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It May Not Add Up
by Paul on 07/03/09 at 07:36 PM ET
Comments (15)
from TSN,
Sources tell TSN the NHL and the NHLPA are investigating what might have been an enormous mistake by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago tendered qualifying offers to several key players this week, including Kris Versteeg, Cam Barker, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser, Aaron Johnson and Troy Brouwer, however the investigation underway is to determiner whether the qualifying offers were filed correctly.
If not, there is the remote possibility the qualifying offers could be ruled invalid and the players listed above, conceivably, could be deemed unrestricted free agents because of the blunder.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
I thought this was a pretty simple process. Did they use the wrong cover sheet when they faxed the league office or something?
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/09 at 07:02 PM ET
Did they use the wrong cover sheet when they faxed the league office or something?
They’re using new cover sheets on all the TPS, err, league office reports before they go out. If Chicago could try to remember that from now on, that’d be great.
Posted by Aphaea from Pennsylvania on 07/03/09 at 07:14 PM ET
Snail mail instead of faxing.
/shakes head
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/09 at 07:55 PM ET
Oops. Maybe cap considerations won’t be such a big deal next year after all.
Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 07/03/09 at 07:55 PM ET
Gotta wonder why he would live it so close to the deadline to make the offers. They’re just qualifying offers.
I’m sure I read last week that Holland had already qualified Hudler and Leino, and I assume most GMs did as well.
Posted by Garth on 07/03/09 at 08:28 PM ET
That’s hysterical - there is a formula for qualifying restricted free agents.
Players who earned less than $660,000 in the previous season must be offered 110 percent of last season’s salary. Players making up to $1 million must be offered 105 percent. Players making over $1 million must be offered 100 percent.
How frickin hard is this? Why didn’t you tender those offers about 10 minutes after the season ended. How about you don’t let them walk out the door without the qualifying offers?
Hope the Wings go after Versteeg. He was a Wings fan growing up. Move a guy like Holmstrom and get Versteeg.
Posted by CJBear71 on 07/03/09 at 09:16 PM ET
Man, if that’s the case, then we would love to welcome Kris Versteeg as a member of the Flyers.
Posted by Philip from Philadelphia on 07/03/09 at 10:19 PM ET
This is the NHL we’re talking about here folks. Even when you are in the wrong, they don’t punish you. They just sweep it under the rug with some BS excuse. The league would love the ‘Hawks to do well (not quite up to the Crosby love fest but 2nd on the totem pole), so I’m not expecting anything to come of this.
Posted by Cainer4Wingsglory from Ottawa on 07/03/09 at 10:53 PM ET
Just so people understand in legalese...If you mail something, the date of the postmark is the date it’s effective. Meaning...even though the offers weren’t faxed they are valid (from what I’m hearing that’s the issue).
Posted by stoneman from Vegas on 07/04/09 at 01:57 AM ET
Unless it is specified in the CBA that qualifying offers must be in the players’ hands by a particular date. I know all my bills specify that I should allow five to seven business days for payment to reach the company (which is why I love to pay them online through my bank). The postmark is irrelevant in that case, what counts is when the payment arrives in the offices.
I’m sure they’ll get away with it because just when Chicago looks to pull in a lot of money there is no desire for the league to punish them for anything, but anyone who thought it was a good idea to put anything in the regular main and June 29th if it was supposed to reach someone by July 1st probably should be fired just for not taking care of the issue in a timely manner.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/04/09 at 07:16 AM ET
The question will be what’s in the CBA. If it says received by, and they were sent certified mail, then the players had to sign for them the day they received them. If that turned out to be July 2nd, after the deadline, there could be trouble.
Now, I agree - the NHL will try to sweep it under the rug. They’ll say since they were postmarked, blah, blah, blah, there is no violation. However, don’t forget the players may file a grievance. This could be decided by an arbitrator, not the league.
Posted by CJBear71 on 07/04/09 at 07:58 AM ET
Ken Holland would never forget stuff like these…
...but if it were the Wings, they would lose the players to Free Agency and probably be punished with some draft picks…
Posted by Gustavo Sales from Brazil on 07/04/09 at 10:05 AM ET
I’m just stupefied at this whole thing. Such a simple, annual thing to qualify your players, and yet such an important thing. And somehow, the Hawks dropped the ball…
If they rule Barker and Versteeg UFA’s, nobody will feel sorry for the Hawks. Not after the past 2 offseasons of them poaching guys from other teams.
Posted by Primis on 07/04/09 at 01:30 PM ET
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