The Maple Leafs have forfeited a fourth round draft pick and $500 000 for paying Swedish defenseman Jonas Frogren a $750 000 signing bonus this past summer, part of which he used to buy out his former contract at Swedish club Farjestad.
The draft pick in question is suspiciously the one Brian Burke creatively acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 4th. Could have this been the league’s way of allaying some upset personnel? There’s the chance that Burke knew of this impending punishment and acquired the pick at the deadline for that reason, but one wonders why the deal was passed initially in November if it violated the CBA.
From TSN:
“Frogren signed a two-year contract with the Leafs last July and this decision by the NHL will not impact his contractual status with the team…
Sources say the Leafs have been fined $500,000 for paying Frogren a $755,000 signing bonus which violated the CBA. The Maple Leafs will also have to pay an additional penalty in the form of a draft pick.
It’s believed Frogren used a portion of the signing bonus – $400,000 – to get out of the final year of his contract with Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League.
The issue surrounds the amount Frogren received in the signing bonus as the NHL deemed Frogren to be an entry level player at the time.
According to sources, Toronto didn’t agree with the leagues stand and paid the large signing bonus anyway.
‘We can confirm that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been sanctioned by the league for violations of league rules in connection with the club’s 2008 signing of Jonas Frogren, and that one aspect of the league-imposed discipline requires the forfeiture of the club’s fourth round draft pick in the 2009 Entry Draft (previously acquired from Tampa Bay). We have no further comment on the matter.’ “
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April 1st, 2009 at 5:50 pm
WTF!?
So much for getting that pick for nothing.
Unfucken believable our luck…
April 1st, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Taking the pick is a bit of overkill!! That is total bullshit.
In the league’s release regarding the decision, they didn’t even say what rule was violated.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=273427
April 1st, 2009 at 6:09 pm
So wait we pay him 1.065 mill a year according to nhlscap.com and hockeybuzz.com. + the 755 k signing bonus? + Now the 500k fine, which is the pick we effectively payed around 700k for (not sure on the last #, but we are paying the salaries of Olaf Kolzig and the rest of the players in that trade)
Getting a bit expensive for Frogren, but oh well.
April 1st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Jonah, We the League also stole a 4th rounder from us (the one from TB). Bullshit!!
April 1st, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Yeah I worded that wrong. I meant that we are paying him 1.065 m + 755k + now we are fined 500k AND the 4th round pick which we bought and cost us something like 700k.
April 1st, 2009 at 6:24 pm
What do you guys expect? Petty Betty was never much of a Leaf/Toronto fan, more so after Tanenbaum and Domi tried to bypass them during the lockout, and put in place their own deal with the NHLPA. Didn’t they recently make Las Vegas the host of the NHL awards, taking it away from Toronto? Imagine what the huge “ice hockey” fan base in Sin Town can turn the awards in to! Riiiight!?
April 1st, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Unbelievable. Fletcher, though he did some good things for this team, is an idiot.
April 1st, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I really think fletcher did more negatives then positives in the last year. Mayers, Holweg, Stempniak. Just to name a few of his additions. Also now this? I’m also wondering if anyone else thinks that Filitov in columbus who was picked after Schenn isnt more of a franchise player?
April 1st, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Strange one… the CBA is obviously hard for most of us to understand but isn’t the entry level system described in Article 9 of the CBA. Page 24 of the pdf.
http://www.nhlpa.com/CBA/index.asp
“A European Player who signs his first SPC at age 28 or older is not subject to the Entry Level System under any circumstance.”
How old was Frogren when he was signed?
He was 28 was my understanding. So was the question,, was he a “European Player”?
That is what this TSN article hints:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242960
The league determined Frogren, 28, must be signed to an entry-level contract as a first-year NHL player despite his pro experience in Europe. The Leafs had signed Frogren to a standard contract.
So… check CBA again.. hmm.
Article 1: Definitions
“European Player” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1© of this Agreement.
Off to Section 9.1©… which is where I quoted the first part from.
9.1©
Notwithstanding the chart set forth in (B) above, a Player who at the time he was drafted was playing for a team outside North America or who meets the qualifications set forth in Article 8.4(a)(v)(a “European Player”) who signs his first SPC at ages 25-27 shall be subject to the Entry Level System for one (1) year. “A European Player who signs his first SPC at age 28 or older is not subject to the Entry Level System under any circumstance.”
Ok, so maybe Article 8.4(a)(v) has more info??
Article 8.4(v)
a Player age 22 or older who has not been selected in a previous Entry Draft and shall be eligble to enter the League as an Unrestricted Free Agent pursuant to Article 10.1(d)
So Article 9.1© should now translate to:
9.1©
Notwithstanding the chart set forth in (B) above, a Player who at the time he was drafted was playing for a team outside North America or a Player age 22 or older who has not been selected in a previous Entry Draft and shall be eligible to enter the League as an Unrestricted Free Agent pursuant to Article 10.1(d), (a “European Player”) who signs his first SPC at ages 25-27 shall be subject to the Entry Level System for one (1) year. “A European Player who signs his first SPC at age 28 or older is not subject to the Entry Level System under any circumstance.”
