Do you like the 7 year rule of the new CBA?

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Puckhead

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Jun 13, 2004
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I do not have a link, but was watching TSN last night, and they were talking about the potential for players to reach unrestricted free agent status at 29 or if they have played for the same team since entering the league for 7 years. Rick Nash and Ilya Kovalchuk could walk away at 25...WOW!
 

sveiglar

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Feb 27, 2002
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Puckhead said:
I do not have a link, but was watching TSN last night, and they were talking about the potential for players to reach unrestricted free agent status at 29 or if they have played for the same team since entering the league for 7 years. Rick Nash and Ilya Kovalchuk could walk away at 25...WOW!

McKenzie didn't actually say that the clause said 7 years with the same team, but it was implied that it was just 7 years NHL service (rather than 10 below league average). Now maybe this is a case of a missed detail (like 7 years below average, in which case Nash etc wouldn't qualify), or maybe it is 7 years for everybody, but they didn't say it had to be with one team.

Either way, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Free agency was going to be radically shifted in the players direction to gain the leaguewide cap, and I'd rather have a healthy league. So I'm not jumping up and down for it, but I'll live with it.
 

SmokeyClause

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You wonder if this will have a downward pressure on beginning salaries. I haven't really thought this through so I may be missing a few aspects, but teams are now going to be reluctant to sign 18 year old top prospects into the NHL. I could see a scenario playing out where 18 year old top prospects will sign for less to entice teams to sign them as 18 year olds. This probably wouldn't affect a Crosby, but guys like Hartnell, Burns, PM Bouchard, and Connelly. Guys who could have stayed in their respective junior leagues, but their teams thought they were ready or close to it. This could be a deciding factor for teams.

Of course it could have the reverse affect in their second contract at the age of 22-23. Teams are going to want to lock them up for longer than the age 25 while the players aren't going to necessarily be looking for the long-term deal. So I could easily see a team like Atlanta overpaying for Heatley or Kovalchuk's services to keep them off the UFA market until they are 27-29.
 

barnburner

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Apr 23, 2004
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I really don't care.
Free agency is not going to be the big cash cow that it was, so I think we
will find less players interested in going elsewhere anyway.
 

Puckhead

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SmokeyClause said:
You wonder if this will have a downward pressure on beginning salaries. I haven't really thought this through so I may be missing a few aspects, but teams are now going to be reluctant to sign 18 year old top prospects into the NHL. I could see a scenario playing out where 18 year old top prospects will sign for less to entice teams to sign them as 18 year olds. This probably wouldn't affect a Crosby, but guys like Hartnell, Burns, PM Bouchard, and Connelly. Guys who could have stayed in their respective junior leagues, but their teams thought they were ready or close to it. This could be a deciding factor for teams.

Of course it could have the reverse affect in their second contract at the age of 22-23. Teams are going to want to lock them up for longer than the age 25 while the players aren't going to necessarily be looking for the long-term deal. So I could easily see a team like Atlanta overpaying for Heatley or Kovalchuk's services to keep them off the UFA market until they are 27-29.
Good point, but I have also heard it mentioned that entry into the league under the new CBA may be 19 years old. Have you heard any thing like that?
 

ej_pens

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SmokeyClause said:
You wonder if this will have a downward pressure on beginning salaries. I haven't really thought this through so I may be missing a few aspects, but teams are now going to be reluctant to sign 18 year old top prospects into the NHL. I could see a scenario playing out where 18 year old top prospects will sign for less to entice teams to sign them as 18 year olds. This probably wouldn't affect a Crosby, but guys like Hartnell, Burns, PM Bouchard, and Connelly. Guys who could have stayed in their respective junior leagues, but their teams thought they were ready or close to it. This could be a deciding factor for teams.

That will certainly be a big factor. The truly elite will still likely come into the league at 18, but those that might only play a "minor" role on their teams will be encouraged to go back to juniors for a season or 2.
 
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