Am I right to assume that Newhook can play 9 games this year without burning a year of his ELC? Or is it another Makar situation where even one playoff game burns a year?
Either way Sakic probably won't want Newhook's ELC to expire in the same year as Mackinnon.
Makar’s ELC was burned the second he signed it. The XD eligibility came after he played one game.
A very relevant rule in the timing of ELCs is if they are signed in the calendar year a player turns 20 it is ineligible to slide. Therefore Newhook with a Jan 2001 birthday is not going to have a slidable contract unless he signs prior to Dec 31.
Players however can sign an ELC anytime after March 1 to begin the following season (say 2021-22). But often high end NCAA prospects get the current year burned off by signing for the current season as a means of leverage in the negotiation. If the Avs hadn’t made the playoffs in 18-19 and had no season left for Makar to burn a year for his contract would have started in 19-20.
Anyone who probably is looking at one year to pro like Ranta and Newhook I would have preferred them playing games somewhere else now but if they can get in a 20-25 game NCAA schedule then sign and probably play in what’s left of the AHL at that point could be fine. I doubt they’d use Newhook in the playoffs but you never know, that’s possible too. Newhook could sign for ELC start 21-22 and then AHL try-out agreement but he prob will have the leverage to ask for a burned year right off the bat if his current trajectory continues.
I don’t really see him going back for the junior year but it would cut down more of the AHL possibility so that’s up to him.
TL;DR, Newhook will be too old for his contract to slide when he signs.