ELC & playing in AHL
There’s been a lot of talk about ELC’s with NCAA season winding down. A hot topic with Tampa Bay is Issac Howard. Sounds like we don’t have cap space to sign him. Can you clear up some confusion cause I thought guys on their ELC reporting to their AHL squads on tryouts didn’t count against the NHL’s team cap?
Answer
If a player who was drafted by a team signs a contract that starts the following season, then they can sign an AHL try-out and play in the AHL. However, if a team signs the player to a contract that starts for the current season, they are not eligible for the AHL since only players under contract who were in the AHL on deadline day are eligible to be sent down after the deadline. In Howard's case, he likely wants to sign a contract for the current season so that the first year of the contract is used up, and then he's only 2 years away from his next contract.
