Prospect Info: Erik Portillo, G, 67th 2019, University of Michigan

[NotABadPeriod]

Well, the CHL age limit being 20 is probably a big part. Not a ton of options after they run out of CHL eligibility. I'm reasonably sure that teams have to approve them going to Europe, etc.

A CHL player who doesn't sign an ELC but whose draft rights are still held by an NHL team has freedom to sign with any team in any other league, the NHL team doesn't get to veto anything because the player isn't under contract to them.

 

[sabremike]

The NCAA is an organized crime cartel that should be targeted by law enforcement as such.

 

[Ehran]

The NCAA is an organized crime cartel that should be targeted by law enforcement as such.

They own too many politicians.

 

[allsilverdreams]

Why? They're human beings, not cattle, and should eventually have a say in where they live and who they work for. They're giving up potentially 4 years worth of income in order to get to the point where they have a choice. I don't begrudge them their opportunities.

If I understand the system correctly, signed CHL, SHL, etc. prospects get their signing bonuses paid out. It's just their annual salary that gets rolled over if they don't play for the team.

If you want to say something is nuts, start with the antiquated NCAA system, IMO.

I don't know of any sport here in the United States that pays college players.
If you go the College route at least your receiving a free education.
That's the reward for electing to go the college route.

 

[Ehran]

I don't know of any sport here in the United States that pays college players.
If you go the College route at least your receiving a free education.
That's the reward for electing to go the college route.

Check out the new NIL programs. (Name, Image, Likeness). Players can now be paid by "sponsors" and NCAA teams are recruiting players by essentially saying that they are guaranteed to get XXX amount of income from NILs. So are the teams / colleges paying the players? No, but they are lining up NIL deals to entice recruits. Not perfect system, but better than what was in place before.

Highest Paid College Athletes in the NIL Era

The free education argument ended a few years ago.

Everything to know about NIL

 

[Husko]

It may not be a bug or a loophole, but if the Sabres lose two of their better prospect development success stories in Portillo and Johnson in one offseason, I think the organization and their fans are perfectly entitled to be salty about it. I don’t begrudge the player, but it’s a patently unfair situation.

 

[is the answer jesus]

It may not be a bug or a loophole, but if the Sabres lose two of their better prospect development success stories in Portillo and Johnson in one offseason, I think the organization and their fans are perfectly entitled to be salty about it. I don’t begrudge the player, but it’s a patently unfair situation.

Agreed, the only silver lining being that we at least get a compensatory pick for Johnson (although I'd much rather have the young defenseman on an ELC).
I'd like to see some sort of expansion of the compensatory pick system myself. My addition to the system would be that If a team offers a player an ELC which they refuse to sign they get a pick based on where that player was drafted. Maybe keep the same model that's in place but expand it to the first 3 rounds. So a 2nd round pick yields a compensatory 3rd, a 3rd rounder gets a 4th. Not a perfect system as mid to late round guys can still walk for nothing, but it at least expands the system and mitigates some risk for teams.

 

[jmelm]

Greetings. It's been 84 million years

Fixed

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

It may not be a bug or a loophole, but if the Sabres lose two of their better prospect development success stories in Portillo and Johnson in one offseason, I think the organization and their fans are perfectly entitled to be salty about it. I don’t begrudge the player, but it’s a patently unfair situation.

I been assured from posters that they will sign.

 

[Ehran]

It may not be a bug or a loophole, but if the Sabres lose two of their better prospect development success stories in Portillo and Johnson in one offseason, I think the organization and their fans are perfectly entitled to be salty about it. I don’t begrudge the player, but it’s a patently unfair situation.

I don't blame the system. I blame the owners for creating such a shitty organization for 10+ years that players with options don't choose to come here.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I don't blame the system. I blame the owners for creating such a shitty organization for 10+ years that players with options don't choose to come here.

Except that they overwhelmingly do

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Except that they overwhelmingly do

More prospects chose to NOT join the organization who drafted them in buffalo than any other team. That’s damning.

Is there another team who has lost 3 prospects to free agency after going the NCAA route other than Buffalo in the past 6 or 7 years? Last decade? I don’t think there is.

 

[VaporTrail]

I don't get it, Buffalo is a team on the rise...This Pre Madonna doesn't want to come here ? What must he immediately go to a Stanley Cup contender where he thinks he will be on the squad ? Entitled.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I don't get it, Buffalo is a team on the rise...This Pre Madonna doesn't want to come here ? What must he immediately go to a Stanley Cup contender where he thinks he will be on the squad ? Entitled.

