Frogren A

What the? I'm too tired at the moment to root through the CBA or do any substantial digging for that matter, but if the Maple Leafs aren't even on the same page with the league office when if comes to contracts, how on earth is this team supposed act up to the letter of the law, push the boundaries, find loopholes, however you want to paint it?

I mean, come on. FletchLives tries to hit a home run by signing a veteran defenseman from the SEL, and he forgets to check the rulebook.

And now that the story has broke about the league insisting on an entry level contract for a player who has never played in the NHL, I can't remember any team signing a similar player such as Frogren apart from players who started in the NHL, then left, only to return are a few years in Europe.

I should probably wait until I do some digging about that, but why is it only the Maple Leafs who perform such spectacular miracles for the whole league to mock?

Arg....

UPDATE - According to The Star's Kevin McGran, "...The dispute boils down transition rules between successive collective bargaining agreements, including the interpretation of the 2005 CBA's definition of a "free agent" contrasted with Frogren's status as a "defected" player under the previous CBA. "Defected status" was his official listing, resulting from the fact he had been drafted by the Calgary Flames in 1998, but never came to the NHL."

So does Fletch still thinks the old CBA applies? I'm not saying I agree with the NHL's strong arm policy to force players into coming over early in their careers, which this rookie defintion is a part, but shouldn't these types of clarifications be worked out prior to offering a contract, at the very least publicly?

UPDATE - In the interest of fairness and fuzzy bunnies, I should note the possibility this whole circus could be a direct challenge to the League by a GM who sees a different landscape in terms of obtaining the best players in the world to play in the NHL in light of increased competition for talent from continental leagues. The over-confident position Daly and Bettman exude when asked about other leagues is out-dated, and perhaps this is an attempt to bolster the NHL's ability to maintain it's elite status. Or maybe I'm hopefully rationalizing.