Earlier today we learned that the Oilers attempt to sign Vladimir Tkachev to an Entry-Level contract was thwarted by the NHL declaring him to be ineligible for said contract. Tkachev is an 18-year-old prospect who split last season between the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL 20 games), Omskie Yastreby (MHL 16 games) and Avangard Omsk (2 games).

Tkachev went undrafted in the 2014 NHL draft, and the Oilers invited him to training camp. With three assists in three pre-season games the Oilers attempted to sign him to an Entry Level Contract. The Red Wings did the same with undrafted defenceman Joe Hicketts last week. Normally the rule for 18 or 19-year-old CHL players is that if they passed through undrafted, they can be signed as free agents, as long as they are signed before they are sent back to their junior teams and away from an NHL camp. Once sent back to junior, they can no longer be signed and would be placed back into the draft.

The Tkachev situation is complicated by the games he played in the MHL and KHL last season. Because he did not play the full season in the CHL, he falls under the rule for European players under the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement Section 8. This rule indicates that all undrafted teenagers who played in Europe the previous season, cannot sign with an NHL team until they are 22-years-0ld (or play a full season in the CHL to be considered a CHL player).

While some might think this is an obscure rule, and to the average fan it is, it shouldn’t be a surprise to the Oilers front office. Quite frankly, they weren’t paying attention just three years ago when the same situation occurred with the Philadelphia Flyers and Tomas Hyka. Hyka ended up being put back into the NHL draft and was taken by the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. I wrote about the Hyka situation, here.

“Tomas Hyka was eligible for the 2011 draft but went undrafted. The Czech born winger was invited to the Philadelphia Flyers training camp last fall, and the Flyers reportedly offered him a contract, but then learned that under the CBA they were unable to sign an undrafted player who played the previous season in Europe and was under 22 years of age. This was a major screw-up on the Flyers behalf as they were reportedly looking at Hyka in last years draft, but passed on him thinking that they could afford to take the gamble of signing him as an undrafted player. “

This rule also prevented the Capitals from signing Nathan Walker last year, though it appears the Capitals knew the rule, signed Walker to an AHL only deal and then drafted him in the 2014 Draft.

If the Flyers situation was a screwup, I’m not sure what to call this by the Oilers. Its one thing to be the first team caught by an obscure rule, but to be the second is really quite something.

Oh and for all the people out there who keep saying it was 2 KHL games that made Tkachev ineligible. It was actually 18 games (2 KHL and 16 MHL) that made him ineligible.

Its things like this that really have to make you question the competency of the Oilers’ front office. Whoever the team has in charge of making sure they are compliant with the CBA is doing about as good a job as they guy who has been tasked with building them a unit of 6 NHL caliber defencemen over the last several years.

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Main Photo via theqmjhl.ca