I feel like NJD would rather make the pick at #7 and move Palmieri for a late 1st and a prospect at the deadline than go for Nylander. They aren't one piece away and the draft is how they're gonna have to build.

The team has to own the player before the TDL to be able to offer 8 years.

This plus they can still trade one if the other firsts with adds to get willie. In this scenario they sell themselves short on the return

(sigh)

I had always thought you needed the rights before ufa. Thanks for the info.

np. here's the citation if you're into that kinda thing:

"Page 285 of the NHL-NHLPA agreement, and specifically Rule 50.8, subsection (b) (iv), which states:

An SPC with a term of greater than seven (7) years, provided, however, that a club may sign a player to an SPC with a term of up to eight (8) years if that player was on such club's reserve list as of and since the most recent trade deadline. With respect to potential unrestricted free agents only, the ability to re-sign a player to an SPC of eight (8) years expires when the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. With respect to a player who becomes a Group 2 restricted free agent, a club may sign such player to an SPC with a term of up to eight (8) years provided such player was on such club's reserve list and/or restricted free agent list as of and since the most recent trade deadline."

Why can't the Leafs and Blues do a sign and trade the day before Free Agency?

I guess that's within the rules, but that never happens. Blues aren't doing favors for a guy that's leaving them, Leafs wouldn't throw a pick away for the extra year that they don't really want. I don't think it matters much though, a 7x9m, front-loaded, with big signing bonuses might get it done, and that extra 1 mil can be squeezed out somewhere if the Leafs committed to Petro.