So, I can sign a guy to a contract, he doesn't show, so I don't pay him. Then he goes to Europe and plays. Then when his season is over he comes back and I pay him again?

That's the exact same net result as if I let him play in Europe under the understanding that once his season ended I'd sign him for the playoffs.

That's why the rule is there. I realize the majority of the younger folks on this site weren't alive when the Oilers used to do this with guys like Ristoleanen (sp), but that's why the rule is there. What the Preds are trying to do is in the exact same spirit.
- thebige

Screw it! I was on the fence about A-Rad coming back for the end of this season and preferred to get a full year from him as owed. But if it's gonna tweak the Canuckelheads this much I say do everything humanly possible to make it happen. The sight of all those heads assploding across BC will be viewable from orbit.


Please educate yourself on the situation. Radulov is already under contract with the Predators. He bailed on the contract and still owes the Predators one year.

The debate over whether he can return to the Predators for the rest of this season is a result of the CBA not actually addressing this exact scenario. Rule 13.23 states:

In the event a professional or former professional Player plays in a league outside North America after the start of the NHL Regular Season, other than on Loan from his Club, he may thereafter play in the NHL during that Playing Season (including Playoffs) only if he has first either cleared or been obtained via Waivers. For the balance of the Playing Season, any such Player who has been obtained via Waivers may be Traded or Loaned only after again clearing Waivers or through Waiver claim.

It doesn't address a suspended player. The general consensus is that Radulov is still under contract to the Predators and therefore eligible to return without clearing waivers, pending approval by the NHLPA.

Another alternative I've heard is the Predators could un-suspend him and mark him as on loan. But then they'd lose his ELC time owed immediately making him an RFA.

What a great job they did of hiding him in the KHL...they hid him for almost 3 years so they could make a run in the 12 playoffs
Sweet jeebus, what a bunch of cheaters
- I-own_da-Northwest

He wasn't hiding. The Predators knew exactly where he was. He bailed on a legal, contractual obligation to the Preds. What's cheating about holding him to that obligation? Were they supposed to send Dog the Bounty Hunter over there to cuff him and bring him back?

He wasn't hiding. The Predators knew exactly where he was. He bailed on a legal, contractual obligation to the Preds. What's cheating about holding him to that obligation? Were they supposed to send Dog the Bounty Hunter over there to cuff him and bring him back?
- figurefive

I think I-own_da-Northwest's comments were meant to be facetious and he is actually agreeing with us. At least that's how I read it.


edit: thebige on the other hand is so far out of touch that there's really not much to say.

I think I-own_da-Northwest's comments were meant to be facetious and he is actually agreeing with us. At least that's how I read it.


edit: thebige on the other hand is so far out of touch that there's really not much to say.
- blueline

Ah. You may be right. In which case apologies to I-own_da-Northwest

What a great job they did of hiding him in the KHL...they hid him for almost 3 years so they could make a run in the 12 playoffs
Sweet jeebus, what a bunch of cheaters
- I-own_da-Northwest

I'm also fluent in sarcasm too. Well done.

So, I can sign a guy to a contract, he doesn't show, so I don't pay him. Then he goes to Europe and plays. Then when his season is over he comes back and I pay him again?

That's the exact same net result as if I let him play in Europe under the understanding that once his season ended I'd sign him for the playoffs
- thebige

Not exactly my small weinered friend. The contract would be void if 1) the preds bought him out 2) he retired 3) Radulov wants to play still but Preds are not paying him.

Since both sides agreed...Radulov wanted to go home and the preds couldn't legally make a human being live in a place they didn't want too, they let him go. Now for whatever reason Nashville didn't buy out his contract. Maybe they thought this day would come and they knew how good he was and didn't wanna risk losing him down the road....I don't know.

The point is since no one cancelled the contract on either side it is valid, and whatever remains maybe he will honour.


Oh and one last thing when his contract is up he'd be a rfa

I think I-own_da-Northwest's comments were meant to be facetious and he is actually agreeing with us. At least that's how I read it.


edit: thebige on the other hand is so far out of touch that there's really not much to say.
- blueline

I was agreeing with u guys... I was implying how stupid it would be for a team to "hide" their future ovechkin/Crosby in another league for 3 or 4 seasons...

on a side note re: a player who is here.. Anyone think Av's had little K's number circled last night. Christ, they beat the tar out of him at every opportunity. Still buried that wrist shot.

Belarus must run some sort of state sponsored Wrist Shot program.. Just sick. The Brothers K both unleash some wicked wristers.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

ELC's don't need to clear waivers in the first place. That's what i've heard/seen, and it makes sense. I need some clarification though, any help?

[quote=figurefive]

You now know exactly why many Sabres fans loved Gaustad on the team as much as they did.

You will like him that much more come playoff time, guaranteed.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

ELC's don't need to clear waivers in the first place. That's what i've heard/seen, and it makes sense. I need some clarification though, any help?
- wildcatgoal

No they do not, you are correct sir

Suter should have been a star as well. His 2 goal clearing plays reiterated that the defense has returned. I hadn't realized that Nashville was the only team with 2 40+ point defensemen....
- HockeyHop

For now.. The Blues have Perto with 40+ and Shatty at 36.

