NHL Salary Cap Questions > RFA's rights after not signing
RFA's rights after not signing
Asked Sep 27, 2024 by Tim
If a RFA does not sign a SPC by December 1st 5:00 (and therefore is ineligible to play during the NHL season) does his free agent status remain restricted beyond July 1st of the next summer? Does the team retain his restricted free agent rights?
Answer
Sep 27, 2024
If the RFA does not sign by Dec 1, his rights the next summer are based on his UFA eligibility.
https://puckpedia.com/salary-cap/unrestricted-free-agents-ufa
If the player turns 27, he will be a UFA. If not, he needs 7 accrued seasons, and the season where he doesn't play would not count as an accrued season.
