The Current RFA rule:
There are a couple issues I see with this rule:
The first step is to make the RFA process come with a tendered offer from the team that the player is leaving. The value of the RFA tender should be double the minimum contract value for their TPE tier, the contract can only be one season in length. The player then has the option to sign this tender and accept the 1-year deal or continue to free agency. If the player signs the tender, he is no longer a free agent and the team’s RFA tender is used for that season. If the player opts to not sign the tender, he becomes a free agent and any team (including the losing team) can sign him. If a team other than the losing team signs him, the losing team has the option to match the offer. If the team matches the offer, the player will play for the losing team under the exact terms of the original agreed upon contract. If the team declines to match the offer, the gaining team gives the losing team their next second round pick, if they have no second round pick, it will be their first round pick, if they have no first round pick, it will be their next season first and second round pick on, so on and so forth. At any time the RFA tagged player is able to sign the initial tender offered to him. If he refuses to sign the RFA tender or a contract with another team, the player is then holding out and subject to the league penalties for holding out.
To prevent a player from being RFA tagged indefinitely I also propose that a player cannot be RFA tagged in consecutive seasons.
If we look at this from the only RFA situation we have seen come to fruition so far, the Colorado Yeti RFA tagged Alex Hayden. The Yellowknife Wraiths and Hayden agreed to a contract. The Yeti then matched the contract, because if they didn’t, they would receive nothing in return. Now Hayden plays for a team, that he intended to leave, and if he opts out of his contract after this season could be RFA tagged again next offseason. If the Yeti could have received a second round pick instead of matching, maybe they would have been less inclined to match. However, if the Wraiths knew they’d be losing a second round pick to sign Hayden, maybe they would have been less inclined to offer Hayden a contract. Either way as the process stands now, I think it is unfair to both the player and the losing team.
These would be my new rule suggestions:
Quote:- Each team may tag 1 player per off season with the Restricted Free Agency Tag.
- A player must have played 3 or more consecutive seasons with the team to be tagged. The consecutive seasons must be at the point in their career when they are being tagged and may not be from an earlier time in their career
- If a team RFA tags a player they have the right to match any accepted offer that player in free agency has agreed to. If the tagging team chooses to match an offer they automatically win the bid and get the player. The team who tagged the player has 48 hours from the time the player accepts the offer to state that they are matching it.
There are a couple issues I see with this rule:
- 1. A player can be indefinitely RFA’d and be stuck with his team forever, even if he wants to leave.
- 2. There is no incentive for teams to not match any RFA offer.
The first step is to make the RFA process come with a tendered offer from the team that the player is leaving. The value of the RFA tender should be double the minimum contract value for their TPE tier, the contract can only be one season in length. The player then has the option to sign this tender and accept the 1-year deal or continue to free agency. If the player signs the tender, he is no longer a free agent and the team’s RFA tender is used for that season. If the player opts to not sign the tender, he becomes a free agent and any team (including the losing team) can sign him. If a team other than the losing team signs him, the losing team has the option to match the offer. If the team matches the offer, the player will play for the losing team under the exact terms of the original agreed upon contract. If the team declines to match the offer, the gaining team gives the losing team their next second round pick, if they have no second round pick, it will be their first round pick, if they have no first round pick, it will be their next season first and second round pick on, so on and so forth. At any time the RFA tagged player is able to sign the initial tender offered to him. If he refuses to sign the RFA tender or a contract with another team, the player is then holding out and subject to the league penalties for holding out.
To prevent a player from being RFA tagged indefinitely I also propose that a player cannot be RFA tagged in consecutive seasons.
If we look at this from the only RFA situation we have seen come to fruition so far, the Colorado Yeti RFA tagged Alex Hayden. The Yellowknife Wraiths and Hayden agreed to a contract. The Yeti then matched the contract, because if they didn’t, they would receive nothing in return. Now Hayden plays for a team, that he intended to leave, and if he opts out of his contract after this season could be RFA tagged again next offseason. If the Yeti could have received a second round pick instead of matching, maybe they would have been less inclined to match. However, if the Wraiths knew they’d be losing a second round pick to sign Hayden, maybe they would have been less inclined to offer Hayden a contract. Either way as the process stands now, I think it is unfair to both the player and the losing team.
These would be my new rule suggestions:
- 1. To RFA tag a player, you must offer them a 1 year contract, double the minimum contract value for their tier. (ie 400+ TPE, must be offered a 1 year, $4,000,000 contract). If a team does not have enough cap space to offer this contract, they cannot RFA tag that player.
- 2. A player cannot be RFA tagged in consecutive seasons.
- 3. The losing team will receive draft pick compensation from the gaining team in the event a RFA offer sheet is not matched.
- The draft pick compensation priority will be as follows: 1) Current season second round pick; 2) current season first round pick; 3) next season first and second round pick
- If a team does not have their current season second round pick, then it goes to the next priority, so on and so forth.
- 4. If the gaining team does not have any of those draft picks, they are unable to sign an offer sheet with an RFA.
- 5. If the gaining team signs multiple RFAs, the losing team with the worst most recent season record receives the better of the draft picks surrendered by the gaining team.
- For instance, if this season the Wraiths signed Hayden (Yeti) and Lee (Outlaws), the Yeti would receive the Wraiths S4 1st round pick and the Outlaws would receive the Wraiths S4 2nd round pick.