Periodically, I get an email asking a question and it is deserving of sharing with everyone. I admit, sometimes I am lazy and just answer the question and don’t give a second thought to sharing it with everyone. Other times, health gets in the way.
So, yesterday I received the following question:
Dom, I was reading HF Boards and someone posed a question asking whether Maxim Tsyplakov can join an NHL team for the playoffs? It doesn’t look like anyone knows the answer and was hoping you did.
What makes this an excellent question is that it is complicated. But first, a little history:
Tsyplakov’s agent named the Bruins, along with the Coyotes, Maple Leafs and Red Wings as teams interested in his client’s services.
But here is where it gets complicated. The NHL and KHL had a memorandum of understanding in place where they would not poach each other’s players while they were under contract. However, the NHL suspended that agreement in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. The NHL notified its teams to cease contact with their KHL counterparts and Russia-based player agents. However, teams could continue to have discussions with North American agents representing players in the KHL.
But it gets more complicated. KHL contracts expire on April 30 each year and KHL players become free agents on May 1 as compared to July 1 for the NHL. The NHL playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 22, 2024 so you couldn’t get Tsyplakov in for any regular season games. If the memorandum of understanding was still in place, you could work out an early release with his KHL club.
But, could you sign him during the first round of the playoffs and bring him in? And the answer is no.
The fact of the matter is you wouldn’t get the IIHF to approve the transfer to North America because, while technically his contract would have expired, the contractual obligation has not. Every KHL team has a clause written into the contracts of Russian born players that stated that they must be available for the IIHF World Championships and if Tsyplakov were selected (and he would be) he is contractually obligated. It’s important to note that the IIHF is meeting later this week to re-instate Russia after being banned from IIHF Tournaments because of the war. The World Championships run until May 26.
The other thing a team needs to seriously consider is that because Tsyplakov is 25 years of age, his entry level contract will be just one-year in length. That means you would be signing him for just the playoffs and then require a new contract not governed by ELC rules. So, you have to decide, is it worth it and will that make a difference for your club’s Stanley Cup dreams?
Another question that might be of interest came over X.
Hey Dom. Wondering if you can speak about the role Evan Gold has with the Bruins and his importance to the organization. I could be wrong but I’ve seen posting over the last few years teams look at it for their operations as well.
I have much admiration for the work Gold does. He is the Assistant General Manager in Boston, head of Legal Affairs, does scouting work, contract negotiations, manages the salary cap and is General Manager of the Providence Bruins. I don’t think there’s another person in the NHL with the workload he has. I strongly believe he would make an excellent general manager one day and I would not be surprised if he has had offers from other teams already.
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Dom - Hockey 