Business question

[HolyShot*]

What does it mean when a contract that a player signs will eat up their UFA years? I come across those discussions and get lost. Thanks.

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[Ziggy Stardust]

What does it mean when a contract that a player signs will eat up their UFA years? I come across those discussions and get lost. Thanks.

It basically means that a player will be passing up his eligibility for unrestricted free agency when he signs a contract that "eats up UFA years." Hope that makes sense.

 

[HolyShot*]

As soon as a players contract is expired he's a UFA, unless he's an RFA which brings a whole different set of rules. So how does a players UFA years disappear unless he retires?

 

[SLang]

I think an example would be, say a player is eligible to be a UFA at age 28, but at, say 25 he's a RFA and signs a 5 year deals that expires when he's 30. He will have eaten up 2 of his UFA years (years 28-30).

 

[Reclamation Project]

Exactly, it simply overlaps if he signs a contract that lasts longer than his RFA term.

 

[HolyShot*]

I think an example would be, say a player is eligible to be a UFA at age 28, but at, say 25 he's a RFA and signs a 5 year deals that expires when he's 30. He will have eaten up 2 of his UFA years (years 28-30).

If he's an RFA at 25, that has nothing to do with being a UFA at 28; he has yet to sign a contract stating how many years he will be employed by that franchise. Should I quit?

 

[The Slap Shop]

Every player hits his UFA Year when he turns 27. Only exception to this is players who start playing in the NHL when they are 18 or 19, then they have to play 7 seasons to accrue UFA Status(Doughty is one King who had this)

So now when Doughty got off his Entry Level Contract(Known as an ELC) which is automatically 3 years. He was 21 years old and was headed towards free agency at the ripe age of 25.

When Doughty signed his gigantic contract 8-year contract, he cut into 4 years that are considered his "UFA" years.

What many considered changed the landscape of how contracts are handled is when Kevin Lowe gave Dustin Penner his huge RFA Offer Sheet which Anaheim refused to accept(Taking a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Round Pick). Teams could no longer ease a player into his 2nd contract(Ideally take a player who just got off his ELC of 3 years, then try to sign him for another 3 years which would leave him 1 year short of becoming an UFA)

 

[King'sPawn]

What does it mean when a contract that a player signs will eat up their UFA years? I come across those discussions and get lost. Thanks.

It means that for a certain period of time, a player's rights are owned as a restricted free agent. I don't know the specifics, but at a certain time, a player becomes an unrestricted free agent, and can sign with any team on the open market (presumably for more money, as open market leads to max # of bidders).

So eating up UFA years is when a player is currently a restricted free agent, but the length of the contract takes them beyond when they first would hit the open market, thus "eating up" those years.

For example, if a player is 22 and he would be a UFA at 25, and he signed a 7 year deal, the contract would "eat up" 4 UFA years since his contract goes 4 years past the time he first becomes a UFA.

 

[HolyShot*]

Every player hits his UFA Year when he turns 27. Only exception to this is players who start playing in the NHL when they are 18 or 19, then they have to play 7 seasons to accrue UFA Status(Doughty is one King who had this)

So now when Doughty got off his Entry Level Contract(Known as an ELC) which is automatically 3 years. He was 21 years old and was headed towards free agency at the ripe age of 25.

When Doughty signed his gigantic contract 8-year contract, he cut into 4 years that are considered his "UFA" years.

What many considered changed the landscape of how contracts are handled is when Kevin Lowe gave Dustin Penner his huge RFA Offer Sheet which Anaheim refused to accept(Taking a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Round Pick). Teams could no longer ease a player into his 2nd contract(Ideally take a player who just got off his ELC of 3 years, then try to sign him for another 3 years which would leave him 1 year short of becoming an UFA)

So a player will be an RFA until he's 27 no matter what kind of contract he signs? And if player X signs a 6 year contract when they're 24, they will have eaten 3 years into their UFA years? Am I getting this correctly?

 

[Vamos Rafa]

When exactly does the 27-years old rule apply? A player born in 1986 turns 27 in this calendar year, but that player's birthday is in October. Would he be a UFA in this offseason?

 

[The Slap Shop]

So a player will be an RFA until he's 27 no matter what kind of contract he signs? And if player X signs a 6 year contract when they're 24, they will have eaten 3 years into their UFA years? Am I getting this correctly?

You can also be a UFA at the age of 25(If you started in the NHL at the age of 18) and 26(If you started at the age of 19)

There are some other rare exceptions to UFA Rules, like a Group 5(hard to actually do) or Group 6(Actually possible, but it's a long explanation) free agent

 

[Reclamation Project]

Goes off contractual years, not birthdays, I'd assume.

 

[The Slap Shop]

When exactly does the 27-years old rule apply? A player born in 1986 turns 27 in this calendar year, but that player's birthday is in October. Would he be a UFA in this offseason?

This is from the CBA. Godspeed

8.10 Age of Players.
As used in this Article, "age 18" means a Player reaching his eighteenth
birthday between January 1 next preceding the Entry Draft and September 15 next following the
Entry Draft, both dates included; "age 19" means a Player reaching his nineteenth birthday by no
later than September 15 in the calendar year of the Entry Draft; "age 20" means a Player reaching
his twentieth birthday by no later than December 31 in the calendar year of the Entry Draft; "age
21" means a Player reaching his twenty-first birthday by December 31 in the calendar year of the
Entry Draft; and "age 22" means a Player reaching his twenty-second birthday by December 31
in the calendar year of the Entry Draft

 

[The Slap Shop]

Since I didn't remember this either. Other ways you can be a UFA.

Bought out(See Nathan Gerbe)
Did not get qualified(See Gulliaume Latendresse)

Then again if either of these things happen, you probably suck.

 

[HolyShot*]

Since I didn't remember this either. Other ways you can be a UFA.

Bought out(See Nathan Gerbe)
Did not get qualified(See Gulliaume Latendresse)

Then again if either of these things happen, you probably suck.

Thanks for the clarification. I get the basics of it. Just when it comes to the CBA details I'm lost.

 

[The Slap Shop]

Thanks for the clarification. I get the basics of it. Just when it comes to the CBA details I'm lost.

understandable. I try to read the CBA and pray I understand the damn thing. I just spent the last 30 minutes working on Waivers and signing undrafted players.

 

[Rorschach]

Well bottom line is when both the sides, player and organization, get together at the bargaining table, they both already know exactly what year the player will qualify to become a UFA (if he has no contract with the organization that had owned his rights).

So when any new contract signed by the player as either a new contract when he's a RFA or an extension, whatever years go past RFA and into UFA are considered UFA years "eaten."

Basically everyone knows a player makes less money as a RFA because he can't go to the highest bidder while an UFA can do exactly that. So those years are considered years that he should have gotten paid more.

In Dustin Brown's case, he gave every single UFA year up to the Kings for much less money that he could have gotten and thus a lot of the members on HFBoards who said the Kings got a good deal, good value, good signing, they're right and it's because of so many UFA years that DB gave to DL, making sensible money instead of making Zach Parise money. So you can say pretty much he and his family are committed to the Kings for (his playing) life. And I guarantee if either Luc or Dean are still there 10 years from now, he will have a job with the organization for sure.