Not sure why they bother to release them.
I used to know the rules on this but I've forgotten.
The Cyclones list is nothing more than the non-affiliated free agents who were on the roster and reserve lists at the end of the season. As far as I know, all these guys are free to sign elsewhere.
No, he listed what it actually is, not its value as a list.So, @royals119: Does the first part of your most recent post supersede your previous: "These lists are less and less significant every year" statement?
No. As I said, more of an internal record keeping for the teams. Basically the coaches can look at those lists to complete their future considerations trades, and the league has two weeks to verify that everyone's lists are correct before the qualifying offers are issued. I would guess, although I have no evidence, that maybe the players or the union, can look over the list and dispute anything they feel isn't right. Obviously as a non-vet player, getting a qualifying offer is somewhat significant, as that is pretty much "take it or leave it" if you want to play in the ECHL next year, so if I were a player I'd want to make sure.So, @royals119: Does the first part of your most recent post supersede your previous: "These lists are less and less significant every year" statement?
No. As I said, more of an internal record keeping for the teams. Basically the coaches can look at those lists to complete their future considerations trades, and the league has two weeks to verify that everyone's lists are correct before the qualifying offers are issued. I would guess, although I have no evidence, that maybe the players or the union, can look over the list and dispute anything they feel isn't right. Obviously as a non-vet player, getting a qualifying offer is somewhat significant, as that is pretty much "take it or leave it" if you want to play in the ECHL next year, so if I were a player I'd want to make sure.
10 years ago teams the rules were different and teams had more players on ECHL deals, so they had to decide who to protect and who to let go. Fans would dissect these lists to try to figure out why a particular player was left off (did they sign him already and therefore don't need to protect him, is he retiring, will he go to Europe, is the coach an idiot and not see how important he is?) At this point there really isn't anything to be learned from the list, except maybe a reminder that these players were on your team the past season.
NoCould it also have a function in preventing an independent league from challenging the ECHL?
Presumably, this list forms a legal basis for denying the players any right to sign contracts with an independent league. That shuts potential competitors out of most of the AA-level talent pool, which in turn keeps the ECHL out of salary escalations and territorial battles. Releasing it publicly serves as a documentable “hands off” to any competitor who would tamper with these players.
From the perspective of a league commissioner, a tight grip on the labor and consumer market is existentially necessary to the business model... the record-keeping aspect is a second consideration.
Thanks for the thoughtful answer.