Waiver Draft

The TFHL Waiver Draft is talent redistribution system in an effort to prevent teams from 'stacking' and burying talented players within their farm system and allow struggling teams the chance for improvement. The NHL originally ran a Waiver Draft from 1977 to 2003.

## **Waiver Draft Rules**

The TFHL teams will be allowed to protect 18 Skaters and 2 Goaltenders from their roster. First year players (recently activated Prospects) are exempt, as are prospects whom were drafted within 2 years of the present draft year (example: If it is 1983 Entry Draft Year, players drafted in 1983, 1982 and 1981 are exempt from the draft, players draft 1980 and earlier would be draft-able).

TFHL Teams will then draft in reverse order of the previous seasons standings, for a maximum of two (2) rounds. Teams are not required to draft a player if they so choose.

If a Team drafts a player from another Team, the Drafting Team must un-protect one player from their protected list and submit the sum of $100,000. The Team the player was drafted from has the option of selecting the un-protected player or the $100,000 as compensation.

Players that become Un-protected, remain un-protected and draft-able for the duration of the draft.

Players that are drafted in the Waiver Draft are considered Protected, but can not be un-protected.

After all the Team are given the option to Waiver Draft players twice (x2), the Waiver draft will end. All un-drafed un-protected players will remain on their original team along with the protected and drafted players.

## **Commissioner Notes**

The reason the Waiver Draft has been added to the TFHL is because it existed in the NHL until 2003, but also on account of one particular league i was in where one particular GM would offer high end salaries to sign free agents, and then would bury those players in his farm system (paying only 10% of the players regularly outrageous salary) and would make heavy demands during trade negotiations for these buried players. There was no governing system in place to prevent this course of action and the GM in question was content to let top end talented players just rot away on the farm until he got his over the top demands for them. The demands usually left struggling teams stripped of youth, prospects and draft picks in an effort to be semi-competitive. At one point Shawn McEachern for example, whom was in his prime (26 when acquired by the GM), then spent better part of 4 years sitting on the farm team as a scratch, even though he could have been a 1st line center on at least a half dozen pro teams. The GM buried over a dozen players in this fashion. As the players are simulated and unable to voice their own grievances and a lot of the signing process is done electronically via the portal - there was no way for these players to moved until their contract expired (assuming the GM didnt just resign them) or have a team pay a very one sided price to acquired the players. The Commish in that league seem content to allow this to go on. I found the whole experience dreadful. Having young players gain skills in the farm system is one thing, burying an established skilled veteran players to the farm to circumvent the financial cap and as expensive trade bate is something completely different.

While reviewing historical documents in relation to the NHL and the NHL/WHA merger, the rules for the original Waiver Draft were located and it appeared to be an idea solution to the horde situation.