NAHL Rules and Regulations
Mar 10, 2015 21:48:29 GMT -5
Post by Los Angeles Outlaws on Mar 10, 2015 21:48:29 GMT -5
NAHL RULES AND REGULATIONS
Preamble
The NAHL is a full keeper league with 50 contract rosters, 19 man active lineups, a salary cap, open free agency, and contract amounts and lengths determined auction-style by the team owners. It is a very serious league meant only for those committed to participating in the league weekly for the entire year.
Section 1. Admission Fees.
1.1 The NAHL admission fee is $50 per year. All funds will be the denomination used by Frantrax Treasurer.
1.2 Any existing owner who wants to retain his/her team must confirm their return by April 1st.
1.3 The admission fee for all teams must be paid by July 1st.
1.4 Payments must be arranged with the Admin team and paid via Fantrax Treasurer. Fantrax Treasurer allows use of credit cards and Paypal.
a. Exceptions must be arranged with the Admin team at least two weeks prior to the admission fee deadlines.
1.6 Failure to comply will result in exclusion from the free agency process until payment is made.
1.7 The owners will review the admission fee every February.
1.8 No refunds.
1.9 Owners wishing to join the NAHL can express interest by posting in the Waiting List.
a. Following the April 1st deadline, the owners on the waiting list can choose the team they will take over in the order they posted in the Waiting List.
Section 2. Point Structure
2.1 The point structure will be as follows:
• Goals = 1 pt
• Shootout goals = 1 pt
• Assists = 1 pt
• Powerplay goals = 1pt
• Powerplay assists = 1 pt
• Overtime goals = 1pt
• Shorthanded goals = 1 pt
• Shorthanded assists = 1 pt
• +/- = 1 pt/-1pt
• Game winning goals = 1 pt
• Goaltender goals = 1 pt
• Goaltender assists = 1 pt
• Goaltender wins = 1 pt
• Shutouts = 1 pt
• Every goal against = -1 pt
• Every 5 saves = 1 point
2.2 The first tiebreaker will be pool points per game. The second tiebreaker will be most goals scored.
2.3 Points and standings will be tracked at Fantrax, and will default to their numbers where there are discrepancies.
Section 3. Awards.
3.1 The NAHL will award winnings at the end of the NHL regular season as follows:
• 1st Overall: $285
• 2nd Overall: $130
• 3rd Overall: $85
• 4th Overall: $50
• 5th Overall: $25
3.2 The NAHL will award winnings at the end of the NHL playoffs as follows:
• Cup Winner: $85
• Cup Finalist: $50
• Semifinalist: $25 - 2 recipients
• Quarterfinalist: $15 - 4 recipients
3.3 All awards will be paid through Fantrax Treasurer.
3.4 N/A
3.5 The current award schedule is based on a 16 team NAHL. The award schedule can be revisited should the NAHL expand above 16 teams, if Fantrax costs change, or the majority of the league request a change.
Section 4. Rosters.
4.1. Rosters must consist of 19 to 50 players at all times. Rosters consist of the active and inactive rosters.
4.2 Active rosters will consist of 19 to 23 players, and will be subject to the salary cap.
a. Active rosters only apply during the season. At 12:01 AM EST on the day following the final game of the Stanley Cup Final the active roster will no longer apply. The active roster will become active and must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST two days prior to the first game of the NHL season.
4.3 The active lineup will consist of 12 forwards, 6 defenseman, and 1 goaltender from the active roster. The remaining active roster players may consist of any combination of players.
4.4 The inactive roster will consist of all players not on the active roster.
4.5 The inactive roster will not count against the salary cap.
a. Players age 25 and older need to clear waivers to be placed on the inactive roster. This includes players placed on the inactive roster at the beginning of the season.
4.51 Teams can have up to five players on Injured Reserve at any time during the season.
a. Players on Injured Reserve will not count towards the salary cap.
b. Teams may add a player to Injured Reserve in conjunction with a trade, minimum free agent signing, waiver claim, or any lineup move.
c. To be eligible for Injured Reserve, a player must have been placed on Injured Reserve by his NHL team or is listed as injured on Fantrax, as noted by a red flag icon on his stat line.
d. Teams may recall a player only after they have been on NAHL IR for at least one week.
e. All players on Injured Reserve will leave IR at the conclusion of the playoffs.
