What does the consensus think on players like Adam fox who don't sign with draft team

[apollo18]

I don't know if this has been discussed before and if it has i apoligize but i tried to look around and couldnt find anything.
As we all know Adam Fox was drafted by the flames and he didn't want to sign with them, then he was traded to Carolina and didn't wanna sign with them until he was traded to NYR for a bag of pucks. I know a few other players have done this and fox isn't the only one (vesey etc) but I was wondering what y'all think.

For me, its personanlly a dick move, like a team is using a draft pick on you, and you literally are gifted a contract, i feel like players should atleast have respect and at the minimum sign a ELC with there draft team, i could care less what they do after but cmon a little respect. seems pretty childish to only want to play for one team. like sure sign with them after the elc but if you haven't even played a game in the chel i think you should be thankful and honored rather then being selfish

What fox did seems very childish and I know others have done it too, but fox is in most recent history.

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[IceNeophyte]

I don't know, I think it's kind of a servitude mentality to think that because you draft someone they owe you lifetime fealty.

A team won't cough at the idea of drafting you and then trading you off for someone they think will better fit their team today. That should be a two way street.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

We benefited from it a few times but I still don't like it. I said it was a dick move.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

I'll never attack a kid for trying to maximize his potential/career within the confines of a CBA he didn't even vote on.

 

[the paisanos guy]

It's their life so I don't judge them personally, but I would love to see something in the CBA to combat this. If the drafting team attempted to sign the player but the player refused, whichever team signs them has to give a compensatory second round pick to the drafting team.

 

[ClydeLee]

It's fine, I don't like that only if they were a 1st rounder the team gets compensation. It should apply the same for all rounds until the 7th. Where you get a pick in the round lower they were drafted in if they leave.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

I mean if a player did that to my team I would be pissed. Luckily that will never happen.

But its not like he pulled a Lindros and demanded a trade.

 

[apollo18]

I mean if a player did that to my team I would be pissed. Luckily that will never happen.

But its not like he pulled a Lindros and demanded a trade.

fair enough but in his case he wasnt going to sign at all, imo a trade is atleast better since they atleast get something

 

[Voight]

Would be nice if players like him notified the team earlier that they had no intention of signing there. It leaves teams scrambling at the last minute to get some value back.

 

[LOFIN]

The NHL is probably the most balanced pro sports leagues in the world (although it's a closed shop which is a different issue), and that's largely because of the draft. If more and more players start to go the Adam Fox way, it's definitely a problem for the league. Don't know what you can do about it. Obviously, it's their life and restricting their ability to choose where they play isn't ideal either.

It's their life so I don't judge them personally, but I would love to see something in the CBA to combat this. If the drafting team attempted to sign the player but the player refused, whichever team signs them has to give a compensatory second round pick to the drafting team.

This is a decent idea, though it also has the potential to backfire. What if the players see that asking out for a different team is not a problem anymore because the drafting team gets compensated for it, and you end up with the same situation?

 

[barriers]

Players are absolutely not gifted a contract when drafted. The majority aren't signed and their drafted rights expire. Will Butcher was denied a contract when he tried to leave school early so he went and won the Hobey and then signed with whom he pleased after graduating.

And the you say "like sure sign with them after the elc" Do you have any idea regarding how long teams hold onto players rights after signing the ELC? These players are not UFAs if they don't sign with their drafted team. They are restricted to signing an ELC, and then the team they've signed with own their exclusive rights until they're 27.

As for, "What fox did seems very childish and I know others have done it too, but fox is in most recent history." Fox did what he thought was best for him and his own, that's what a man does. He owed nothing to the Flames and nothing to the Hurricanes. He also wouldn't be the most recent. I believe that would be Chase Priskie.

Also, sports must be the only industry where you get a 4 year window to do something, fail, and people will argue your failure should be compensated. ALL draft picks come with risks.

 

[The Macho King]

Good for him. I'll always side with the workers over management.

 

[The Macho King]

Would be nice if players like him notified the team earlier that they had no intention of signing there. It leaves teams scrambling at the last minute to get some value back.

If I recall this was an open secret at least two seasons before he actually signed.

 

[Mickey Marner]

He exercised his collectively bargained rights, don't hate the player, hate the game.

