6:44 PM: CapFriendly reports that the NHL has rejected Morton’s contract. The issue is that while he’s currently 24, the contract being submitted is for his age-25 season. A player’s age for contract purposes is defined by their age as of September 15th in the year he signs; Morton turns 25 in July. North American-born players are ineligible for an entry-level deal in their age-25 season and beyond. The Flames will now have to resubmit a new deal without performance bonuses.
2:50 PM: The Flames have made their first splash in this year’s college free agent market, inking Minnesota State University forward Sam Morton to a one-year, entry-level contract for the 2024-25 season. Morton’s contract will carry a $950K cap hit, and he’ll close out this season on a tryout with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reports Morton’s AHL salary next season will be $82.5K, and he’ll also earn a signing bonus of $95K.
Morton, 24, was a bright spot in what was otherwise the Mankato school’s worst season in over a decade. In 37 games, he led the squad with 24 goals, 34 points and a +8 rating, earning CCHA First All-Star Team honors and a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player.
In signing his ELC, Morton wraps up a rare six-year collegiate career. After two seasons playing junior hockey with the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild, Morton joined Union College for two seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20 but left early in the latter campaign to rejoin Wenatchee until the COVID pandemic shut down the season. The Colorado native then entered the transfer portal, where he landed with MSU from 2020 onward. Over four years with the school, Morton registered 44 goals, 76 points and a +46 rating in 102 contests.
The two-time conference champion with Mankato will now immediately head to the pros, where he will join a Wranglers team that’s still trying to secure a playoff spot in the AHL’s North Division. The Wranglers have 14 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, so he should get a decent chunk of action down the stretch and in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Morton will be an RFA next summer when his ELC expires.