4.6 In the case that a player switches from forward to defense, or vice versa, the team will have the choice of keeping the player in his previous position or moving him to his new position.
a. This must be confirmed with the Admin team at the time of the switch. Once a decision has been made it is final, unless the player changes positions again in the NHL.
4.7 If a player retires while still under contract, that players contract may be terminated immediately. Retirement will be defined by Fantrax noting in the News section of the player page that he has retired. If this has not been noted by Fantrax, the player will not be considered retired and must stay on your roster through the remainder of his contract, or until his contract is bought out per Section 10.
a. Players age 35 or older as of July 1st in the first year of their contracts will not be terminated. They may be bought out at the end of the season per Section 10.
4.8 All transactions must be posted before the scheduled start of the first game of the day, otherwise they will be dated to the following day. Ie. A lineup move must be posted by 7pm EST on most weekdays, even if the players involved have later start times.
4.9 An ineligible roster is any team that does not have the required number of players in the Active Lineup (per 4.3), too many players on the Active Roster (per 4.2), too many players on the Roster (per 4.1), too many players on Inured Reserve (per 4.51), or is in violation of the Salary Cap (per 5.1).
a. Any team with an ineligible roster will not accumulate points until the roster violation is fixed.
b. Any team with an ineligible roster for more than two weeks will be penalized by the removal of draft picks in the upcoming entry draft. The period during which the violation occurs will determine the draft picks forfeited.
i. The forfeited picks for violations in October, November, or December will be a 3rd round pick; January or February will be a 2nd round pick; March or April will be a 1st round pick.
ii. The pick forfeited will be the teams own draft pick in the draft following the season in which the violation occurred. If they do not own their own pick in the prescribed round, the next highest pick will be forfeited, to be determined at the conclusion of the regular season.
iii. If no suitable pick for the current draft, then the prescribed pick in the next draft will be forfeited, along with the team's 4th round pick in that draft. If they do not own their prescribed pick or the 4th in that draft, then another team's pick can be substituted. If no pick in the required round is available, then the picks in the next highest round will be forfeited.
iv. The penalties accumulate. Eg. If a team starts the season with an ineligible roster, and stays ineligible for the entire season, they shall forfeit their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks in the upcoming draft.
Section 5. The Salary Cap
5.1 The salary cap will be set at $75,000,000 in perpetuity. There will be no salary floor.
5.2 The salary cap will not change unless proposed to the league and the majority of owners agree to it.
5.3 The salary cap will apply to all players on the active roster.
a. Non-ELC players in the minors will count against the cap their full salary minus the league minimum. So for example, a player making $2.5m will count $1.5m against the cap if he is sent to the minors, provided he is not on his ELC.
5.4 The salary cap will not apply from 12:01 AM EST on the day following the final game of the Stanley Cup Final until active rosters are submitted at 11:59 PM EST two days prior to the first game of the next NHL season.
Section 6. NAHL Entry Draft.
6.1 The draft will be held in the Shoutbox on the NAHL Forum prior to the beginning of the regular season.
a. Drafts will take place on Friday or Saturday evenings EST during the month of September.
6.2 The NAHL Entry Draft order will be determined by reversing the final rankings of the prior NAHL regular season, with the exception of the top five selections.
6.3 The five lowest teams will be entered into the lottery for the first five picks of the draft. The lottery will be weighted accordingly:
• Last place - 45%
• 2nd last place - 25%
• 3rd last place - 15%
• 4th last place - 10%
• 5th last place - 5%
6.4 The NAHL Entry Draft will consist of four rounds.
6.5 If an owner cannot attend the NAHL Entry Draft they may forward a draft list to another NAHL member, who must draft according to that list.
6.6 Each selection in the draft will last no longer than 5 minutes.
a. If a pick is not made within 5 minutes of the previous pick, the next team can make their selection.
b. If a team has been skipped, they can make their selection at any point before the end of the round.
c. At the end of each round, every unused selection will be awarded a player according to the Autodraft list.
i. The Autodraft list will be compiled using the previous NHL Entry Draft results.
ii. Once a team has been awarded a player from the Autodraft list their remaining picks will have a 1 minute time limit until they make a selection during their allotted time. Multiple Autodraft picks will alternate between positions.