Everything still points to Frogren as applicable under this rule “A European Player who signs his first SPC at age 28 or older is not subject to the Entry Level System under any circumstance.”
So lets check out Article 10.1(d)….
10.1(d)
Draft Related Unrestricted Free Agents
(i)Any Player not eligible for claim in any future Entry Draft pursuant to this Agreement and not on a Club’s Reserve List shall be an Unrestricted Free Agent. Further any Player eligible for claim in the Entry Draft, but who was unclaimed, shall be an Unrestricted Free Agent subject to the provisions of Section 8.9(B)
(ii) Each Player referred to in subsection (d)(i) above shall, during the period of his Free Agency in accordance with Section 8.9(B), if applicable, be completely free to negotiate and sign an SPC with any Club, and any Club shall be completely free to negotiate and sign an SPC with such Player, without penalty or restriction subject to the provisions of Article 9 of this Agreement, if applicable, and without being subject to any Right of First Refusal, Draft Choice Compensation or any other compensation or equalization obligation of any kind.
So in reviewing again, Article 9, Frogren was a 28 year old Unrestricted Free Agent as far as I can see and not required to sign an Entry Level contract.
I’m lost.
Anyone know of any articles/analyst that have reported on this in detail?
The Leafs and NHLPA agreed that Frogren was a UFA eligible for a standard contract but the NHL under some logic? Rule in the CBA?? determines he was to be a Entry Level System contract only?
April 1st, 2009 at 7:22 pm
are you kidding me? It took the league over 7 months to decide that the Leafs violated a rule? If we violated a rule in his signing then the contract shouldn’t have gone through, not be sanctioned for it almost a season later. Unbelievable.
April 1st, 2009 at 8:12 pm
The league was determined to get back at the Leafs on this one, even if it took them 7 months, and another way (bonus). Petty Betty, go touch someones hand to get your rocks off, and leave us long suffering Leaf fans alone. Goof!
April 1st, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Bullshit. Argh.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:17 pm
The timing of this makes it look a whole lot like payback for our deal with Tampa.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:17 pm
3rd for Mayers, 4th for Frogren, 5th for Hollweg.
Good lord.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but apparently Bozak is down to 4 teams, Ottawa and Toronto being two of them.
Interesting.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:53 pm
“The issue surrounds the amount Frogren received in the signing bonus as the NHL deemed Frogren to be an entry level player at the time.”
This seems like some ridiculous semantics on the part of the league in order to achieve payback for that deal with Tampa…. it was ruled Frogren was not an entry level player in the November decision that ruled his current contract valid. So why should the fact that the $750 000 bonus exceeds the limits of the entry level bonus matter? Ridiculous.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:56 pm
It’s a vindictive move by Bettman to get back at Burke for buying a draft pick from the Lightning at the trade deadline. It was a legal trade… nothing the league could to to prevent it, but they hated it from the beginning (of course, the league hates anything the Leafs do, despite the fact that we keep 50% of the shitty southern teams afloat). So they basically found a new way to fuck over Burke and that deal.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:46 pm
You know what would sell well? Gary Bettman action figures.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:02 pm
What BS. So for Frogren, who has played, what, an average of 9 minutes a game for 41 NHL games, the Leafs paid his contract+signing bonus, a fine, and the contracts that were acquired for that fourth rounder (which may be problematic in signing college players in the near future). That’s a lot to give up for someone whose contributions have been minimal. That’s not fair to Frogren – and I am a fan of his – but it’s a reality that in hindsight having a fourth rounder would probably be better than having someone who may not even make the team next year.
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:58 am
btw. Found out what the problem was. Frogren was drafted by the Flames in 1998 and is considered a “defected” player per the 1995 cba that somehow still applies to the current cba.
http://puckstopshere.blogspot.com/2008/07/leafs-cba-mess.html
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 am
Also with regards to the “A European Player who signs his first SPC at age 28 or older is not subject to the Entry Level System under any circumstance.”… According to the TSN site, Frogren was signed on 2008-JUL-04, his 28th birthday was 2008-AUG-28. So really, he was only 27 when the Leafs signed him.
Plus, with him being drafted by the Flames back in ‘98 as noted above by Hockey5.com, Frogren is considered a defected player under the old CBA.
The whole things stinks to high heaven if you ask me. Why did the league let the deal go through in the first place and now decide to finally try and rectify it?
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 am
Alex,
How do I email you directly? I have some questions about the site, the writers etc. I cannot find a contact link on here. My email is shawnlawrence_86@hotmail.com
Shawn
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:37 am
I don’t know why everyone is so upset…. Burke knew it was coming…enter trade with Tampa to gain that pick. He understands what he has to do. Stop worrying leaf nation!
October 21st, 2009 at 11:42 pm
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