Free Agency closes on 3/4/18 @ Midnight EDT

[Rob]

Any bid entered prior to the deadline is legit.  After the deadline if there are still live bids you are allowed to participate in the bidding ONLY if you had previous bids on that player OR had bids on another player at the time of the deadline.  Basically if you weren't involved in bidding on any player at the time of the deadline, you can't bid. 

Our playoffs begin on March 5th.  Teams are allowed to transfer players to/from minors during this time.  Also drops and buyouts are still allowed until the end of the playoffs. 

[snugerud]

After the deadline if there are still live bids you are allowed to participate in the bidding ONLY if you had previous bids on that player OR had bids on another player at the time of the deadline.  Basically if you weren't involved in bidding on any player at the time of the deadline, you can't bid. 

not sure i like this.... Kind of encourages not throwing up any bids until 11:58pm. Whats the rationale behind this?  I would think if someone wants to pay more for a player being bid on as long as its with the 48hour window they should be allowed. regardless if they had an active bid. 

[WestCoastExpress]

not sure i like this.... Kind of encourages not throwing up any bids until 11:58pm. Whats the rationale behind this?  I would think if someone wants to pay more for a player being bid on as long as its with the 48hour window they should be allowed. regardless if they had an active bid.

I actually thought about doing that.

But then just figured if no one was going to bid on those guys anyways, then they weren't going to at all. It's not like they're prospects who just hit 40 games or something, they've been around the block. (Talking Gionta and McGinn here).

I get what you're saying.... But this late into the season, there aren't any surprises on our FA list. If someone wanted a player on their roster, they had all weekend (or all last week) to start a thread on whoever it is they wanted.

If someone "wanted to pay more" for a player, they probably would have put up a $1.8m bid sometime Sunday... and then if that player got bid up, and they still "wanted to pay more," then they could bid $3m or whatever the number may be.

Also, if the rule didn't exist... Realistically, a non-playoff team with nothing to lose or gain, and with a ton of cap, could be a real d!ck and just bid up players for the sake of not letting a playoff team get those FA's and just sign them to a 1-year deal and drop them at season's end.

[WestCoastExpress]

Also... Just reading the "rule" again...

Anyone could have just thrown up a $0.5m bid on ANY player, so they had an "active bid" at the time of closing. With that one active bid, they would then be able to bid on any other thread that was started.

For example, I could have bid $0.5m on Ilya Bryzgalov on Saturday, and it would still have been active on Sunday, letting me bid on any other threads that were opened up, even if it was 11:59pm.

I don't think that's really fair, as of course I wouldn't sign Bryz (although he's a beauty), but it would be within the "rules" kind of thing.

I like it how I think you understood it Snug... In that, if you weren't in on bidding on that certain player and thread, you can't join in. Just so something like my above example doesn't happen, and next year at this time everyone throws in a bid on some random player just to have an active bid on a FA.

[snugerud]

Also... Just reading the "rule" again...

Anyone could have just thrown up a $0.5m bid on ANY player, so they had an "active bid" at the time of closing. With that one active bid, they would then be able to bid on any other thread that was started.

For example, I could have bid $0.5m on Ilya Bryzgalov on Saturday, and it would still have been active on Sunday, letting me bid on any other threads that were opened up, even if it was 11:59pm.

I don't think that's really fair, as of course I wouldn't sign Bryz (although he's a beauty), but it would be within the "rules" kind of thing.

I like it how I think you understood it Snug... In that, if you weren't in on bidding on that certain player and thread, you can't join in. Just so something like my above example doesn't happen, and next year at this time everyone throws in a bid on some random player just to have an active bid on a FA.

I saw that loophole as well and thats why i say leave it open.  If someone wants to be a D , I am sure they could do that but to what benefit? (i can tell you I am spiteful and would make sure that team got no bargains going in FA).  I dont think that should trump the idea that playoff bound teams might want to throw a wrench into another playoff bound team's plans. In reality any non playoff team could do that throughout most of the year if they wanted to be a douche.  I just dont like the idea of any team being able to pass a player through without competition.  ( nothing on you Westcoast, i really have no interest in your bid players.)

[WestCoastExpress]

I saw that loophole as well and thats why i say leave it open.  If someone wants to be a D , I am sure they could do that but to what benefit? (i can tell you I am spiteful and would make sure that team got no bargains going in FA).  I dont think that should trump the idea that playoff bound teams might want to throw a wrench into another playoff bound team's plans. In reality any non playoff team could do that throughout most of the year if they wanted to be a douche.  I just dont like the idea of any team being able to pass a player through without competition.  ( nothing on you Westcoast, i really have no interest in your bid players.)

Haha, I would totally do the same as you, definitely would hold a huge grudge if that happened!

I just don't see it as a big deal though - Like I said, there aren't any surprises in the FA pool at this time of the season. If a team wanted a player, they would have made a bid prior to the deadline. No need to wait until 11:59pm to make that thread. It's not like teams will be waiting it out in order to scoop up some blue chippers with no bidding competition. If that were the case, I hear you. But the players left are bench fillers for the 29th/30th roster spots essentially - as you mentioned, you don't even have interest in guys like Gio/McG...and there are probably 5 other guys that do similar production as them on the FA wire too still haha.

I'm just filling some dead pick-ups that I got last week (ie. Callahan was on the 1st line with solid PP time, now he's back on the 4th line with zero PP time).

[shooter47]

It seems like this could all be solved by just having the requirement be that players need to be nominated by Midnight of the deadline and anyone can bid on the player until they are won with our standard FA rules.

[snugerud]

It seems like this could all be solved by just having the requirement be that players need to be nominated by Midnight of the deadline and anyone can bid on the player until they are won with our standard FA rules.

thats exactly what i was trying to say if that wasnt clear. 

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BTW, just realized I cant tell time properly... I thought your(westcoast) bids were too late... I hadnt actually referenced this subject to gripe.  I had referenced it for the time stamp and got reading the wording and then gripped!

[Rob]

Yea, you guys are right.  The intention was to avoid playoff teams messing with each others bids.  You guys and your loopholes!! 

[snugerud]

Yea, you guys are right.  The intention was to avoid playoff teams messing with each others bids.  You guys and your loopholes!!

isnt that half the fun of it though? ha ha.  I have to say in the league I run the guys are true aholes when it comes to trying to one up or mess with each others plans.  it makes for some great rivalries and real competitive , no one gets a free pass. It actually one of my favorite things.
I am not much of a cumbiyah guy.