6.7 At the end of each round, there will be a 2 minute break to announce trades. At the conclusion of the 2 minute break, the 5 minute limit will begin for the first pick of the next round.
6.8 Trades may be negotiated at any time during the NAHL draft, but they will only be announced and become official following the conclusion of a round.
a. Once the two minute trade announcement break has been completed, the selection order for the following round is set.
6.9 Players are eligible to be drafted only if they have been drafted or signed by an NHL team.
6.10 In the event that an entire season is lost out due to strike or lockout, the draft will proceed as outlined above.
a. The draft order will be determined from the last played season, and picks that have been traded will remain traded.
6.11 Entry level contracts are tied to draft position.
a. All entry level contracts will last the next three seasons.
i. An ELC season will only count towards the three season contract length if:
1. The player was age 20 or older as of September 15th at the start of the season; or
2. The player has at least 10 career NHL games by the end of the season.
b. The top five picks of the draft will have $3m cap hits.
c. The sixth through tenth picks of the draft will have $2m cap hits.
d. The remaining picks of the first round will have $1.5m cap hits.
e. The remaining draft picks will have $1m cap hits.
Section 7. Trades.
7.1 Any asset may be traded at any time during the NAHL calendar year.
a. Trades may be between two or more teams.
b. Assets are players and draft picks.
c. Two for one trades, three for one trades, three for two trades, etc. are all legal.
d. The NAHL calendar year begins at the conclusion of the playoffs until 11:59 PM EST on day following the NHL Trade deadline day.
7.2 Each team can make an unlimited number of trades per NAHL calendar year.
7.3 No trades can be made from 11:59 PM EST on the day following the NHL trade deadline, until midnight 12:01 AM EST of the day after the Stanley Cup is won.
a. All trades must be announced and confirmed by all parties before the 11:59 PM EST deadline.
7.4 Players traded during the regular season do not bring their points with them. They will only gain points after they are on the new roster. Players traded away will not take points from the team either.
7.5 "Buddy" trades will not be accepted. If anyone believes that a trade was colluded upon by two owners to benefit one team, they may lodge complaint with the Admin team.
a. If that complaint is seconded, an open poll will be created to determine the validity of the trade.
b. A vote of three-fourths or greater will be sufficient to nullify the trade.
c. The complaint must be lodged within 48 hours of the trade.
7.6 A trade will not be made official until all parties post in the NAHL transaction thread and both rosters in the "NAHL Rosters" thread are edited to reflect the transaction.
a. If there are any discrepancies in the details, the deal will be considered void.
7.7 All confirmed trades are final.
7.8. All trade offers should be returned within 48 hours, when possible. If the offer requires further thought, PM the person with a brief note: “I’ll think about this for the next # days and get back to you”.
7.9 No team may trade a draft pick beyond three drafts in the future. For example, during the 2015-2016 NAHL season, draft picks for the 2016, 2017, and 2018 draft may be traded. Following the 2016 draft, 2019 picks will become available for trade.
7.10 Players will remain on the same type of roster following a trade. A player on the active roster will remain on the active roster of their new team, and a player on the inactive roster will remain on the inactive roster on the new team.
Section 8. Lineup Moves.
8.1 Every team will have one general lineup move per month, in which any players may replace players in the active lineup.
8.2 Every team will have one injury replacement lineup move per month, in which any player may replace a player in the active lineup who has been placed on Injured Reserve by his NHL team or is listed as injured on Fantrax, as noted by a red flag icon on his stat line.
a. Exceptions can be made if the sufficient evidence can be provided by the team and/or media
8.3 If a general lineup move (8.1) is made and the player demoted goes on the NHL IR later that same calendar month, you may exchange the general lineup move for an injury replacement lineup move, subject to section 8.2.
8.4 Every team will have one goaltender lineup move per month, in which any goaltender may replace the goaltender in the active lineup.
8.5 Players acquired through trade, free agency or waivers may replace any player in the active lineup, if stated at the time of the transaction.
Section 9. Waivers.
