When do NHL rights expire?

[Snowmon]

Is there anyway you can tell when your NHL rights to an unsigned prospect expire? I think most of these players are signed to contracts in whatever country they're playing, and I can see when those contracts expire, but I don't know when my NHL rights to them expire. Is there anyway to find this out (I'm playing EHM2005 at the moment)? Or do you just have to wait for a news item?

Thanks.

[Systemfel]

You lose the rights two years after you have drafted the player.

[Thundercleese]

This has always seemed kind of off to me....some players, I keep their rights forever, apparently they never expire (these are almost always, I think, players owned by the team when I start the game). I'm guessing that these players' rights have already expired but I retained them because no one else wants to sign them?

[Minstrel]

I know that this limit was drastically shortened with the new CBA which is what led to so many more college and juniors bound prospects being taken and players set to play in Europe falling down the boards in the first post-lockout draft.

I don't know this for sure so this is all from my fuzzy memory, but I want to say it used to be 5 or 6 years before going to 2 in the new CBA.

Another guess as to why the game may be a little inconsistent with it; they may not have been forced to inact the limit unless it's for players you draft as GM... and/or some players already drafted are still on the old schedule based upon when drafted so that would be why you can retain rights so much longer for players on your roster when you take over in general

But I know it is currently 2 years as Systemfel said and that's a change with the new CBA.

[Snowmon]

Another question then:

Does a news item pop up a few months before a players rights with your team expire, or do you just have to go through your prospects and add two to all their draft years to see when you are about to lose them?

(Keep in mind this is in EHM2005, in case there is a difference).

[Systemfel]

(Keep in mind this is in EHM2005, in case there is a difference).

I'm fairly certain you're gonna get a news item saying you'll have to sign the propect.

[Shadd666]

In EHM05, you'll have a news item

If i remember well, you got it one week before your rights on the player(s) expire, so you have time enough to offer them a contract and have them accepting your offer.

I can't tell you how it goes with EHM07, as i haven't played in the NHL yet

[Hypnotist]

I REALLY wish they had spent more time on documentation for these games. I've been playing since EHM 2005 and I'm still accidentally finding answers to some of my questions! The most recent finding has to do with this topic.

1. You hold the rights to a restricted FA until they retire, you trade them, you release them or they sign long enough to become UFA same as in real life.

2. As far as I can tell, European player rights are also held in perpituity. Allthough, I have only played 2 seasons into any game in EHM 2007, so that may be wrong. ILR with the current CBA, I'm fairly certain that all players draft rights are held for only 2 years.

3. College players rights are retained for six years post draft.

4. Canadian junior rights are held for only 2 years. In game more than in real life, this leads to many a-contract year lost.

For the newly discovered coup de'gras: You can see exactly when a given players rights will expire by viewing your Roster screen with the "Unsigned Prospects" filter. Change the "View" button to "Other" and simply mouse over each player's NHL rights. You will get a mouse-over pop-up that will tell you the date that the rights expire. This discovery would have saved me hours!!! If you don't get a pop-up, the rights don't seem expire. You can also do this on a CHL or college roster screen while looking at the NHL Rights. This doen't seem to work for the CHL rights, but it may if you are playing a CHL team. CHL rights expire either on the players 21st birthday or at the end of the season he turns 21, not sure which. But players with CHL rights can only be assigned to the CHL team until his 20th birthday. After that he can be sent to any affiliate farm team or loaned out.

And you do get a news item about a week before the rights expire. Hope this helps.

[Systemfel]

4. Canadian junior rights are held for only 2 years. In game more than in real life, this leads to many a-contract year lost.

I've actually found a way to prevent that from happening, without having to do too much work.

Just sign the player during the season. Then it says the player will join you on, what, July 15th or something? Pull the offer on July 1st, and offer him a new deal. (However, if you haven't signed him before August 1st, you're gonna lose the rights. It must have something to do with that it's the first day of the month.)

[CeeBee]

I REALLY wish they had spent more time on documentation for these games. I've been playing since EHM 2005 and I'm still accidentally finding answers to some of my questions! The most recent finding has to do with this topic.

