The New Jersey Devils will have a familiar face around the team as former Devils’ great Patrik Elias will be spending time with the John Hynes and the Devils’ coaching staff for the final week of the season, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. The former star player is interested in coaching and wants spend time with the staff and gain experience with working on a coach’s schedule.
Elias, who played 1,240 games with the Devils over the course of his career, scored 408 goals and 1,025 points over that time. However, with his playing days over, he has shown more interest in coaching in the last year. Elias spent time with the Devils this summer and even asked Hynes about coaching the Czech National Team.
Stein says that Elias will be on the ice with the Devils during practice and sit through coaching meetings. He is also expected to be assigned certain duties for the remainder of the season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning are facing a scare as Victor Hedman left Saturday’s game during the second period. Evidently, the helmet of Washington Capitals forward Carl Hagelin hit Hedman on the chin accidentally and the Lightning announced that Hedman would not return to the game as a result of the incident. Any long-term loss could be devastating to a team that has been consistently dominant all season and can’t afford to be without their top defenseman for any extended period of time.
- Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver Canucks prospect Will Lockwood will likely stay put and return to the University of Michigan. Lockwood, who just finished his junior year, had a breakout season with 16 goals and 31 points for the Wolverines. If Lockwood, the Canucks’ third-round pick from the 2016 draft, chooses to return to Michigan, he could play out his senior and opt to become a unrestricted free agent after that, free to sign with any team in the NHL.
- The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that the Edmonton Oilers might have a tough time signing their 2015 sixth-round pick John Marino, who just completed his junior season at Harvard. Unfortunately, because he played a season of USHL hockey, he could opt to become an unrestricted free agent now if he wants. The 21-year-old defenseman had three goals and 11 points for Harvard.
Hey NHLPA
How about the guys drafted by their team have to sign with their team unless it’s mutual
Kind of bs that a team wastes a good pick on a kid who becomes an FA if he plays Sr. College hockey.
Stupid loophole. Not like this can happen if a draft pick plays in ANY OTHER LEAGUE
Interesting more and more of today’s draft picks don’t look at the league as 31 great opportunities for a career, but rather 10-12 that are “probably pretty good.” Next season, look for a record number of mutual contract terminations as that epidemic continues… Does this mean mass expansion for the European Tour at the expense of the AHL? Inquiring minds kind of want to know…just wait ’till after the next Honda “Back-seat Brawl” commercial finishes…
What
Seems weirder to limit an employee with a very attractive skill set to one potential employer
How about having the NHL club sign him to an entry level contract and then return to school? Or offer him an amount that would WANT him to turn pro?
And it’s the owners,not the NHLPA,that like that rule. Why? Free development. Give your head a shake. Of course the players wait two years they want more money.
Have you ever worked for an NHL player agent? I have. You are getting snowed by the owners.
I’m pretty sure players are ineligible to return to the NCAA after they sign a pro contract sheff
You are right JD, as long as that pro contract is for the same sport they wish to play in college. Also, I would just like to say that the likely reason why players would want to play in college for a few years rather than immediately signing with the team that drafted them is to maximize the performance bonuses that they can receive on their entry-level contract. The maximum allowable amount of performance bonuses on an ELC is 2.85 MM. This number is usually reserved for the very top draft picks each year. You’ll notice that most players who choose to play NCAA hockey for a few years are drafted in the third round or later. This is because they are only offered a mere fraction of the bonuses. By playing in college, they increase their leverage in contract negotiations in regard to performance bonuses and reduce the amount of time it takes them to reach UFA status. As a quick example, by working up a bidding war between teams, Jimmy Vesey was able to get the 2.85 MM max from NYR, while players drafted around him, like Colton Parayko, only got $132,500. Now, whether or not he capitalized on these bonuses is any outsider’s guess. Players should know their limitations, and if a guy doesn’t think he can stand out among pros, he might be better off taking this route. There are many factors at play and it’s everybody’s right to do what they feel is best for themselves.
Such a BS loophole. No other drafted player can gain UFA status in this way, just college players.
I would expect the NHL to close it during the next CBA, but…I expected them to close it in the last one and they didn’t. It’s happening more often now, so maybe they will.
That’s not true, junior and European players can gain UFA status in a nearly identical way. This whole “issue” seems much smaller when you consider the fact that a majority of the prospects worthy of a contract in the first place sign ELCs with the team that drafts them or the team that trades for their rights. It really is quite rare for notable players to wait until their draft rights expire.