Post by BlackhawksGM(Co-Commish) on Jan 26, 2012 16:24:37 GMT -5
Once a player's ELC expires (see Rule 2 for details), they become an RFA. Players remain an RFA until they they are listed as a UFA on capgeek.com. This will generally be when they 1) play 7 NHL seasons or 2) turn 27, but in the case of exceptions, just use whatever capgeek says they are. If there are any discrepancies, such as a player has seemingly played 7 seasons but is still an RFA, please use whatever CapGeek lists as the correct year. After they meet one of these requirements, they become a UFA and require a franchise tag.
By default, in the offseasons where a player qualifies as an RFA you inherit their real-life salaries. It works just like a franchise tag but you do not need to use a tag on your RFAs. This real life contract could've resulted via arbitration, an offer sheet or just resigning with his real team. You inherit all contracts signed up to and including the season where he either turns 27 or plays his 7th season. This means that you can hypothetically control a player for longer than the 7 seasons if he signs a long-term deal during his final RFA season, before his first offseason as a UFA.
If you decline to offer a player arbitration, they immediately become an unrestricted free agent. You have no further obligation to them or their salary. You can post this in the appropriate section in the offseason.
By default, in the offseasons where a player qualifies as an RFA you inherit their real-life salaries. It works just like a franchise tag but you do not need to use a tag on your RFAs. This real life contract could've resulted via arbitration, an offer sheet or just resigning with his real team. You inherit all contracts signed up to and including the season where he either turns 27 or plays his 7th season. This means that you can hypothetically control a player for longer than the 7 seasons if he signs a long-term deal during his final RFA season, before his first offseason as a UFA.
If you decline to offer a player arbitration, they immediately become an unrestricted free agent. You have no further obligation to them or their salary. You can post this in the appropriate section in the offseason.