Maple Leafs Use Loophole in the CBA to Sign Two NCAA Standouts to Cheaper Deals
Photo credit: Dartmouth University
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs used a loophole in the current CBA to lure two NCAA standouts to sign cheaper deals than a normal ELC.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were busy last week when it came to signing NCAA free agents after they brought in John Prokop out of Union College and Luke Haymes from Dartmouth University.
Both deals don't come into effect until the 2025-26 season, but they also signed PTOs with the Toronto Marlies, which allows them to finish the 2024-25 season in the AHL.
Outside of the fact that the Leafs were able to sign two standouts out of the NCAA, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman touched on a very important nugget of information about their contracts and the amount of money they signed for.
Most players signing out of the NCAA at the end of the season sign entry-level deals with their respective teams. For next year, entry-level contracts are set at $975,000. However, both Prokop and Haymes signed for $875,000 - or $100,000 less than an ELC - and there's a very specific reason as to why they did that.
On his "32 Thoughts" podcast, Friedman went into detail as to why they chose that route and highlighted that assistant general manager Brandon Pridham has gone down this route before:
"This isn't the first time that the Maple Leafs have done this... there's a rule in there that's called the roster emergency exception and, basically, what it means is that a team can recall a player from the AHL without counting their cap hit in an emergency if the player's cap hit is at least $100,000 below the rookie maximum. Next year's rookie maximum is $975,000, so if the Maple Leafs are at the cap and suddenly they find themselves in an emergency situation, both Haymes and Prokop can be called up without their cap hit counting because they're $100,000 below the cap. That's why it was done that way."
"One of the things the Maple Leafs sell is that they say 'hey, next year iF we get into an emergency cap situation, it increases the chances of you being called up because you are under this number,' and that's why those players were convinced to doing it. Someone also said to me if you take a look at the PTOs, they both signed PTOs for this year, they also get paid to play under those PTOs, so you make up some of that money by playing this year but that's the reason why those two players agreed to it."
"One of the things the Maple Leafs sell is that they say 'hey, next year iF we get into an emergency cap situation, it increases the chances of you being called up because you are under this number,' and that's why those players were convinced to doing it. Someone also said to me if you take a look at the PTOs, they both signed PTOs for this year, they also get paid to play under those PTOs, so you make up some of that money by playing this year but that's the reason why those two players agreed to it."
In essence, Pridham was able to help both player and team with deals like this because it allows Prokop and Haymes an easier route to the NHL due to how often emergency recalls take place, all the while making sure that if it does happen their contracts wouldn't count against the cap.
Prokop tallied 85 points in 105 games across 3 seasons with Union College, while Haymes posted 70 points in 83 games for Dartmouth.
Both players were highly coveted coming out of their respective seasons within the NCAA circuit and should provide the Marlies with some much needed depth as they look to make in-roads during the AHL playoffs.
It was tidy work executed by Pridham as he was able to help both player and team get exactly what they wanted out of the deal. Both players get a faster-track to the NHL while the team doesn't have to worry about their cap hits when they inevitably come close to the limit in the following seasons to come.
Previously on Maple Leafs Daily
| POLL | ||
MARS 28 | 2471 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Use Loophole in the CBA to Sign Two NCAA Standouts to Cheaper Deals Which NCAA signing are you most excited about? | ||
| Luke Haymes | 827 | 33.5 % |
| John Prokop | 401 | 16.2 % |
| Both | 1243 | 50.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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