There is genarally some confusion during conversations on who is in what status in terms of contract so here is your UFA/RFA listing by for the Penguins.
- UFA = Unresticted Free Agent
- UFA VI = Group 6 UFA (see below for conditions)
- RFA = Restricted Free Agent
- RFA*=Arbitration Eligible Restricted Free Agent
Unrestricted Free Agents
- Players become UFAs on July 1st so Sergei Gonchar is a free agent for next season on July 1,st 2010.
- They are open and available to all takers and the Penguins will receive zero compensation if they are signed by another team.
- As of 2008 you must be 27 years old or have seven years in the NHL to become a UFA.
- UFA VI – a 25+ year old player with 3+ professional seasons and less than 80 games played (28 for goalies) can become a Group 6 Unrestricted Free Agent.
Restricted Free Agents
- Players who are no longer consider “entry-level” but do not qualify as unrestricted free agents become restricted free agents when their contracts expire.
- A team must extend a “qualifying offer” to its restricted free agent to retain negotiating rights to that player. Players making less than $660,000 must be offered 110 percent of last season’s salary. Players making up to $1 million must be offered 105 percent. Players making over $1 million must be offered 100 percent. Under the previous deal, qualifying offers had to be at least 100 percent of the previous year’s salary, with 10 percent raises due to many players.
- Restricted free agents must sign NHL contracts by December 1, or they are not eligible to play for the rest of the season.
- Both teams and players have the right to ask for salary arbitration as a mechanism to settle contract disputes. A team can take a player to arbitration once in his career, and cannot ask for a salary reduction greater than 15 percent. Players can ask for salary arbitration as often as they want. Only players had the right to request salary arbitration under the old CBA.
Popularity: unranked [?]
