I received an email today from Flyers GM Paul Holmgren clarifying the status of unsigned 2006 draft pick Joonas Lehtivuori, one of the organization's top defense prospects.

The Flyers and other teams with unsigned European players selected in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft will not be bound by the June 1 signing deadline to hold on to the players' rights.

The current NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement specifies that NHL clubs have a two-year signing window for players drafted from European teams. However, the lack of an NHL-IIHF transfer agreement -- and the ongoing negotiations for a new one -- means that NHL clubs will continue to hold the rights of 2006 draftees beyond June 1.

Extending the signing window to four years has been one of the key areas of discussion between the NHL, NHLPA the IIHF and the major European hockey federations. For different reasons, all of the parties involved are in favor of a lengthier signing period.

Doing so will require an amendment of the NHL-NHLPA collective bargaining agreement as well as creating a new international agreement. For these reasons, it would be unfair to the NHL teams, the affected players and their current European teams to enforce the June 1 deadline for the 2006 draftees.

In the Flyers' case, that means that the organization continues to hold the NHL rights of Lehtivuori, Russian defenseman Denis Bodrov (who recently signed with Avangard Omsk), Traktor Chelyabinsk right winger Andrei Popov, and Czech goaltender Jakub Kovar (now playing in the OHL for Windsor, but drafted out of Ceske Budejovice's U-20 team).

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