13 - Long Term Injury Reserve

[Drew]

A) IR Spots and Qualification
Each team will have 3 IR spots to place players that will injured. They must be injured for 10 games or 4 weeks (the longest projected time out) from the time the GM submits the IR player. A player put on IR still counts against the cap but doesn't count against the roster size.
Stipulation: If a NHL player is on the real IR they are eligible for the Backyard IR and do not have to be missing 10 games or 4 weeks from the time the GM submits.

We will use this site from reference of injury reserve:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/injuries/
For our purposes out indefinitely will qualify for IR placement. Plus anything over 4 weeks excepted to be out.
We will also used the fantrax data to confirm or dispute these injuries.

B) Replacement Players
Replacement players can be acquired in many ways but the total of the replacement salaries can not exceed the IR player's salary, any salary exceeding the IR player's salary will count against the cap and no further players can be added as IR replacements. The replacement salaries do not count against the teams cap (if under the IR player's salary) but do count against the roster size.
Stipulation: Replacement players are tied to a specific IR player. If an IR player returns, the player can not be switched to another IR player before going through the proper procedure below.

Option 1:
Call up a minor league player that is on a 2 way contract, they must be send down after the IR player comes back or remain and count against the teams cap and roster size.
Stipulation: If you sign a player from your ECHL to be an IR replacement, the replacement will remain signed even after the IR player returns.

Option 2:
Sign players via free agency, they will be put on an IR contract until the IR player returns. At the time the IR player returns these players must either be released to free agency or signed to an extension, at their current cap hit, and count against cap and roster size.
Stipulation: IR replacements through free agency can only be 1-year contracts.

Option 3:
Call up experienced minor leaguers without going through re-entry waivers. When the IR player returns these players must be sent down through the normal waiver system or remain on the team and count against cap and roster size.
Stipulation: Experienced players with contracts extending past this season can not be sent back down to the minors only replacement players with 1 year remaining on their contracts are eligible

C) Making Roster/Cap Space
When an IR player returns the GM must post that they want them to come off of IR and create the appropriate cap and roster space within 48 hours of player coming off IR. The appropriate measures can be seen in the above options. If cap or roster space is not made the penalties are as follows.
1st Offence - Lost of 1 IR spot for the current year
2nd Offence - Lost of all IR spots for the current year
3rd Offence - Lost of all IR spots for the current year and the next year
4th Offence - Lost of all IR spots for that GM for the duration of league

Example:
John Doe get puts on IR and his contract is $3.0m a season and I have 22/25 players on my roster and my current cap is $53.0m. I would then conserve 1 roster spot to now have 21/25 players but my cap is still $53.0m. There I can pick up to 4 players to cover my IR player. The total of the IR replacement contracts must be less then or equal to $3.0m or I would have to absorb that amount onto my team's cap, so if I recalled Bob Boat at $4.0 as an experienced minor leaguer my cap hit would now be $54.0m. Once John Doe comes back I would have to send Bob Boat back down to the minors through the normal waiver system.

D) IR Replacements After Waivers Close
IR replacements may remain on the roster and be sent down through the normal waiver system but can not be recalled as IR replacements after the waivers have closed. Two way contracts can still be called up as IR replacements as they don't use the waiver system to be called up or down. IR contracts for players signed through FA can be released or kept on the roster as normal but new free agents can not be signed after the free agency deadlines.
So after the waiver deadline only two way players can be used as IR players.

E) Trading IR Players
Trading players on IR is allowed, but trading IR Replacement players is not allowed unless they are on a 2 way contract.

F) IR Replacements and Contracts End
There is a date specified in Deadlines of the rules section that informs you of the date that players that are IR replacements (must be sent down or confirmed as keeping on the team) or players on IR contract (must be released or signed to contract) must be dealt with. If teams fail to release or waive players they will be dealt with as follows by the commissioner:
IR Contract: Released to free agency
Replacement Player: Waived to minors