1. You hold the rights to a restricted FA until they retire, you trade them, you release them or they sign long enough to become UFA same as in real life.

2. As far as I can tell, European player rights are also held in perpituity. Allthough, I have only played 2 seasons into any game in EHM 2007, so that may be wrong. ILR with the current CBA, I'm fairly certain that all players draft rights are held for only 2 years.

3. College players rights are retained for six years post draft.

4. Canadian junior rights are held for only 2 years. In game more than in real life, this leads to many a-contract year lost.

For the newly discovered coup de'gras: You can see exactly when a given players rights will expire by viewing your Roster screen with the "Unsigned Prospects" filter. Change the "View" button to "Other" and simply mouse over each player's NHL rights. You will get a mouse-over pop-up that will tell you the date that the rights expire. This discovery would have saved me hours!!! If you don't get a pop-up, the rights don't seem expire. You can also do this on a CHL or college roster screen while looking at the NHL Rights. This doen't seem to work for the CHL rights, but it may if you are playing a CHL team. CHL rights expire either on the players 21st birthday or at the end of the season he turns 21, not sure which. But players with CHL rights can only be assigned to the CHL team until his 20th birthday. After that he can be sent to any affiliate farm team or loaned out.

And you do get a news item about a week before the rights expire. Hope this helps.

Somehow I missed this thread and only just found it with a search. Thanks for the mouse-over tip as well as all the other info. It has made planning ahead sooo much easier. :)

[stone169]

In EHM2007 you'll get a news item between May 1st and May 5th letting you know about the rights of unsigned prospects.

[rockville]

In EHM2007 you'll get a news item between May 1st and May 5th letting you know about the rights of unsigned prospects.

This news item should come up in the fall the year before so you can trade away the rights to the naff ones.

[King_Louis]

in ehm 07.
We're approaching the end of the season and got the message telling me about the prospects (drafted ones) that i'm about to lose rights on june first. But what happens to the unsigned prospects? Do they become unsigned prospect, on wich i still have rights on like unsigned RFA (who received a qualifying offer) or do they become UFA?

[Tasku]

They become UFA.

At the time of getting this message, I usually sign all decent players, that I might use for any purpose: NHL regular, star, or just AHL backup.

[steviewhy]

I REALLY wish they had spent more time on documentation for these games. I've been playing since EHM 2005 and I'm still accidentally finding answers to some of my questions! The most recent finding has to do with this topic.

1. You hold the rights to a restricted FA until they retire, you trade them, you release them or they sign long enough to become UFA same as in real life.

2. As far as I can tell, European player rights are also held in perpituity. Allthough, I have only played 2 seasons into any game in EHM 2007, so that may be wrong. ILR with the current CBA, I'm fairly certain that all players draft rights are held for only 2 years.

3. College players rights are retained for six years post draft.

4. Canadian junior rights are held for only 2 years. In game more than in real life, this leads to many a-contract year lost.

For the newly discovered coup de'gras: You can see exactly when a given players rights will expire by viewing your Roster screen with the "Unsigned Prospects" filter. Change the "View" button to "Other" and simply mouse over each player's NHL rights. You will get a mouse-over pop-up that will tell you the date that the rights expire. This discovery would have saved me hours!!! If you don't get a pop-up, the rights don't seem expire. You can also do this on a CHL or college roster screen while looking at the NHL Rights. This doen't seem to work for the CHL rights, but it may if you are playing a CHL team. CHL rights expire either on the players 21st birthday or at the end of the season he turns 21, not sure which. But players with CHL rights can only be assigned to the CHL team until his 20th birthday. After that he can be sent to any affiliate farm team or loaned out.

And you do get a news item about a week before the rights expire. Hope this helps.

I love this site. I did a google search on this topic for purposes of playing EHM of course and this old thread was the second article that popped up.
Unfortunately I find that the expiration date of rights is not shown in the other tab of unsigned prospects in the EA version.

4. Canadian junior rights are held for only 2 years. In game more than in real life, this leads to many a-contract year lost.

I've actually found a way to prevent that from happening, without having to do too much work.