9.1 To send a player to the inactive roster from the active roster, they must clear waivers.
a. A player will be on waivers for at least 24 hours before they clear waivers.
b. Players will not count against the salary cap while on waivers.
c. All waiver claims will be processed on Sundays 12PM EST (noon).
9.2 Waiver claims must be made before the player clears waivers by posting in the waiver thread.
a. The roster move will apply from the date the claim is posted (not when the player clears).
b. Players will immediately count towards the salary cap.
9.3 If a waiver claim is successful, the owner has the ability to immediately place that player in the active lineup.
9.4 Players under the age of 25 at the time of the move will not be subject to waivers.
9.5 Players can be placed on waivers at any time.
9.6 If more than one team submits a claim for the same player, the lowest team in the standings will receive the player.
a. Prior to November 1st, the previous year’s standings will be used to determine the lowest ranked team.
9.7 Each waiver claim is a separate transaction, and multiple waiver claims at the same time will not have any impact on each other.
9.8 Players subject to waivers cannot be traded until after they have cleared the one-week waiver period
Section 10. Buyouts
10.1 Player contracts can only be terminated during the buyout period.
a. The buyout period will begin at 12:01 AM EST the day after the Stanley Cup Finals and will close at 11:59 PM EST on June 30th.
b. Teams can buy out two players per team per offseason.
10.2 Bought out players will count against the salary cap 50% of their prior cap hit. Ie. A $7m per year contract bought out would count $3.5m against the salary cap.
a. Buyouts will stay on the cap for one year less than their remaining term. Ie. A four year contract bought out would last three seasons.
b. Buyout penalties will round up in $500k increments
c. Buyout of the final year of a contract will carry a $500k cap penalty.
10.3 Bought out players will become unrestricted free agents.
10.4 For a buyout to be completed, the player must clear waivers. Once a buyout has been announced, all teams will have until 11:59 PM EST on June 30th to place a claim on a player.
a. If more than one team submits a claim for the same player, the lowest team in the standings will receive the player.
b. If no teams submit a claim, the buyout will be completed and the cap penalty as described in Section 10.2 will apply.
Section 11. Free Agency.
11.1 Players with expiring contracts will enter free agency each summer. Players will not count against the 50 contract limit from the close of the NAHL calendar year until they have signed new contracts.
a. Free agents under 25 as of July 1st will be restricted free agents.
b. Free agents age 25 and older as of July 1st, players that have been bought out, and unsigned restricted free agents will become unrestricted free agents. Unrestricted free agents will no longer count against the 50 contract limit on July 1st.
11.2 Each team will have one 5 year contract, one 4 year contract, three 3 year contract, five 2 year contracts, and unlimited 1 year contracts each offseason. These contracts can be used on restricted or unrestricted free agents.
11.3 Contract bids will consist on a salary cap figure and contract term and be posted in the relevant thread.
a. Format for bids should be "Team Name offers Player Name a 3 year contract for $3.5m per season."
b. Bid amounts will be made in $500k intervals.
11.4 Restricted free agency will occur during the month of July.
a. Beginning at 11 AM EST July 1st teams can begin bidding on restricted free agents. All new bids for RFA players must be placed by 11:59PM EST on July 20th.
i. Bidding will close once there are no bids within the prior 12 hours.
ii. Any bid within the final 12 hours will automatically extend the bidding period by 12 hours from the time of the latest bid.
b. The Admin team will compile a list of available restricted free agents listed by team.
c. Any team with available roster spots and appropriate compensation per 11.6 may bid on any player during the free agency period
d. Bidding for each player will end exactly 72 hours after the first bid was placed, unless there was a bid within the prior 12 hours.
i. Bidding will close once there are no bids within the prior 12 hours.
ii. Any bid within the final 12 hours will automatically extend the bidding period by 12 hours from the time of the latest bid.
11.5 The team holding the rights to a restricted free agent can match the winning bid at the end of the bidding period for the player.
a. The team holding the rights will have 48 hours to decide whether to match the bid or receive the compensation.
b. Should no bids be made on a player, the team owning their rights can choose to sign them to a $1m contract for the term of their choice. The owning team must place a minimum bid on their RFA's by 11:59 PM EST on July 20th.
c. The team can also allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent.
