Waivers system reform proposal

[Lays]

Just a thought I’ve been having for a while that I wanted to run by people. Here’s how I think we can make waivers more fair for the player itself and teams around the league

In the current system if a player is placed on waivers every team has a chance to grab him if they put in a claim and have to pay a small fine typically ranging from 40-60k to the team they claimed the player from. The worst teams in the league get first pickings and the player ends up going to the worst team that put in a claim for him.

Here’s my reform proposal:

-When a player gets placed on waivers, they have the option to decline being claimed and can opt to stay with the team and try to work their way up from the teams AHL affiliate. This is the first step

-If the player decides he wants to be claimed by another team, he gets the option to choose from the teams that put in a claim for him

Here’s what this reform checks off along with some other general points


- Benefits and supports the players as they are human and should have a say in where they go from the teams that put in a claim

-Can stir up mild entertainment for the NHL to talk about when a player on waivers is prepared to decide between the teams that put a claim on him

-Benefits teams as well as they are getting a player who wants to be there

-Makes the NHL look good as they give players more freedom and support. NHLPA would be all over this.

-More welcoming to Euro’s (read example at bottom)

-I know some people are thinking this only benefits the top teams as the players are going to just choose them. But I really don’t think so. And players on waivers rarely get claims. Typically the most you’ll see is a handful. It would be interested to watch the thought process of players when deciding between the teams that put in a claim. For example, let’s say a great AHL player who struggled in the NHL because he didn’t get top 6 minutes is on waivers. There are two claims for him one by NYR and one by Seattle. I could see the player picking Seattle over NYR because he will get top 6 ice time there despite NYR being the biggest American team with unlimited resources.

-This doesn’t affect the team waiving the player in any way

-When a player signs a contract, they want to go to the team they signed with. Not the team at the top of the waiver claim priority. Giving them the option to decline waivers and go directly to the AHL ties in with giving the players more freedom and rights. Or again they can just choose from the teams that claimed them.


For example let’s look at Harri Sateri, recently signed by the Leafs around the TDL and was put on waivers. He reportedly had around 5 teams that put in a claim for him but since Arizona is top waiver priority, they were able to take him.

Harri left from Finland to Toronto initially. Thousands of miles traveled and lots of planning like looking for places to stay or if he has kids, looking at schools in the Toronto area. Now all of a sudden he has to move thousands of miles away from the place he chose to sign because of the NHL’s waiver system.

This might turn some Euros away from signing with the NHL. However you present them the option to either stay with the club in the AHL or go to a team of their choosing (from the claim list) and all of a sudden they feel more security signing in the NHL.


What are your thoughts on this? Would you change anything? Would you add/subtract anything?

Obviously this is all still a work in progress once I do more research and add supplementary information to make it all work and formally put it together but I think this benefits the players, the NHL, and NHL teams more than the current system.


Edit: I see a lot of comments saying a team like the Leafs can just sign a player for 5 million dollars and call him up for the playoffs. This is ALREADY COVERED under blatant cap circumvention which we’ve seen be enforced in the past subject to penalty. It should be self-explanatory and assumed that I am obviously not in favor of this idea.

1. If a team signed a player who’s value is 2 million to a 5 million dollar contract they can send him to the AHL for him to play there and call him up whenever. No team is claiming this player with the current waivers system
2. While technically this team has that ability to do that with a player and then call him up for playoffs, it would be flagged under the NHL’s current cap circumvention policies because that’s blatant cap circumvention

Click to read more...

 

[Mr Positive]

I like it. I hear the whole point of waivers is to give the player the benefit to play in the NHL. So, if a team sends them down, the player has the chance to stay in the NHL. But, there are times when maybe they'd prefer to go down because they prefer the opportunity on that team, and wouldn't mind to wait.

I suppose you could say that another point of waivers is to spread talent. It's usually a team overloaded with players sending them down, and then players getting claimed by teams missing talent. I've never heard that being the reason though.

 

[SomeDude]

The league has plenty of things that need to be fixed. This is not one of those things.

If you change this, then you have to abolish the draft as well, right? After all, they're humans too and should have say in where they play.

Also, the Pens tell Malkin and Letang to go live it up in Switzerland next year for 4 months and we'll sign you back for $1 mill each weeks before the playoffs. That's why the Euro rule exists.

 

[Lays]

The league has plenty of things that need to be fixed. This is not one of those things.

If you change this, then you have to abolish the draft as well, right? After all, they're humans too and should have say in where they play, right?

Also, the Pens tell Malkin and Letang to go live it up in Switzerland next year for 4 months and we'll sign you back for $1 mill each weeks before the playoffs. That's why the Euro rule exists.