Pre Madonna? Sounds like he needs a league of his own.

 

[Zman5778]

More prospects chose to NOT join the organization who drafted them in buffalo than any other team. That’s damning.

Is there another team who has lost 3 prospects to free agency after going the NCAA route other than Buffalo in the past 6 or 7 years? Last decade? I don’t think there is.

I'm going to need proof of your first statement. Like, hard proof. Otherwise, it's just exaggerating for effect.

You're also already counting Johnson and Portillo as gone. We've only lost Cal Petersen recently. Granted, Portillo is likely a lost cause.....but I certainly don't think Johnson is.

 

[Ace]

I been assured from posters that they will sign.

Why else would they come to the only development camp they’re legally allowed to attend just like Peterson did before he walked?

Also Portillo loves school so obviously he’s going to return for his last year of eligibility to continue his business study. No way he turns pro! Books!

Johnson walked away from an opportunity he was more than ready for and would have been the right move for his development just so he could sign later. Because that’s a thing that makes sense to people somehow. All that talk about clearly wanting to play out west somewhere where he can stay on the left and compete for PP time is just noise and not completely logical and of course that’s what‘s happening.

as long as we ignore reality…we can argue in bad faith about the organization, future of the positions, and quality of work the absentee owner and his absentee GM are doing.

 

[Gras]

Why else would they come to the only development camp they’re legally allowed to attend just like Peterson did before he walked?

Also Portillo loves school so obviously he’s going to return for his last year of eligibility to continue his business study. No way he turns pro! Books!

Johnson walked away from an opportunity he was more than ready for and would have been the right move for his development just so he could sign later. Because that’s a thing that makes sense to people somehow. All that talk about clearly wanting to play out west somewhere where he can stay on the left and compete for PP time is just noise and not completely logical and of course that’s what‘s happening.

as long as we ignore reality…we can argue in bad faith about the organization, future of the positions, and quality of work the absentee owner and his absentee GM are doing.

Compete for the PP time that he doesnt even get in college.

 

[Dirty Dog]

More prospects chose to NOT join the organization who drafted them in buffalo than any other team. That’s damning.

Is there another team who has lost 3 prospects to free agency after going the NCAA route other than Buffalo in the past 6 or 7 years? Last decade? I don’t think there is.

How many haven’t signed the last 6-7 years? Or the last decade?

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

as long as we ignore reality…we can argue in bad faith about the organization, future of the positions, and quality of work the absentee owner and his absentee GM are doing.

I'm extremely confused by this remark. People get outraged over the owner meddling or being "too involved" in past regimes, and now we are outraged over him NOT being involved? Where is the middle ground, what is the correct amount of involvement here?

As for the GM. Adams and the coaching staff have been actively involved with the prospects. We have heard interviews here and there with some of them like Levi stating that the coaching staff reaches out regularly and makes visits to discuss development etc.

If a player chooses to forego signing with Buffalo so be it, but using any and every opportunity as fuel to lambaste the organization is just outrage for the sake of being outraged. Do you have even a shred of evidence that the organization didn't do everything they could for these prospects or are you just speculating because you want someone to blame?

 

[Dirty Dog]

as long as we ignore reality…we can argue in bad faith about the organization, future of the positions, and quality of work the absentee owner and his absentee GM are doing.

Oh my gosh lol. Your complete 180 on this roster is the definition of bad faith arguments.

Before the season you made about 8,000 posts about how terrible the roster was and KA’s roster construction and decision making was awful. Now that his vision is coming together perfectly—a very talented young roster that is competitive—you can’t stop complaining about how KA is missing out on fixing the few remaining issues on a good team….a team you said was going to be awful

Seriously, you make a lot of good posts. But your view on KA and this roster is nothing short of textbook bad faith arguments

 

[Chainshot]

More prospects chose to NOT join the organization who drafted them in buffalo than any other team. That’s damning.

Is there another team who has lost 3 prospects to free agency after going the NCAA route other than Buffalo in the past 6 or 7 years? Last decade? I don’t think there is.

Show some receipts.

 

[Tsujimoto]

Pre Madonna? Sounds like he needs a league of his own.

Cause he is living in a material world, and he is a material girl.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

Cause he is living in a material world, and he is a material girl.

It used to be his playground.

 

[Tsujimoto]

It used to be his playground.

I don't know any more Madonna songs.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

I don't know any more Madonna songs.

So you’re Like a Virgin when it comes to her songs?