Debacle – Oilers Lose Tkachev

Early on Tuesday morning we saw reports that the Oilers had signed training camp standout Vladimir Tkachev to a three-year entry level deal. The deal gave Edmonton a prospect who, while small in size, packed a lot of talent and hockey smarts into the pipeline. He wasn’t going to make the roster this year, and likely not next year either, but he would have given Edmonton a prospect worth watching with some real skill.

Things looked good, he likely was going to get another exhibition game and then a year of juniors before making a run in camp next year. It was a case of Edmonton finally getting something right with prospects, it was a welcomed change.

Or so we thought it was. In typical Oilers fashion, something had to go wrong. Something had to ruin what was a great moment for the development system and for the fans. The Tkachev contract was rule invalid by the NHL, because Tkachev was not eligible to receive a standard player contract.

WHY?!?!?!:

It’s a CBA issue, plain and simple. The CBA states that a player can’t sign a contract and enter the NHL if they have draft eligibility for the coming season, didn’t get drafted in the prior draft, and played in a league outside of North America the year before. The highlights from this part of the CBA come to us compliments of Jon Willis, who did a good job of summing the issue up at the Cult Of Hockey here.

“8.9 Eligibility for Play in the League. No Player shall be eligible for play in the League unless he:
… had been eligible for claim in the last Entry Draft, but was unclaimed, and:
… had played hockey in North America the prior season and was under age 20 at the time of the last Entry Draft, and signed an SPC which was signed and registered with the League between the conclusion of the Entry Draft and commencement of the Major Juniors season (except that if such Player had signed an NHL try-out form, which was signed and registered with the League during the aforesaid time period, then the deadline for signing and registering with the League an SPC with such try-out Club shall be the commencement of the NHL Season).
… The words “the prior season”… above mean “a full season prior to the last Entry Draft.”

So What Now?:

Tkachev will be sent back to juniors, and likely will not play in another pre-season game with Edmonton. He’s now of no use to this team sadly, because he can’t be signed and can’t become Oiler property. Tkachev will re-enter the draft, and be eligible to get picked in June’s 2015 draft. That means if Edmonton wants him back, they’ll need to spend a draft choice on him.

Thanks to his performance at rookie camp and in training camp, there is a very real chance he is a high pick (3rd-5th rounder) in June’s entry draft. This will make it extremely difficult for Edmonton to obtain his services. He was seen at a high level, and will likely be heavily scouted in the QMJHL.

The Aftermath:

The Oilers are left with egg on their face, plain and simple. The Oilers found a player they liked that slipped through the cracks, brought him in, and gave him chances to impress, which he did. Instead of getting to keep him, they ended up just showcasing him to the entire NHL for next year’s draft. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

There are going to be questions here. How did Edmonton not know about this rule? It’s a pretty good question. It’s in the CBA, and teams should know that CBA inside and out. Edmonton clearly does not, and sadly this is not the first example of mistakes like this. The Oilers have done it a number of times in recent years.

Washington made the same mistake a year ago with a player, so teams should be well aware of this issue. There really isn’t an excuse for Edmonton not knowing.

Another question is why didn’t the NHL step in and let the team know? The Oilers invited this kid to camp, and it was approved by the NHL. I know it isn’t their job to tell teams what they can do under the CBA, but shouldn’t have someone said something? I can understand Edmonton feeling like he is eligible when the league allowed the PTO to go through.

Lastly, don’t the scouts deserve a little blame here? If these guys really like Tkachev so much, why didn’t they fight for him to be a selection in the draft this past June? He certainly would have been a better pick than, say, Kevan Bouchard or little known Liam Coughlin.

It’s disappointing. Tkachev took his chance and ran with it, and Edmonton finally appeared to get something right. It won’t make or break the season, but it’s still upsetting to see. This kid was a pleasure to watch, and all the effort put into working with him this camp will be all for not. Will there being a happy ending to this story next June with Edmonton drafting the skilled Russian? I’m not sure, but I’ll be hoping.