They don't have to select an RFA or UFA. I keep bringing this up and most seem to ignore it.
Seattle has a 5 day exclusive window to talk to any RFA/UFA they want. Even the team that owns the players rights can't talk to them. They can sign that player and then that player would count as the player selected from that team.
Before we bring up some conspiracy theory or some back room deal, not a single agent out there is going to risk being decertified and lose their livelihood (I personally asked 3 agents about this and their reply was "are you nuts?"). And no NHL team is going to forfeit a first round pick + a player to Seattle for trying to circumvent the process.
a window for talking is great... but lets ignore that for a second and move to a more human equation
how likely is it for certain ufa to want to go to an expansion team?
obviously vegas had a couple guys embrace going there... but vegas is admittedly a special place. I think Englund was from vegas so it was a homecoming for him. and I think fleury had won his cups and was just seeking a place to be loved
where would we imagine the movitation would be for chara?
as you yourself point out dom... signing an ufa in the exclusive window does count as a pick. so I personally see no danger at all that seattle would sign chara in the window. they can talk to him I guess... measure his interest in signing... but why forego taking a pick and then signing chara in the normal window?
I think this talk of the exclusive window of signing when it comes to chara... is just noise. of course, with an rfa its different
signing rfa under normal circumstances involves a lot of compensation. if vegas could pouch a Charlie McAvoy type or a mitch marner type rfa WITHOUT OWEING ANY COMPENSATION then that would be HUGE
we will need to get our rfa protected for this reason... get them signed... get them protected...
I just cant see how this logic applys itself to ufa though. I would seriously imagine seattle will wait until the july 1st period before signing ufa just so they didnt screw themselves out of the picks they are owed.
and... as I was trying to say earlier... I cant picture a guy like chara wanting to leave boston to go to seattle. if they are foolish enough to 'PICK' him, I simply dont believe he would sign. he would get picked... wait until july 1st as an ufa… and then resign with boston. seattle will waste their pick if they put in a claim on chara.
on the other hand... if im wrong... and if chara DOES WANT TO GO TO SEATTLE??? then... he is an ufa. theres NOTHING we can do about it. We will have to just let him go.
in any case, it makes no sense to use one of our protection spots on him. either he wants to go to seattle or he doesnt. if he doesnt, then they cant make him
and that same logic applies to every ufa in the league