Confirmed with Link: Dronov Gets A Contract, Too (1 year, two-way $770K NHL/$70K AHL) annnnnnnd it's gone.

[AhosDatsyukian]

This made no sense to me from the beginning; why would a burgeoning KHL star take a 2-way contract? I didn't get it, and I still don't.

1 pretty big reason would be if the player recognized the situation in Russia is not ideal and he wants to move to the US full time anyways. But I don't think Russia's quite yet at that point that players would want to do that so urgently and aggressively.

 

[Chrispy]

1 pretty big reason would be if the player recognized the situation in Russia is not ideal and he wants to move to the US full time anyways. But I don't think Russia's quite yet at that point that players would want to do that so urgently and aggressively.

I would say conscripting 200,000 Russians of hockey playing age in the past 2 weeks would push many players considering a move to move full-time to the US urgently and aggressively.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I wonder if he was told he would be the first call up and decided to accept being 8D. Then his agent went fishing and found a team willing to keep him on the roster.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Dronov played well enough in camp that I'm sure that there was some league-basement team like Chicago that was watching the preseason games and wanted to have him on the NHL roster. This is the explanation that makes the most sense.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I would say conscripting 200,000 Russians of hockey playing age in the past 2 weeks would push many players considering a move to move full-time to the US urgently and aggressively.

Maybe. You need to consider that KHL vs AHL for a guy like Dronov is a massive difference in pay. NHL is better, yes, but if Dronov wasn't getting an NHL offer (which he wasn't from us anyways) that will absolutely factor in. Be a star and make solid money in the K or come to a new country and be a random joe making peanuts in comparison. Also, it's the guy's home country and family/familiarity/nationalism comes into play. Plus most importantly, guys like Dronov aren't and haven't really been in any danger at all of being conscripted, and likely won't be any time soon. This isn't like Soviet Union, it won't be too hard for someone like Dronov to get out once time really comes where he could be in danger of being sent to war. It's certainly a possibility and that's why I brought it up, but I don't think it's the case for Dronov "signing" a 2 way with us initially.

 

[MinJaBen]

I would say conscripting 200,000 Russians of hockey playing age in the past 2 weeks would push many players considering a move to move full-time to the US urgently and aggressively.

Or Kyrgyzstan.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Kudos to whomever edited the subject, I lol'd

 

[Lempo]

Yeah, he signed an NHL contract, so any offer he got couldn't have been from the NHL.

This made no sense to me from the beginning; why would a burgeoning KHL star take a 2-way contract? I didn't get it, and I still don't.

EDIT: it appears that I was incorrect, and apparently he hadn't actually signed a contract. Which means that another NHL team could have signed him. I guess we'll see.

If he wanted to play in NHL and the CBA requires an ELC being signed, there is no option to avoid the contract being 2-way.

He's 24 -> one year ELC.

 

[Chrispy]

Maybe. You need to consider that KHL vs AHL for a guy like Dronov is a massive difference in pay. NHL is better, yes, but if Dronov wasn't getting an NHL offer (which he wasn't from us anyways) that will absolutely factor in. Be a star and make solid money in the K or come to a new country and be a random joe making peanuts in comparison. Also, it's the guy's home country and family/familiarity/nationalism comes into play. Plus most importantly, guys like Dronov aren't and haven't really been in any danger at all of being conscripted, and likely won't be any time soon. This isn't like Soviet Union, it won't be too hard for someone like Dronov to get out once time really comes where he could be in danger of being sent to war. It's certainly a possibility and that's why I brought it up, but I don't think it's the case for Dronov "signing" a 2 way with us initially.

As you said, they aren’t being conscripted right now. But the big step (starting any conscription) has happened.

I think signing the 1 year deal Lempo mentioned above to start his NHL career made a lot of sense. And I think the only reason he would walk away from a guaranteed contract in Chicago with a chance to play in Raleigh is if someone can offer him an NHL job full time.

 

[Wolfpuck]

I like how all the posts are after the contract was terminated.

 

[Lempo]

I think signing the 1 year deal Lempo mentioned above to start his NHL career made a lot of sense.

Especially as I believe that non-North American players will have to go through the entry-level system (=sign an ELC as the first contract) at least until they're 27. They can't sensibly postpone their entering NHL that far away.

 

[spockBokk]

I think the Canes were a logical choice for Dronov. Gardiner wasn’t coming to camp and they needed a LD for the 3rd pair. de Haan probably had a leg up on him due to his previous stint here.

For the Canes, it was a win-win for both of them to be on PTOs, let Dronov and CDH fight for the spot, sign the one you think is best for the big club and maybe get to keep both.

I also get him balking at a 90% pay cut.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

What I still don't get is why they announced the contract in the first place.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

What I still don't get is why they announced the contract in the first place.

no press is bad press. Or maybe someone found out and was going to leak it.

 

[Lempo]

What I still don't get is why they announced the contract in the first place.

I'm actually a tad worried about that. The CBA is very direct in that you can't fail to file the "executed" SPC:

11.5 (c) A Club must file an executed SPC or Offer Sheet with Central Registry, with a copy to each of the Player and the NHLPA, by no later than 5:00 p.m. New York time on the day following the day the Club has received the executed SPC or Offer Sheet from the Player.

If "executed" means the same as signed by both parties, and if we are to understand that the SPC was signed, there's no weaseling out of it after the execution

Canes may have to answer some unpleasant questions from the league, f.ex. was there a circumvention to the 2-way element of the ELC by "voiding" the contract when Dronov was decided to be sent down?

