The cut off is October 1st. Stevens is now officially retired (with Damphousse about to follow, it seems), so he will be removed from the HFNHL based on current rules.
However, it's been suggested w review two related rules: one, the forced removal of players who retire could be deferred by on eyear to reflect that those players don't make an appearance in the HFNHL until a year after they appear in the NHL, effectively shortening their careers by one year. Also, the European rule could be reexamined.
We'll discuss options with the admin team and see whether a fair and reasonable alternative can be reached that doesn't overload us with work, but gives teams fair access to their players.
(EDIT: I should add that even if changes are made, depending on the change we may not be able to implement it for the 05/06 season, since teams have already made moves and changes based on the status quo... we'll see what makes the most sense.)