 

[explore]

The fault isn't on college draft picks for exercising their right to become a UFA and sign with the team of their choice, the fault is on the NHL for given them an advantage over CHL players by allowing them to do that in the first place

College players should rightfully be drafted lower than CHL players until this is changed. They're just as risky to draft as KHL players

 

[Mobiandi]

It stings but it is what it is. His obvious lying about how he wanted finish his degree was eye-roll worthy though

 

[barriers]

The fault isn't on college draft picks for exercising their right to become a UFA and sign with the team of their choice, the fault is on the NHL for given them an advantage over CHL players by allowing them to do that in the first place

College players should rightfully be drafted lower than CHL players until this is changed. They're just as risky to draft as KHL players

CHL players can be drafted twice over and will STILL have their rights expire before a NCAA player's will. How is that an advantage for the NCAA player?

CHL/USHL players rights expire in 2 years
European players (from hockey federations with an NHL transfter agreement) expire in 4 years
NCAA players rights generally expire in 4 years + 6 weeks

NCAA players are at the disadvantage compared to their peers (players drafted out of Russia never have their rights expire, however it is possible for players to be loaned to Russian league while having signed an NHL contract where NCAA players can't even get a sandwich bought for them by an NHL club)

 

[82Ninety42011]

It's a dick move but within the rules. The NHL needs to change it or otherwise, it will happen again. I mean it's great for the player but sucks for the drafting team.

 

[93LEAFS]

It's a dick move but within the rules. The NHL needs to change it or otherwise, it will happen again. I mean it's great for the player but sucks for the drafting team.

Except the whole process of being drafted sucks from the player's point of view compared to the option of choosing where they want to go. He exercised his collectively bargained right. How many professional fields were you are among the top 99% in the world are you allocated to a region with one possible employer essentially having a monopoly on the top-paying jobs and don't have the option to explore elsewhere until you have 7 years experience?

 

[Paranoid Android]

Hate the game not the player. He played by the rules of the CBA. If we want to prevent players from going this route, the CBA needs to reflect that.

 

[jetsforever]

Not a great thing to do IMO, while still understandable
Basically I will probably think a bit less of the player, but also might do the same if I were in that position

 

[explore]

CHL players can be drafted twice over and will STILL have their rights expire before a NCAA player's will. How is that an advantage for the NCAA player?

CHL/USHL players rights expire in 2 years
European players (from hockey federations with an NHL transfter agreement) expire in 4 years
NCAA players rights generally expire in 4 years + 6 weeks

NCAA players are at the disadvantage compared to their peers (players drafted out of Russia never have their rights expire, however it is possible for players to be loaned to Russian league while having signed an NHL contract where NCAA players can't even get a sandwich bought for them by an NHL club)

College players, by virtue of being in college, are far more likely to stay all four years as opposed to CHL players who need to move onto another league after their overage season

This isn't complicated. College players are in a situation where they can simply wait out their draft status without facing any consequences

If I were an NHL team, I would rank NCAA players significantly lower than CHL players simply due to the inherent risk in drafting NCAA players

 

[sparxx87]

Except the whole process of being drafted sucks from the player's point of view compared to the option of choosing where they want to go. He exercised his collectively bargained right. How many professional fields were you are among the top 99% in the world are you allocated to a region with one possible employer essentially having a monopoly on the top-paying jobs and don't have the option to explore elsewhere until you have 7 years experience?

In that example I’d see the NHL as the employer. You may want to work in department (for lack of a better term) ‘a’ but you need to put in your time in ‘x, y, or z’ before you get to have that choice.

I don’t fault the player for taking his pick but I think the rule should be consistent for everyone. Not fair to teams that lose an asset for nothing or a late pick before the signing deadline.

 

[barriers]

College players, by virtue of being in college, are far more likely to stay all four years as opposed to CHL players who need to move onto another league after their overage season

This isn't complicated. College players are in a situation where they can simply wait out their draft status without facing any consequences

If I were an NHL team, I would rank NCAA players significantly lower than CHL players simply due to the inherent risk in drafting NCAA players

This applies to CHL players as well. It's not complicated. Players who age out of the CHL could wait out their last year in the AHL (or any other professional league that is not the NHL) and get paid while college players, by virtue of being in college, are already deep in debt as there are no full-ride hockey scholarships and they don't have much free time to even make pocket change between athletic and academic obligations.

 

[explore]

This applies to CHL players as well. It's not complicated. Players who age out of the CHL could wait out their last year in the AHL (or any other league that is not the NHL) and get paid while college players, by virtue of being in college, are already deep in debt as there are no full-ride hockey scholarships and they don't have much free time to even make pocket change between athletic and academic obligations.

Most AHL teams are associated with NHL franchises, so no, it's not as easy for CHL players to replicate what NCAA players do. Those CHL players who wander around end up in lesser leagues, while college players can maintain a high level exposure to scouts by playing in the NCAA

The college cost equation isn't meaningful as most of these guys come from well-off backgrounds in the first place