NCAA free agents

Sparksrus3

NYI - THE TEAM WITH NO ❤️
Jun 2, 2012
10,024
4,904
Hayes was drafted

Yes he was. Went to college. Didn't sign with the team that drafted him . Hence the thread title NCAA free agents. Just because they went to college doesn't go against this discussion . Example is we drafted Doyle Somerby in our all D draft . After college he signed with Columbus as a NCAA free agent. Whether we offered him a deal or not does not matter . He didn't sign with us if an offer was made. The college player has the control. If Lee didn't sign with us he would have been free to sign anywhere he wanted. There is a certain timeframe in the CBA to sign your drafted kids.
 

DarkHorse2

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
3,600
2,037
NCAA free agents would be making a huge mistake if they signed with the NYI organization.
LL does not rush young players into the NHL instead he prefers to sign old veteran players. So I would expect most NCAA free agents to sign elsewhere unless they enjoy playing with the Sound Tigers.

The thing is, over and over, we see these UFAs sign with the same teams over and over (Detroit gets a ton of them) but an instant chance doesn't result in long-term success. You need to find an organization that gives you a balance of a chance to play with proper development and padding. Sure, these are older players, but if you can slot in as a top-line/top-pair AHLer in a strong organization, you can get better acclimated and then move up the chart.
 

Chapin Landvogt

Registered User
Jul 4, 2002
19,878
5,931
Germany
Another thing UFA college kids are likely looking at is not only the depth of their position in a certain club, but also if the team is a regular contender and has thus missed out on the ability to fill the pipeline via the draft.

I think Aston-Reese, for example, made a very intelligent decision in signing with Pittsburgh. It's a team that constantly has problems with offensive talent on the wings, because so much money is wrapped up in the big horses (one of them being a wing). He had to know that he'd prolly get a shot somewhere along the way and that it may even come with a Crosby or Malkin. Now it's happening.

One guy who I feel DIDN'T make a smart decision was Spencer Foo. He went to a team that was already heavy on the wing (especially the top 6) and also had a number of younger offensive prospects on the cusp of breaking in. He went to a spot with a lot of competition. Gotta think he'd have had more of a shot right from the get-go had he signed with several other clubs.
 

SI

Registered User
Feb 16, 2013
7,613
3,927
Yes he was. Went to college. Didn't sign with the team that drafted him . Hence the thread title NCAA free agents. Just because they went to college doesn't go against this discussion . Example is we drafted Doyle Somerby in our all D draft . After college he signed with Columbus as a NCAA free agent. Whether we offered him a deal or not does not matter . He didn't sign with us if an offer was made. The college player has the control. If Lee didn't sign with us he would have been free to sign anywhere he wanted. There is a certain timeframe in the CBA to sign your drafted kids.

I think we were coming up with players who were NOT drafted originally and became NCAA free agents, who actually broke thru and became NHL players.

I still love the idea of signing a big C like Sturm who can be bottom 6 C and maybe can be Casey replacement once that contract expires
 

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