Calgary Flames sign contract that is deemed illegal by the NHL

Things aren't off to a fantastic start for Craig Conroy as the Calgary Flames GM. He's had to tear down the team this year trading several veteran players while looking for young talent why they enter a rebuild. The Flames were trying to do just that in signing college free agent Sam Morton, but the NHL caught them trying to break a rule with the signing.

Just hours after the Flames announced the signing of Morton, the NHL central registry rescinded the entry level contract because Morton is too old to qualify for such a deal. Players signed to entry level deals need to be 24 or younger. Due to his late birthday, Morton will be 25 years old when next season begins, making him ineligible for this deal.




It's honestly an embarrassing mistake on Conroy's part to not be aware of this league rule. Having the deal go as far as to be rescinded by the NHL central registry simply makes Conroy look unprepared and ignorant - not traits you'd want to see in a General Manager. It's also a terrible look on the agent who signed the deal. For these reasons, it seems very unlikely that Morton will even go on to finalize a deal with Calgary.