This is completely different than the draft, players are actually signing contracts in the first place with waivers and are at a completely different stage of their life. They also know what’s better for them as well

And I don’t know what you mean by the last paragraph. That rule can just be edited to prevent any loopholes

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

There's also the occasional case where a team actually hopes another team claims a player. I can't imagine the team waiving said player would be too happy if they decided "hey I'm gonna stay where I'm at right now" when they could have been claimed and off their books.

 

[SomeDude]

This is completely different than the draft, players are actually signing contracts in the first place with waivers

And I don’t know what you mean by the last paragraph. That rule can just be edited to prevent any loopholes

How is it any different from the draft? A lot more guys get drafted by teams they didn't want to go to than European free agents come over and get snagged on waivers.

The rule is that any UFA who plays a game in a pro European league during the NHL season has to pass waivers to come into the NHL for that season. The reason this rule exists is because teams could have vets go overseas to play and get paid in another league and then come back for the playoffs. How are you going to edit anything to close a loophole there?

If a European free agent wants to come to the NHL but doesn't want to play for certain teams, they can just wait for the summer and sign wherever they want.

 

[Suntouchable13]

This is a privilege to play hockey at the highest level. Even most doctors make less than the NHL minimum wage. If you’re on waivers and somebody picks you where you don’t want to be necessarily, tough tits. I am sorry.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

So many teams would take advantage of something like this.
If the Leafs really wanted Harri they should have signed him at the start of the year & there'd be no problem?

 

[Lays]

There's also the occasional case where a team actually hopes another team claims a player. I can't imagine the team waiving said player would be too happy if they decided "hey I'm gonna stay where I'm at right now" when they could have been claimed and off their books.

Wouldn’t you rather support the player in this case with the contract they signed? And if the player feels unwanted he can just choose to go on the reformed waivers and choose from a list of teams that put in a claim

If a player isn’t claimed in the first place a team would have to send him to the AHL anyway. They already know there’s that risk

 

[HugeInTheShire]

It's an interesting idea about being able to decline waivers and go straight to the AHL but if we are letting players decide they will almost always rather be a depth player on a contender with the chance to win a Cup over playing more minutes on a rebuilder.

 

[Lays]

So many teams would take advantage of something like this.
If the Leafs really wanted Harri they should have signed him at the start of the year & there'd be no problem?

Yes but players develop along a season. An under the radar player can have a great season in Europe and suddenly have multiple NHL offers

 

[Lays]

It's an interesting idea about being able to decline waivers and go straight to the AHL but if we are letting players decide they will almost always rather be a depth player on a contender with the chance to win a Cup over playing more minutes on a rebuilder.

I think we would be surprised by some decisions which can add to the fun. It’s basically limited free agency. Free agents always just don’t choose to go to top teams. Some prefer to get ice time and opportunity elsewhere, especially the ones that fell out of favor with these top teams


And players on waivers are on waivers for a reason, it’s not like you’re giving the top teams anything significant. It’s more about supporting NHL players and giving them additional comfort and security while also creating a fun system that can generate discussion

 

[McDNicks17]

Allowing players to decline being claimed on waivers defeats the whole purpose of it.

Rich teams could have half an NHL roster playing on their AHL team. The competitive advantage would be insane.

 

[Lays]

This is a privilege to play hockey at the highest level. Even most doctors make less than the NHL minimum wage. If you’re on waivers and somebody picks you where you don’t want to be necessarily, tough tits. I am sorry.

Just because it’s a privilege to already play in the NHL doesn’t mean you can’t offer players benefits to make their lives easier. You’re talking like you intentionally want them to have less rights/benefits just for the pure fact they make millions. Guess what, you had the same opportunity as them and if you were in their shoes you would 100% support this

 

[Lays]

Allowing players to decline being claimed on waivers defeats the whole purpose of it.

Rich teams could have half an NHL roster playing on their AHL team. The competitive advantage would be insane.

Why would the NHL caliber players want to play in the AHL? And if they want to, who cares? Let them? If they would rather play for a top teams AHL affiliate than play in the NHL then that’s on them

 

[Puckclektr]

This is a privilege to play hockey at the highest level. Even most doctors make less than the NHL minimum wage. If you’re on waivers and somebody picks you where you don’t want to be necessarily, tough tits. I am sorry.

