The New York Rangers Want a Compensatory Pick for Deceased Draft Pick

Listen Glen Sather, I understand that even in the wake of the death of one of your top prospects, you still need to run the franchise.  With that being said, this sounds like a bit of a stretch.

Sather is submitting that the Rangers should receive the 17th selection in the second round of June’s draft as compensation for losing Cherepanov, the 17th overall selection in the 2006 Draft who died in Russia on Oct. 13 while playing for Omsk.

Sather contends that since Cherepanov died on the bench, the Rangers were unable to sign him and as such, the Rangers are entitled to a compensatory pick under the NHL’s CBA. According to Sather’s interpretation of the CBA, Cherepanov remains unsigned and technically could be drafted in the 2009 entry draft.

‘The question is with the one parenthetical phrase in Article 8.3 (b) that refers compensation for an unsigned first-round draft pick who is ‘… again eligible for the Entry Draft or becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent …” Rangers assistant GM Cam Hope told The Post’

‘We understand that this is a sensitive issue, but with all due respect to Alexei’s family and his memory, he is technically eligible to be drafted again next year.’

‘We are not attempting to capitalize on a tragedy, but there would be no question regarding the Rangers’ right to a compensatory pick if Cherepanov had been revived and survived the incident and were on life support.’

Well Cam Hope, let’s take a look at the language of Article 8.3a:

In the event a Club loses its draft rights to an Unsigned Draft Choice
drafted in the first round of the Entry Draft (except as a result of failing to tender a
required Bona Fide Offer (as defined below)), who is again eligible for the Entry Draft or
becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent, a Compensatory Draft Selection shall automatically
be granted to that Club, which Compensatory Draft Selection shall be the same numerical
choice in the second round in the Entry Draft immediately following the date the Club
loses such rights. By way of example, if a Club cannot sign the third pick in the first
round, it will receive the third pick in the second round as compensation.

By this language, it seems like the Rangers should be entitle to a pick if they had offered him a contract.  Although, there is no evidence that a contract was offered because at the time of his death, the Rangers were more concerned getting him out of his contract with Omsk, his Russian team.

I also take issue that Sather’s assertion that Cherepanov is even eligible to be drafted this year.  Look what the CBA outlines as a draftable player in Aricle 8.4:

8.4 Eligibility for Claim.
(a) All Players age 18 or older are eligible for claim in the Entry Draft,
except:
(i) a Player on the Reserve List of a Club, other than as a try-out;
(ii) a Player who has been claimed in two prior Entry Drafts;
(iii) a Player who previously played in the League and became a Free
Agent pursuant to this Agreement;
(iv) a Player age 21 or older who: (A) has not been selected in a
previous Entry Draft and (B) played hockey for at least one season
in North America when he was age 18, 19, or 20 and shall be
eligible to enter the League as an Unrestricted Free Agent pursuant
to Article 10.1(d)

Not to be crude, but Cherepanov is deceased and I think it would be very easy for the NHL to argue that he is no longer a hockey player and therefore undraftable.  Glen Sather’s argument of a compensatory pick hinges on the fact that Cherepanov is eligible to be drafted next year, a claim that I think is ridiculous.

The Angry T

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