Restricted Free Agency (RFA):
Restricted Free Agency will happen before normal Free Agency.
Not after, and not simultaneously.
*Note: If you own an RFA and they have signed a real-life contract extension, you can choose to match that extension and that becomes their contract in our league.
Example:
D Quinn Hughes is in the last year of his rookie contract. If he signs an extension during the 2020-2021 season, the owner of VAN can choose to take the real-life contract extension and implement it in PDH. The VAN owner can also choose to let Hughes go to RFA and either match the highest offer or take the draft pick compensation in lieu
**Note: An RFA List on the Transaction board will be posted after the season begins. If RFA's sign in real-life, contract options will be listed on that board and teams have until the RFA-match deadline whether or not they want to match that real-life contract.
All RFA's who aren't matched, or who don't receive a real-life offer by our RFA-match deadline will become an RFA in our league.
Restricted Free Agency Rules:
RFA rules will be the exact same as regular FA rules, with a few differences (Please Read):
You must have the necessary draft pick compensation to make a bid (See below)
Draft Pick Compensation: (Actual NHL Compensation Ranges as of Oct.2020)
$1.4m or below = None
$1.5m to $2.1m = Third Round
$2.2m to $4.2m = Second Round
$4.3m to $6.3m = First Round & Third Round
$6.4m to $8.4m = First Round, Second Round, and Third Round
$8.5m to $10.5m = Two First Rounds, Second Round, and Third Round
Over $10.5m = Four First Rounds
*Dollar amounts are per-year salaries
** This is the only instance where draft picks over 2 years away are able to be moved(For over $10.5m per year, 4 years worth of picks are required)
The winning team on all RFA bids will 1st have to specify contract years. E.g. $20m winning bid can look as follow with compensation impact:
4 years at $5m = First Round & Third Round
3 years at $6.7m = First Round, Second Round, and Third Round
2 years at $10m = Two First Rounds, Second Round, and Third Round
1 year at $20 = Four First Rounds
Then...
The owner of the RFA has 96 hours (4 Days) to decide if they will match the contract offer, or if they will take the draft pick compensation associated with the per-year contract value
If the owner does not respond, the RFA will be automatically rewarded to the winning bidder, and the owner of the RFA will be awarded the compensatory draft pick attached to the contract value
You MUST have the necessary draft picks available in order to make ALL of your RFA bids
The owner of the RFA gets to choose ANY of your draft picks available
Example:
If you have three 1st round draft picks in the summer's draft, plus one 1st round draft pick in next year's draft, the owner of the RFA can choose any of your 3 picks in this year's draft, or choose to take next year's 1st round pick. The choice is theirs, not yours
Rescinding Free Agency Bids:
There will be no rescinding of RFA bids. If you win the RFA, it is up to the owner of that RFA whether you get that player and pay the compensation, or if they match the bid. You cannot back out of your winning RFA bid
RFA Bids and Cap Space:
This will be slightly different from regular FA, due to the uncertainty of if the owner of the RFA will match the bid or not.
During RFA, you will be allowed to bid on RFA's and go up to over $10m of your available cap
(Keep in mind you have to have the necessary draft pick compensation for all of your RFA bids)
However, if you end up with all the RFA's you bid on, you will have to find a way to get under the cap by the deadline (prior to the next season). And definitely can't bid on any normal FA's as you wouldn't have cap
To even the playing field: The owner of that RFA can also go over $10m of their available cap to match any winning contract.
This is so bidding GM's can't simply out-price the owner of an RFA by bidding up player over what the owner of that team has in cap. The owner of the RFA can match the bid and then trade that player, or match the bid and keep the player, and then make additional moves to get under cap by the start of the next season
