Play it cool: Stay in school

[KTF]

Really? Every version of the CBA I heard stated that an NCAA (NCAA Bound) player drafted by a team would become an UFA the August after his class graduates.

If what you said was true, KTF, then Smaby, Stafford, Irman, Potulny, and Harrington (to name a few) would have signed by now.

Here's the direct quote from the CBA itself (found here):

So, in truth, when Oshie graduates (if he were staying all 4 years), the St. Louis Blues would have 180 days from the last day of that NCAA season (and any days in excess to that 180 days between the end of that 180 days and the following June 1st) to sign him before becoming an UFA.

PCM- Google is good, no?

You are aware that the CBA you posted is the old one aren't you? Under the new CBA, a player not signed by his senior year will in effect become an UFA by August and before NHL camps open. If Oshie were to play his senior year, the Blues would have only until August to sign him. All Oshie would have to do is wait them out, become a UFA and sign with what ever team he wants to before the start of the season. The chances of the Blues letting that happen are very slim and as a result will sign Oshie before his senior year. My bet is before his Junior year, just to be on the safe side.

[Smoggy]

You are aware that the CBA you posted is the old one aren't you? Under the new CBA, a player not signed by his senior year will in effect become an UFA by August and before NHL camps open. If Oshie were to play his senior year, the Blues would have only until August to sign him. All Oshie would have to do is wait them out, become a UFA and sign with what ever team he wants to before the start of the season. The chances of the Blues letting that happen are very slim and as a result will sign Oshie before his senior year. My bet is before his Junior year, just to be on the safe side.

But Oshie wouldn't have to sign early.

[redwing77]

KTF is right. Apparently the new CBA isn't available in its entirety as every time I search for it, I only come up with the old one.

But I'm POSITIVE KTF is wrong.

EDIT: Ok, I still haven't found the actual CBA, but I did dig up an article on INCH (yeah, I know their reliability) that addresses this.

Apparently, the article cites that the collegiate agreement in the new CBA will be idential to the last one.

Here's the blurb that it is cited in:

While NHL teams have a brief window to sign some 2003 draft picks before those players return to the draft pool, this does not apply to players still in college like Jeff Tambellini, Brian Boyle and Matt Carle (for a full list click here). As in the previous CBA, NHL teams will retain those players' rights while they remain in school.

I'll keep looking for the actual CBA, but if this is INDEED true, it actually BENEFITS college hockey as both European and MJ players must either reenter the draft or be signed by their drafted team within 2 years of being drafted (June 1st of drafted year to June 1st two years later). Teams who send their draftees to college wouldn't have to sign them for 4 years (provided no redshirt) + 180 days (and any other days between end of 180 days and June 1st of that year if any) after drafting the player.

[KTF]

Actually only Euros must now be signed within 2 years of being drafted. Both MJ and NCAA players will have a 4 year window before becoming UFA. The difference for college hockey in the new CBA is that they no longer have to wait an entire season after graduating from college to become UFA. They simply have to finish their senior year and thats it.

That is why you will see NHL clubs pull the trigger sooner to sign their NCAA players.

[redwing77]

Actually only Euros must now be signed within 2 years of being drafted. Both MJ and NCAA players will have a 4 year window before becoming UFA. The difference for college hockey in the new CBA is that they no longer have to wait an entire season after graduating from college to become UFA. They simply have to finish their senior year and thats it.

That is why you will see NHL clubs pull the trigger sooner to sign their NCAA players.

Ah, now I see what you are saying. I misunderstood what you were saying as "NCAA players must now be signed 2 years after being drafted."

I understand what you are saying. I still believe that they have the span of 90 to 180 days to be signed post graduation (which I have assumed to be the day after the DI NC game regardless of whether your team is in it or not).

Like I said, I'll keep on looking, but if it is INDEED the same as the old one, KTF, then a graduating drafted player would then have 180 days (plus any days afterwards up until June 1st if any) to be signed by their parent club before becoming an UFA.

[KTF]

RedWing, here is an exerpt from an old NHL.com article

"There's no question (Hockey East) has been affected," said Commissioner Joe Bertagna about his league's four key losses due to the new NHL CBA. "You can make the case that four of our first-team potential all-stars are gone in (BU's) Chris Bourque (to Washington), (BC's) Ben Eaves (Ottawa), (Lowell's) Ben Walter (Boston), and (Maine's) Jimmy Howard (Detroit)." (The new NHL labor agreement allows the team drafting a college player to retain signing rights only until the year of graduation, or the player becomes a free agent.)

Link http://www.nhl.com/features/college/college100605.html

The chances of someone like Oshie staying for his senior year are less than 5%

The chances of Oshie staying his Junior year are less than 50%

Heck the chance of Oshie signing after his freshman season is probably around 50%

[redwing77]

RedWing, here is an exerpt from an old NHL.com article

"There's no question (Hockey East) has been affected," said Commissioner Joe Bertagna about his league's four key losses due to the new NHL CBA. "You can make the case that four of our first-team potential all-stars are gone in (BU's) Chris Bourque (to Washington), (BC's) Ben Eaves (Ottawa), (Lowell's) Ben Walter (Boston), and (Maine's) Jimmy Howard (Detroit)." (The new NHL labor agreement allows the team drafting a college player to retain signing rights only until the year of graduation, or the player becomes a free agent.)

Link http://www.nhl.com/features/college/college100605.html

The chances of someone like Oshie staying for his senior year are less than 5%

The chances of Oshie staying his Junior year are less than 50%

Heck the chance of Oshie signing after his freshman season is probably around 50%

Until the year of graduation doesn't mean the day of graduation. If I graduate, being a draft pick of Edmonton, on May 14th, I don't become a free agent that day. At the earliest, I'd have until June 1st to be signed.

There is NO WAY the NHL would prevent a drafted player from graduating if that is what the player and the drafting team wished.

You are right about Oshie. He won't be around for his senior year, but I used him as an example. However, using Chris Bourque, who initially left due to looming academic issues to an MJ team and ended up signing with Washington and Jimmy Howard (who was pursued by Detroit not because of the CBA, but because they were in need of goaltending depth this year instead of waiting until after his senior year) aren't very good examples.

Ben Walter's signing, from what I read, was surprising as was Ben Eaves' signing however, despite Bertagna's words, it's not conclusive that the CBA is what got Walter and Eaves to "sign on the dotted line." What's to say that they didn't get a deal they liked and jumped at it? I mean, Walter fits that mold perfectly. Eaves plays for a team that didn't have a whole lot of NHL talent at the time he was signed so his perception was "Maybe I can make the big show right away." I mean, if you were at Ben's point at BC and saw that Pittsburgh wanted to sign you and you had a chance of making the NHL right away, wouldn't you jump at it?

Again, once I find the actual CBA, it will be clearer.

[KTF]

Can you imagine what would happen if a majority of the drafted players stated they wanted to graduate, and upon doing so, in a few short months they would be UFA. This certainly would put the dampers on the NHL drafting college bound players.

Of course that will not happen. Like I said before, I remember watching a TV interview with the Wild's GM and he stated a matter of factly that NHL clubs will be signing more drafted NCAA players before their senior years strictly because of the new CBA.

I am not sure why Eaves and Howard were mentioned in that article because the new CBA entry draft rules only applies to those drafted in 05 and later. That means a player like Stafford is still under the old CBA and his NHL team will have up to a year after he graduates to sign him.

[Slap Shot]

Something not being addressed here is the fact that the NHL was off for one full year. I honestly haven't followed this too closedly, but will the impact of the new CBA on college players differ now that the NHL is in full swing again?