Just to be straight here for a second, Radulov or not to us, here in STL, it doesnt matter. We just really want to ride as long as we can. It has been awhile. Its nice to hear Backes last night make the statement coming off a 3-1 win and PP finally clicking, and say we werent good enough. Tought statement. but this year there is a TEAM effort like no one really has THIS year. Looks for us liie Langenbrunner is close, D'ags and Russell is close. And Steen will be back, that is a lot to come back FRESH. look at Perron and McDonald. it was like a trade deadline deal with out giving up anything.

I want to applaude the Preds specifically. great collection of players and an incredible netminder. While you have Rinne who is the one who carries the mail, the playoffs are a long run. He has 37 wins? That is a lot of playing. To go far in the playoffs he will have to play a lot more. Here we are fortuate to have both Halak and Elliott. Andres L. is a great goalie too, however I dont think he will be as sharp as he could be when called upon.

Last comment, yeah I may get beat up on here. You have an awesome team. I dont want to meet you in the playoffs. it will bea GREAT series, but who ever would win the series, then NEXT series they will be wore out.

Best of Luck!

No they do not, you are correct sir
- I-own_da-Northwest

Do you know where I can find that rule? I thought it only applied to being brought up and being sent back down to the minors.

on a side note re: a player who is here.. Anyone think Av's had little K's number circled last night. Christ, they beat the tar out of him at every opportunity. Still buried that wrist shot.

Belarus must run some sort of state sponsored Wrist Shot program.. Just sick. The Brothers K both unleash some wicked wristers.
- coaster28

Hilarious...and true...I think Michael Ryder may have gone to that school unbeknownst to NA. He also has one of the best wrist shots I've ever seen.

Screw it! I was on the fence about A-Rad coming back for the end of this season and preferred to get a full year from him as owed. But if it's gonna tweak the Canuckelheads this much I say do everything humanly possible to make it happen. The sight of all those heads assploding across BC will be viewable from orbit.


Please educate yourself on the situation. Radulov is already under contract with the Predators. He bailed on the contract and still owes the Predators one year.

The debate over whether he can return to the Predators for the rest of this season is a result of the CBA not actually addressing this exact scenario. Rule 13.23 states:



It doesn't address a suspended player. The general consensus is that Radulov is still under contract to the Predators and therefore eligible to return without clearing waivers, pending approval by the NHLPA.

Another alternative I've heard is the Predators could un-suspend him and mark him as on loan. But then they'd lose his ELC time owed immediately making him an RFA.
- figurefive

On a personal level, I'm all for him coming back. A few days ago I put $100 on the Preds to win the Cup at 20-1. And from the Canucks perspective whether he plays or not is irrelevant. You guys are going to have to play one of St. Louis or Detroit in the first round and most likely the other in the second round. The likelihood of the Canucks and Preds meeting in the playoffs is just about 0.

From the perspective of the precedent or the optics, I don't think it looks good to have guys play in Europe for 90% of the regular season, then show up for the playoffs, regardless of whether they're signed or unsigned, in dispute on their contract, or whatever.

All of this business about Radulov honoring his contract and whether the Preds got screwed is a bunch of superfluous bologna. You guys can come up with whatever sob story you want. If the Preds can't keep their players here in North America, that's their problem, not the rest of the league's.

For now.. The Blues have Perto with 40+ and Shatty at 36.

Just to be straight here for a second, Radulov or not to us, here in STL, it doesnt matter. We just really want to ride as long as we can. It has been awhile. Its nice to hear Backes last night make the statement coming off a 3-1 win and PP finally clicking, and say we werent good enough. Tought statement. but this year there is a TEAM effort like no one really has THIS year. Looks for us liie Langenbrunner is close, D'ags and Russell is close. And Steen will be back, that is a lot to come back FRESH. look at Perron and McDonald. it was like a trade deadline deal with out giving up anything.

I want to applaude the Preds specifically. great collection of players and an incredible netminder. While you have Rinne who is the one who carries the mail, the playoffs are a long run. He has 37 wins? That is a lot of playing. To go far in the playoffs he will have to play a lot more. Here we are fortuate to have both Halak and Elliott. Andres L. is a great goalie too, however I dont think he will be as sharp as he could be when called upon.

Last comment, yeah I may get beat up on here. You have an awesome team. I dont want to meet you in the playoffs. it will bea GREAT series, but who ever would win the series, then NEXT series they will be wore out.

Best of Luck!
- Stricknasty's Hero

What's the consensus up there: Will the Blues have enough time to reintegrate the returning players, and will those players return soon enough to get their game legs back before the playoffs start?

The way the Blues are going and with the players they're getting back I think I'd take my chances with Detroit in the first round.

The thing about Peks is he loses a bit of sharpness when he gets too much rest. With the number of back-to-backs the Preds have to close out March I expect Lindy to get at least 3 or 4 more starts to close out the season. Once the Preds get into the roughly every other day schedule of the playoffs Peks will shine.