I assume "agreeing to terms" is different from the act of signing, and that the act of signing the written SPC is the decisive action on whether there is an effective contract. Oral agreements are unenforceable and forbidden in NHL

 

[LakeLivin]

I'm actually a tad worried about that. The CBA is very direct in that you can't fail to file the "executed" SPC:



If "executed" means the same as signed by both parties, and if we are to understand that the SPC was signed, there's no weaseling out of it after the execution

Canes may have to answer some unpleasant questions from the league, f.ex. was there a circumvention to the 2-way element of the ELC by "voiding" the contract when Dronov was decided to be sent down?

 

[Joe McGrath]

I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this is just showing their Russian picks (which they have a ton of) they are willing to play ball.

 

[SlavinAway]

I'm actually a tad worried about that. The CBA is very direct in that you can't fail to file the "executed" SPC:



If "executed" means the same as signed by both parties, and if we are to understand that the SPC was signed, there's no weaseling out of it after the execution

Canes may have to answer some unpleasant questions from the league, f.ex. was there a circumvention to the 2-way element of the ELC by "voiding" the contract when Dronov was decided to be sent down?

I assume "agreeing to terms" is different from the act of signing, and that the act of signing the written SPC is the decisive action on whether there is an effective contract. Oral agreements are unenforceable and forbidden in NHL

Can't the contract be voided if both parties agree even if it's determined by NHL it was fully executed?

 

[MinJaBen]

I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this is just showing their Russian picks (which they have a ton of) they are willing to play ball.

I really doubt that is it. They've already shown that with Svech, Koochie, and the Pon-man at three different levels of prospect quality. Why would other Russian kids need us giving this guy a contract as some sort of safety-blanket? This sounds like a goof (either in the language used to report the "signing" or in clerical work) or directly circumvention that both parties were happy to take part in for mutual benefit at the expense of the rules (ie: like "no negotiations before the signing period" rule).

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

The answer is simple. Dronov signed the contract so he didn't have to go back to Russia. Canes sent the contract to the league, but Putin's agents intercepted it, thus preventing the contract from being in effect.

 

[Lempo]

Can't the contract be voided if both parties agree even if it's determined by NHL it was fully executed?

In normal circumstances, I would guess yes.

The hiccup scenario in my eyes could be if the parties agree (maybe even before the signing) that they will not respect the 2-way element of an ELC, but that they will void the contract instead in case the player doesn't make it to the NHL roster.

That ELCs are 2-way, is set in the CBA. NHL wants their cheap reserve players, and won't look kindly if the teams actively try to circumvent the ELC=2-way rule.

By the CBA, if a player don't want to go to AHL on AHL salary, he can require an European Assignment clause that allows him to find an overseas team instead.

The player also has the "option" to not report to the AHL team, though that's a contractual breach on player's part.

Obviously the player can be traded to another team.

But delibatery agreeing to void a SPC so a player can go and sign with another NHL team where he actually makes the NHL team would be a questionable move and bad precedent if allowed.


Disclaimer: all this is speculation and spitballing.

 

[A Star is Burns]

In normal circumstances, I would guess yes.

The hiccup scenario in my eyes could be if the parties agree (maybe even before the signing) that they will not respect the 2-way element of an ELC, but that they will void the contract instead in case the player doesn't make it to the NHL roster.

That ELCs are 2-way, is set in the CBA. NHL wants their cheap reserve players, and won't look kindly if the teams actively try to circumvent the ELC=2-way rule.

By the CBA, if a player don't want to go to AHL on AHL salary, he can require an European Assignment clause that allows him to find an overseas team instead.

The player also has the "option" to not report to the AHL team, though that's a contractual breach on player's part.

Obviously the player can be traded to another team.

But delibatery agreeing to void a SPC so a player can go and sign with another NHL team where he actually makes the NHL team would be a questionable move and bad precedent if allowed.


Disclaimer: all this is speculation and spitballing.

I'll hand it to you, this is up there with the future considerations conspiracy.

 

[MinJaBen]

In normal circumstances, I would guess yes.

The hiccup scenario in my eyes could be if the parties agree (maybe even before the signing) that they will not respect the 2-way element of an ELC, but that they will void the contract instead in case the player doesn't make it to the NHL roster.

That ELCs are 2-way, is set in the CBA. NHL wants their cheap reserve players, and won't look kindly if the teams actively try to circumvent the ELC=2-way rule.

By the CBA, if a player don't want to go to AHL on AHL salary, he can require an European Assignment clause that allows him to find an overseas team instead.

The player also has the "option" to not report to the AHL team, though that's a contractual breach on player's part.

Obviously the player can be traded to another team.

But delibatery agreeing to void a SPC so a player can go and sign with another NHL team where he actually makes the NHL team would be a questionable move and bad precedent if allowed.


Disclaimer: all this is speculation and spitballing.

Wouldn't the easier way to get around this be set the "2-way" deay at 900K NHL/ 900K AHL? Is there any language in a 2-way contract that caps the AHL salary below the NHL salary?

 

[barriers]

Wouldn't the easier way to get around this be set the "2-way" deay at 900K NHL/ 900K AHL? Is there any language in a 2-way contract that caps the AHL salary below the NHL salary?

I can't remember the specifics but ELC two-way contracts are quite limited as to what the AHL salary can be

 

[Lempo]

Wouldn't the easier way to get around this be set the "2-way" deay at 900K NHL/ 900K AHL? Is there any language in a 2-way contract that caps the AHL salary below the NHL salary?

The max AHL salary in an ELC is something to the tune of $75k or thereabout.

You can game it a bit with giving the player max signing bonus (~$92.5k) and then a games played bonus for 10+ NHL games (maybe ~$200k), but that's about it

I'll hand it to you, this is up there with the future considerations conspiracy.

I know it's too complicated thinking on my part, but the case is a bit curious and what I spitballed here is the pessimist absolutely worst case scenario where everything has to go wrong.