I disagree. Many people sign contracts to go to communities for family reasons and have young children that are settled. For example if I am a Leaf fourth liner and get put on waivers I would rather play with the Marlies than say Henderson, NV. I might be okay with Rochester or Belleville. Many people want to stay away from areas for political reasons as they get older. I wouldn't want to raise my children in CA, or WA.
Education
family/parents age
team opportunity
climate
cost of living
all can be an issue.
IF you are making base salary now and werent a surefire NHLer for many years, would you want to leave Utica where the home prices are about a fifth of what they are if you got picked up by Toronto to play for the Marlies. An 80,000 US salary isn't going to get you anything for a family within an hour drive of Toronto that isn't Rexdale
I like the idea

 

[SomeDude]

I disagree. Many people sign contracts to go to communities for family reasons and have young children that are settled. For example if I am a Leaf fourth liner and get put on waivers I would rather play with the Marlies than say Henderson, NV. I might be okay with Rochester or Belleville. Many people want to stay away from areas for political reasons as they get older. I wouldn't want to raise my children in CA, or WA.
Education
family/parents age
team opportunity
climate
cost of living
all can be an issue.
IF you are making base salary now and werent a surefire NHLer for many years, would you want to leave Utica where the home prices are about a fifth of what they are if you got picked up by Toronto to play for the Marlies. An 80,000 US salary isn't going to get you anything for a family within an hour drive of Toronto that isn't Rexdale
I like the idea

Nobody is forcing these guys to play professional hockey.

 

[Lays]

There's also the occasional case where a team actually hopes another team claims a player. I can't imagine the team waiving said player would be too happy if they decided "hey I'm gonna stay where I'm at right now" when they could have been claimed and off their books.

Pretty sure if a team wants a player off the team the player would decide to move on. And I can’t imagine too many cases of this occurring for it to be a legit issue. Teams already face the possibility of the player being unclaimed and staying on their farm team. And if the team really wants the player off the team that badly, they can either move him, wait for his contract to expire, or buy him out in the off-season just like any other unwanted players

 

[Lays]

Nobody is forcing these guys to play professional hockey.

If you were an NHL player would you be in favor of this waivers reform? Your answer would be yes. And as a fan of the game wouldn’t you want that for the players as well? It also adds excitement and creates discussion to watch player’s make their decisions.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Why would the NHL caliber players want to play in the AHL? And if they want to, who cares? Let them? If they would rather play for a top teams AHL affiliate than play in the NHL then that’s on them

Money. If an NHL Team like the Leafs say, we will pay you $5M to play in the AHL for the season so we can bring you up in the playoffs, why wouldn't a player do it? You seem to have faith in humanity and people, where as I don't. Any advantage or scummy move ownership and teams can do, they will to win the cup. Players will do whatever if they get paid enough. If the goal for a player was always win the cup, they would take discounts, make super teams, and not play in places like Ottawa, Buffalo, and Edmonton.

 

[Lays]

Money. If an NHL Team like the Leafs say, we will pay you $5M to play in the AHL for the season so we can bring you up in the playoffs, why wouldn't a player do it? You seem to have faith in humanity and people, where as I don't. Any advantage or scummy move ownership and teams can do, they will to win the cup. Players will do whatever if they get paid enough. If the goal for a player was always win the cup, they would take discounts, make super teams, and not play in places like Ottawa, Buffalo, and Edmonton.

That’s a blatant loophole that would be shut down immediately. I didn’t even consider putting it in the OP because I thought it was assumed. That would clearly not be allowed

 

[McDNicks17]

That’s a blatant loophole that would be shut down immediately. I didn’t even consider putting it in the OP because I thought it was assumed. That would clearly not be allowed

It isn't a loophole. It's exactly what you're proposing. If you have to add more rules like a maximum AHL salary, it's obviously not a good idea.

 

[SomeDude]

If you were an NHL player would you be in favor of this waivers reform? Your answer would be yes. And as a fan of the game wouldn’t you want that for the players as well? It also adds excitement and creates discussion to watch player’s make their decisions.

As a fan of the game, I don't want big market teams to be able to offer guys $2 million to play in the AHL so they can have more depth than other teams, or like I've already said, have players go play in another league to stay in shape so they can come in and play for the playoffs at minimum cost. Players are compensated very well for their work. I don't really care if they have to play somewhere they don't like until they hit free agency and then have the ability to go wherever they want.

 

[Lays]

It isn't a loophole. It's exactly what you're proposing. If you have to add more rules like a maximum AHL salary, it's obviously not a good idea.

That’s not even close to what I’m proposing. And you don’t have to add a max AHL salary to prevent it from happening. Just enforce it when it’s clearly happening. It will be obvious and easy to control. Also how does it mean it’s a bad idea even if you have to change another rule? You’re making up hypothetical scenarios that could easily be prevented

 

[Mickey Marner]

I cant see it happening. Youre expected to pay your dues in the NHL. If you dont want to hit the waiver wire, earn an NMC through play or tenure. Most guys would rather get paid 10× more than ride the bus anyhow.