Screw it! I was on the fence about A-Rad coming back for the end of this season and preferred to get a full year from him as owed. But if it's gonna tweak the Canuckelheads this much I say do everything humanly possible to make it happen. The sight of all those heads assploding across BC will be viewable from orbit.


Please educate yourself on the situation. Radulov is already under contract with the Predators. He bailed on the contract and still owes the Predators one year.

The debate over whether he can return to the Predators for the rest of this season is a result of the CBA not actually addressing this exact scenario. Rule 13.23 states:



It doesn't address a suspended player. The general consensus is that Radulov is still under contract to the Predators and therefore eligible to return without clearing waivers, pending approval by the NHLPA.

Another alternative I've heard is the Predators could un-suspend him and mark him as on loan. But then they'd lose his ELC time owed immediately making him an RFA.
- figurefive

And rule 13.23 does clearly address the suspended player, it clearly states that the only way that a player can come back to North America that season without clearing waivers or being claimed on waivers is if he was "on Loan from his Club". Club being his NHL Club. Was Radulov on Loan??? If he wasn't, he shouldn't be able to come back without first going on waivers.

Doesn't matter if he left on his own volition, was chased away by bees, or really wanted a bowl of beet soup. Unless he left on Loan, he needs to go through waivers. Thanks for clarifying this all for us.

And rule 13.23 does clearly address the suspended player, it clearly states that the only way that a player can come back to North America that season without clearing waivers or being claimed on waivers is if he was "on Loan from his Club". Club being his NHL Club. Was Radulov on Loan??? If he wasn't, he shouldn't be able to come back without first going on waivers.

Doesn't matter if he left on his own volition, was chased away by bees, or really wanted a bowl of beet soup. Unless he left on Loan, he needs to go through waivers. Thanks for clarifying this all for us.
- thebige

At the time of Radulov's departure, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, that there was a loophole in the system, and a few days before it was made official he signed with the KHL. That is why they essentially "froze" his contract. He is an exception to the rule, I think he got grandfathered in.

Given the Predators got royally shafted in 2008 (Radulov’s KHL deal survived on a technicality, because it was signed days before the NHL reached an agreement with all international hockey leagues to respect players’ existing contracts), it stands to reason there won’t be much objection to him returning to Nashville, given he owes a year of service.
-NBCSPORTS

You guys are a chemistry team so I'm all for adding him.

You guys are a chemistry team so I'm all for adding him.
- Gerk

I hope the Blues win the Presidents trophy because that usually means the Presidents trophy winner chokes in the playoffs. Historically.

Do you know where I can find that rule? I thought it only applied to being brought up and being sent back down to the minors.
- Predaceous

It was on the Canucks website for quite some time... I'm having a hard time remembering...it's something about players in an elc, or have not met the minimal games (200 I think) requirement do not have to
Go through waivers. And Nashville can "toll" radulov's contract if he chose not to play. As for Rfas they have to be either 27 or have 7 seasons in the NHL before they move to UFA. So you guys could technically have A-Rad for another 2 years after this one before others get a kick at the can

And rule 13.23 does clearly address the suspended player, it clearly states that the only way that a player can come back to North America that season without clearing waivers or being claimed on waivers is if he was "on Loan from his Club". Club being his NHL Club. Was Radulov on Loan??? If he wasn't, he shouldn't be able to come back without first going on waivers.

Doesn't matter if he left on his own volition, was chased away by bees, or really wanted a bowl of beet soup. Unless he left on Loan, he needs to go through waivers. Thanks for clarifying this all for us.
- thebige

Considering the word "suspended" never is used in the rule, not sure how you can say it clearly address the situation of a suspended player. That seems to be a pretty big gray area.

It was on the Canucks website for quite some time... I'm having a hard time remembering...it's something about players in an elc, or have not met the minimal games (200 I think) requirement do not have to
Go through waivers. And Nashville can "toll" radulov's contract if he chose not to play. As for Rfas they have to be either 27 or have 7 seasons in the NHL before they move to UFA. So you guys could technically have A-Rad for another 2 years after this one before others get a kick at the can
- I-own_da-Northwest

You're mixing apples and oranges. You're talking about rules regarding sending guys on ELCs up and down between the NHL and the AHL/ECHL. What we're talking about here is players moving between Europe and NA.

Considering the word "suspended" never is used in the rule, not sure how you can say it clearly address the situation of a suspended player. That seems to be a pretty big gray area.
- schiefer466

It is extremely explicit. If you aren't on Loan, you fall in to the scenario of having to go through waivers. So, do this check:

Does Suspended = Loan?
Does Absent With Out Leave = Loan?

They don't look to be true statements to me. Unless either of these previous two statements are true, then you're not on Loan and you need to go through waivers. How can that possibly be unclear?

I personally wonder about Rad's intent if he comes back this season. Unless he signs an extension, I don't want him back this year. By playing and fulfilling his ELC with a partial season, that makes him an RFA. If he goes back to the KHL next season and then decides to come back to the NHL a year later, he would be an UFA because of age. He could play a few games here and effectively circumvent the RFA process.