Elite Ducks Prospect Refuses to Sign With Team
There is a very distinct loophole with NCAA players drafted to the NHL. Essentially, their rights are held for four years, which is the duration of a college degree.
At that point, the player can either sign their ELC, or test free agency.
This doesn't happen often, as generally when a player is talented enough, they'll sign their contract during college. Usually, the ones that have their rights expire don't get contracts at all.
In the case of Ducks top prospect Henry Thrun, however, we are sure there will be suitors.
Thrun, as a blueliner, is sitting at around a point-per-game in the NCAA, which is a very healthy number.
This isn't the first time Anaheim has been victim to this rule, as they lost Jared Shultz in 2012.
Other notable players that have exploited this loophole are Jimmy Vesey, and to an extent, Adam Fox, who was traded by the Hurricanes to the Rangers.
We will see if Anaheim is able to trade Thrun, who will likely see NHL time as soon as next season. It's assuredly a disappointing day to be a Ducks fan, but they still have one of the best defensive pipelines in the NHL. Pavel Mintyukov, Noah Warren, Tristan Luneau, and Jamie Drysdale are all great prospects, but that group would have only been better with Henry Thrun in it.
Source: Blade of Steel
| POLL | ||
Should the NHL try to fix this loophole? | ||
| Yes | 186 | 75 % |
| No | 62 | 25 % |
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