11.6 If another team signs a restricted free agent, and the original team does not match the offer, the original team will receive compensation.
a. Restricted free agent offers cannot be made unless a team owns a pick in the necessary round.
b. Compensation will be awarded as follows:
i. $1m receives no compensation
ii. $1.5-2m receives a 4th round pick
iii. Over $2.5-3m receives a 3rd round pick
iv. $3.5-4m receives a 2nd round pick
v. $4.5-5m receives a 1st round pick
vi. $5.5-6m receives 1st and 3rd round picks
vii. $6.5-7m receives 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks
viii $7.5-8m receives two first round picks, a 2nd round pick, and a third round pick
ix. over $8m receives three first round picks, and two 2nd round picks.
c. Teams must have their own draft picks for future drafts. They can have other teams picks for the upcoming draft provided the pick is higher than their own. Eg. If I owe my 3rd round pick as compensation, but I traded it away, then the next highest pick I own will be sent in compensation, whether that is another teams 3rd, my own 2nd, etc.
d. Teams can match an offer sheet if they no longer have the matching contract length. This will be done by using the next length down in contract they have to offer, and using the salary-contract length matching rules from 11.8a. For example, a 5 year becomes a 4 year; a 4 year becomes a 3 year; a 3 year becomes a 2 year; and a 2 year becomes a 1 year.
11.7 Unrestricted free agency will occur during the month of August.
a. Beginning at 11 AM EST August 1st teams can begin bidding on unrestricted free agents. All new bids for UFA players must be placed by 11:59PM EST on August 20th.
b. The Admin team will compile a list of available unrestricted free agents listed by team.
c. Any team with available roster spots may bid on any player during the free agency period
d. Bidding for each player will end exactly 72 hours after the first bid was placed, unless there was a bid within the prior 12 hours.
i. Bidding will close once there are no bids within the prior 12 hours.
ii. Any bid within the final 12 hours will automatically extend the bidding period by 12 hours from the time of the latest bid.
11.8 Each extra year of term offered will be worth an extra $500k when comparing offers. For example, a 5 year, $5m offer is equal to 1 year, $7m offer.
11.9 Following the end of the entry draft, all players age 25 and older as of July 1st will then be available to sign league minimum contracts.
a. League minimum contracts will have a term of one year and a cap hit of $1m.
b. They will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis based on posts in the appropriate thread.
c. Teams can only sign one minimum free agent per post. Additional players signed must come in a separate post.
d. Teams have unlimited league minimum contracts to offer.
e. League minimum contracts can be signed from the end of the entry draft until 11:59 PM EST the day following the NHL trade deadline.
11.10 Beginning at 7PM EST on the first day of the NHL Regular Season teams may offer contract extensions to their pending Unrestricted Free Agents.
a. Contract lengths will count against the next seasons contract allotments per 11.2.
b. Teams may bid on opposing teams pending UFA's only if the current team has already offered the player an extension.
c. Teams only sign two players to contract extensions, whether their own UFA's or opposing teams.
d. No team may offer a new extension after June 23rd at 11:59PM EST.
e. New contracts will not take effect until August 1st of the following year.
i. If a player is signed by their original owner, the new salary will not count against the salary cap until the following season.
ii. If a player is signed by another team, they will not count against the 50 contract limit or the salary cap until the following season.
iii. If a player is signed by their original owner and is subsequently traded, the player will carry the completed extension to their new team. Any team that trades away a player with a completed extension will not receive an additional contract extension to their allotment. If a team trades for a player already signed to an extension, it does not count towards their yearly extension allotment.
f. Bidding for each player will end exactly one week after the initial extension offer was placed, unless there was a bid within the prior 12 hours.
i. Bidding will close once there are no bids within the prior 12 hours.
ii. Any bid within the final 12 hours will automatically extend the bidding period by 12 hours from the time of the latest bid.
g. When making an offer on their own free agents, the player's current team only needs to equal the current highest offer in value. All equal value bids by the current team must fall within the timeframe for bidding on players as set by Rule 11.10f. For example, if the Rockstars offer Connor McDavid a 5 year, $10m contract, the Outlaws will be the leading bid with a 4 year, $10.5m contract.
