In the budget-conscious world of today's NHL, drafting and developing players is the most economical way for a team to boost its talent quotient. But situations can get interesting when talented young players are in line for new contracts. No matter how good they are, teams sometimes can't—or choose not to—deliver the money and term length players are looking for.
Last summer, those issues caused trades of three future stars. Ryan O'Reilly went from the Colorado Avalanche to the Buffalo Sabres, Dougie Hamilton was dealt from the Boston Bruins to the Calgary Flames and Brandon Saad moved from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Columbus Blue Jackets. All three were quickly inked to lucrative long-term deals with their new clubs.
It takes a very good player to be able to trigger a trade when his contract demands aren't met. NHL players remain restricted free agents until they reach the age of 27 or have spent seven years in the league, giving them limited leverage in negotiations. Once they have completed four years of service, they become eligible for salary arbitration, which can improve their bargaining power.
General Fanager has the compl ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Carol Schram
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