Kings:
D Jacob Friend (7th round, 2016)
Minnesota Wild:
D Pontus Djalin (6th round, 2014)
D Brayden Chizen (7th round, 2016)
New Jersey Devils:
G Evan Cormier (4th round, 2016)
Philadelphia Flyers:
C Anthony Salinitri (6th round, 2016)
Pittsburgh Penguins:
D Connor Hall (3rd round, 2016)
San Jose Sharks:
D Mark Shoemaker (6th round, 2016)
Tampa Bay Lightning:
C Christopher Paquette (5th round, 2016)
Toronto Maple Leafs:
D Keaton Middleton (4th rond, 2016)
F J.J. Piccinich (4th round, 2014)
D Nicolas Mattinen (6th round, 2016)
Vancouver Canucks:
D Cole Candella (5th round, 2016)
F Jakob Stukel (6th round, 2016)
C Brett McKenzie (7th round, 2016)
Washington Capitals:
F Kevin Elgestal (7th round, 2014)
D Dmitri Zaitsev (7th round, 2016)
Winnipeg Jets:
C Jordan Stallard (5th round, 2016)
Obviously some of these names will sign in the coming week, but there are quite a few interesting players who might not. Adam Mascherin leads that list, as he’s already admitted that he’ll be re-entering the draft. The Florida Panthers apparently haven’t made much of an effort to sign him, and instead were trying to trade his rights to recoup some of the value of their wasted second-round pick.
There are others though, like third-round pick Hudson Elynuik who recorded 86 points in 71 games this season for the Spokane Chiefs, and is a massive 6’5″ center who is just coming into his own. Jordan Sambrook was acquired by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds during the season and played a big role for them on their way to the OHL Finals.
Keep an eye out for some last-minute signings after the Memorial Cup finishes on May 27th, and the junior careers for several players come to an end.
A few interesting names. Elyniuk was someone I wanted the Habs to draft back in 2016. Keaton Middleton is playing in the wrong era. 10-15 years ago, he’d have been a highly regarded defensive prospect but he’s just too slow for today’s game.
Why do some guys’ rights expire who were picked in 2014 the same year as those picked in 2016?
Very generally, rights of players drafted from North America are retained for two years, while those drafted from Europe are retained for four.
There are quite a few exceptions/ways to circumvent this, while college players and those from the KHL are a whole different (and more complicated) story.
Thanks