Section 12. Expansion and Contraction.
12.1 Contraction will occur if there are vacant teams on June 1st.
12.2 The NAHL will not contract below 16 teams.
a. If there are vacant teams below 16 teams on June 1st of any year, the period to find a new owner will be extended until September 1st.
b. If no owner is found by September 1st the team will be contracted.
12.3 In the event of contraction, there will be a dispersal draft conducted as follows:
a. The draft will be conducted in reverse order of the NAHL regular season standings.
b. Every asset currently owned by the contracted team(s) will be available for selection.
c. The draft will consist of one round for each team contracted. Therefore if one team is contracted, the draft will last one round, if two teams are contracted, the draft will last two rounds.
i. Assets from all contracted teams may be selected in any round.
d. If a team does not wish to select an asset, they may pass.
i. All undrafted players will become free agents or enter the NAHL Entry Draft pool.
ii. Unselected draft picks will be omitted at the time of the NAHL Entry Draft.
e. The dispersal draft will occur the second weekend of September.
12.4 In the event the NAHL contracts below 16 teams, and a new owner is found prior to June 1st of the following season, an expansion draft will be held to return the NAHL to 16 teams. An expansion draft will also occur if there are at least two new owners interested in joining and the league is under 20 teams.
12.5 An expansion draft will be conducted as follows:
a. Current owners can protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender; or eight skaters of any position, and one goaltender.
i. Players eligible for selection include all players who have signed a contract after their ELC, and have years remaining on a contract or are pending RFAs.
ii. Teams must have at least two forwards and one defenseman unprotected, and at least an equal number of players unprotected as expansion teams.
1. To meet these requirements teams will be forced to expose one of the seven forwards or three defenseman selected for protection
iii. Each existing team must not lose more than one player for each expansion team.
b. The expansion draft will consist of the number rounds commensurate to the number of established teams.
i. Expansion teams can select more than one player from any given team.
c. The expansion draft will occur between four and five weeks after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals.
d. Protected lists must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST two weeks after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals.
e. Following the submission of the protected lists there will be no transactions until the conclusion of the expansion draft.
i. Active teams and expansion teams may agree to trades contingent upon selections (or non-selections) in the NAHL draft with only the expansion draft contingency sent by the expansion team.
ii. Contingent trades should not be posted publicly, but sent and confirmed in a group message to at least one of the admins (Outlaws, Winter Bears, Rockstars, Ivory, and ICE). These deals will be confirmed publicly following the expansion draft should the contingencies be met.
f. In the event that a protected list is not submitted by midnight of the deadline, the lowest 10 pool point producers of the prior season will be left unprotected.
g. In the scenario where the Expansion Draft occurs after July 1st, the Restricted Free Agency period will be pushed back, to start at 12:01AM EST the day after the Expansion Draft.
12.6 Expansion teams will select after the lottery in the NAHL Entry Draft.
12.7 Expansion beyond 20 teams will only occur if the majority of the league agrees to expand.
Section 13. NAHL Divisions and Playoffs.
13.1 The teams will be split into four divisions before the start of each season based on geographical location.
13.2 The top three teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs. The final four playoff spots will be filled by the top four remaining teams in the standings.
a. The highest ranked Wild Card team will play the lowest ranked division winner, the second highest Wild Card will play the second lowest division winner, the third highest Wild Card will play the third lowest division winner, and the lowest Wild Card will play the League Champion.
b. The second round of the playoffs will continue the matchups within the divisions.
c. The matchups for the third round of the playoffs will reseed based on regular season record.
13.3 Each NAHL playoff round will begin with the first game played in the respective round of the NHL playoffs and conclude with the conclusion of that round of the NHL playoffs.
a. The team with the most NAHL points during the round will be the winner.
13.4 The NAHL playoffs will use the same point structure as the regular season (Section 2.1)
13.5 Points will not accumulate through the playoffs. Each round will consist only of points gained during that round.
13.6 Following the final game of the regular season and prior to the first game of the playoffs every playoff team will have unlimited lineup moves. Once the playoffs begin Section 8 will apply for lineup moves.
a. Players will not need to clear waivers during the playoffs.
b. Teams must stay under the salary cap for the duration of the playoffs.
