Canadiens fans might be led to believe that the decision to keep Oliver Kapanen in Montreal is questionable, because it would therefore burn a year of his entry-level contract in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Heading into Kapanen’s 10th NHL game against the Washington Capitals, this is a great opportunity to set the record straight.
The famous nine-match regulation sometimes sows confusion. To avoid burning a year of a young player’s contract, it is customary for teams to return the young player to his junior club at the start of the season before he plays a 10th match.
However, this regulation applies exclusively to players aged 18 and 19. Kapanen is 21 years old.
So, he will burn a contract year this season no matter where he plays. In Montreal or in Sweden, where he is contractually linked to Timra in the SHL.
The Canadiens’ decision to keep Kapanen in their fold ultimately has no impact on the entry into force of his three-year NHL contract.
The Finnish striker also played to the left of Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky in training on Wednesday, a sign that CH does not intend to return him to Sweden anytime soon.
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