Just sign the player during the season. Then it says the player will join you on, what, July 15th or something? Pull the offer on July 1st, and offer him a new deal. (However, if you haven't signed him before August 1st, you're gonna lose the rights. It must have something to do with that it's the first day of the month.)

I got messages saying I had to sign the guys I wanted by June 1st. When offering them contracts it does not tell me when they are going to join the club though, so is it still true that they will join in July? I plan on making the finals and if all these guys join up on June 1st my reserve list will be over 50 contracted players as the pending UFAs will still be at the club. I'm so glad and appreciative to have found so many like minded individuals with so much knowledge to share, bless you guys

[steviewhy]

Update: They join immediately . at least the first guy who played in the CHL. So basically I have to release some vets during the middle of the playoffs to keep the future ? I don't see any other way around it

[batdad]

I usually do this.

1. Waive expiring contracts who are playing in the minors (jsut enough to get to limit). That lets you proceed for a day during playoffs, or 120 hours during the off season (june 7 onward)
2. Waive any outstanding expiring contracts that are in the minors( the rest of the guys I am not bringing back, who are in the minors)
3. Negotiate contract buyout--negotiate for the waived players from the minors--buys a day, they usually reject.
4. Do the same with the rest...as before you just did enough to get to limit again.
5 If need to buy out the expiring guys...cheap usually, as no contract.
6. IF AND ONLY IF I need to (usually not needed, in fact only once I have needed to) waive the roster player (s) (NHL roster) with expiring contracts

Then negotiate buyout, and if refused buyout.

After June 7...also trades are possible....but usually I do not even entertain this, unless a guy I am keeping for next season is really unnecessary to my roster.

I have always been able to get down to limit, or to delay long enough (July 1) with these methods without losing any player of value. PRobably because I know this is going to happen every once in awhile, especially if I have a young team.

[steviewhy]

That worked itself out by accident because two of these guys rights didn't expire until August 30th, despite what the news said. No idea what made these guys special, one of them played in the WHL and the other was in Sweden. Maybe the WHL player because his old team was still in the playoffs, and European based players are different in the game? So when they agreed to contracts they were not going to join up until June 7th or 9th.
I found this out because you can see the rights expiry dates in EHM EA, by going to Unsigned Prospects and hovering over the Pro rights for each player.
As far as the rights expiration rules go it seems the game is spot on, except for college players rights don't expire IRL until August 15th and the exceptions I mentioned before. So this is something that real GMs need to deal with.

[Tasku]

A bit of confusing thread, since some of it is EHM 07 era, some EHM EA, and now some EHM 1!

But I'm just wondering if it's something game related or I just don't fully understand the rights expiry rule, as I have some drafted players, whose right don't seem to expire at all -- or at least it says N/A at the expiry date in their profile -- while my rights for many other players expire like they're supposed to. I'm still playing the same save I started with at the launch of the EA version, so it might have something to do with that, or the database I was using back then. Maybe this issue has been fixed, but it's just something that you need to start a new game with?

Anyone have a clue?

Not a major issue as long as I'm aware of it, but just curious...

[NorthernLights]

A bit of confusing thread, since some of it is EHM 07 era, some EHM EA, and now some EHM 1!

But I'm just wondering if it's something game related or I just don't fully understand the rights expiry rule, as I have some drafted players, whose right don't seem to expire at all -- or at least it says N/A at the expiry date in their profile -- while my rights for many other players expire like they're supposed to. I'm still playing the same save I started with at the launch of the EA version, so it might have something to do with that, or the database I was using back then. Maybe this issue has been fixed, but it's just something that you need to start a new game with?

Anyone have a clue?

Not a major issue as long as I'm aware of it, but just curious...

I started quite recently and with the newest TBL rosters and I also have players with N / A expiry date so it has nothing to do with the things you mentioned. It's kinda confusing.

[Tasku]

Ah, I see. Well, I've learned to live with it. Perhaps it's just one of those things that happens to some and not for others. Maybe / hopefully a future patch will fix it.

[Beukeboom]

Really seems to be a code issue, also the same Problem could be the cause for this: http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... 42#p205342