Adam wrote on Tue, 29 June 2021 08:54

Mike wrote on Tue, 29 June 2021 08:32 Suomalainen wrote on Tue, 29 June 2021 11:02 I'm guessing his agent used Seattle to get the deal signed. If I'm not mistaken, Seattle gets early negotiating to UFAs before the draft - and if they got to that point, he was gone. Edit: they can select UFAs - like Vegas did with Egelland Right - but I'm a pretty competitive guy. I'm guessing an NHLer is even more so. Surely he knows it would benefit the team he's going to be committing 8 years to to wait. Have a handshake deal and sign it 20 seconds after Seattle makes their pick from the Oilers. Everyone is complaining this year about Tampa bending the rules to their advantage. This is why we aren't as competitive. You can bet the Lightning wouldn't be signing him today. We've given him a long term deal in a place he's comfortable where he's playing with a lot of friends. He got the NMC, he got 8 years (one more than anyone else can give him). Are the Oilers really that worried that he's going to bail to go to an expansion team where he doesn't even know who he'd be playing with? You'd hope that the bond they've forged with the player isn't so tenuous that it can't handle a brief flirtation with a team with no players. At least Ryan Rishaug got the scoop again. Those boots aren't going to lick themselves!

Worth noting, Seattle can offer 8 year contracts. not waiting until after the draft is only a slight misstep with Nuge because there simply aren't enough forwards worth protecting. If they sign Larsson that's a brainfart.

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you can get a lottery pick.