Section 14. Rule Changes.
14.1 All changes to the NAHL Rules and Regulations must be approved by the majority of the owners.
14.2 Rule change proposals can be brought to the league at any point following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals and the beginning of the following NHL season.
14.3 Rule changes should be brought to the league in terms of the actual rule as it would exist in writing. Ideas will not be considered by the league until it is brought in full written format.
Preamble
The NAHL is a full keeper league with 50 contract rosters, 19 man active lineups, a salary cap, open free agency, and contract amounts and lengths determined auction-style by the team owners. It is a very serious league meant only for those committed to participating in the league weekly for the entire year.
Section 1. Admission Fees.
1.1 The NAHL admission fee is $50 per year. All funds will be the denomination used by Frantrax Treasurer.
1.2 Any existing owner who wants to retain his/her team must confirm their return by April 1st.
1.3 The admission fee for all teams must be paid by July 1st.
1.4 Payments must be arranged with the Admin team and paid via Fantrax Treasurer. Fantrax Treasurer allows use of credit cards and Paypal.
a. Exceptions must be arranged with the Admin team at least two weeks prior to the admission fee deadlines.
1.6 Failure to comply will result in exclusion from the free agency process until payment is made.
1.7 The owners will review the admission fee every February.
1.8 No refunds.
1.9 Owners wishing to join the NAHL can express interest by posting in the Waiting List.
a. Following the April 1st deadline, the owners on the waiting list can choose the team they will take over in the order they posted in the Waiting List.
Section 2. Point Structure
2.1 The point structure will be as follows:
• Goals = 1 pt
• Shootout goals = 1 pt
• Assists = 1 pt
• Powerplay goals = 1pt
• Powerplay assists = 1 pt
• Overtime goals = 1pt
• Shorthanded goals = 1 pt
• Shorthanded assists = 1 pt
• +/- = 1 pt/-1pt
• Game winning goals = 1 pt
• Goaltender goals = 1 pt
• Goaltender assists = 1 pt
• Goaltender wins = 1 pt
• Shutouts = 1 pt
• Every goal against = -1 pt
• Every 5 saves = 1 point
2.2 The first tiebreaker will be pool points per game. The second tiebreaker will be most goals scored.
2.3 Points and standings will be tracked at Fantrax, and will default to their numbers where there are discrepancies.
Section 3. Awards.
3.1 The NAHL will award winnings at the end of the NHL regular season as follows:
• 1st Overall: $285
• 2nd Overall: $130
• 3rd Overall: $85
• 4th Overall: $50
• 5th Overall: $25
3.2 The NAHL will award winnings at the end of the NHL playoffs as follows:
• Cup Winner: $85
• Cup Finalist: $50
• Semifinalist: $25 - 2 recipients
• Quarterfinalist: $15 - 4 recipients
3.3 All awards will be paid through Fantrax Treasurer.
3.4 N/A
3.5 The current award schedule is based on a 16 team NAHL. The award schedule can be revisited should the NAHL expand above 16 teams, if Fantrax costs change, or the majority of the league request a change.
Section 4. Rosters.
4.1. Rosters must consist of 19 to 50 players at all times. Rosters consist of the active and inactive rosters.
4.2 Active rosters will consist of 19 to 23 players, and will be subject to the salary cap.
a. Active rosters only apply during the season. At 12:01 AM EST on the day following the final game of the Stanley Cup Final the active roster will no longer apply. The active roster will become active and must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST two days prior to the first game of the NHL season.
4.3 The active lineup will consist of 12 forwards, 6 defenseman, and 1 goaltender from the active roster. The remaining active roster players may consist of any combination of players.
4.4 The inactive roster will consist of all players not on the active roster.
4.5 The inactive roster will not count against the salary cap.
a. Players age 25 and older need to clear waivers to be placed on the inactive roster. This includes players placed on the inactive roster at the beginning of the season.
4.51 Teams can have up to five players on Injured Reserve at any time during the season.
a. Players on Injured Reserve will not count towards the salary cap.
b. Teams may add a player to Injured Reserve in conjunction with a trade, minimum free agent signing, waiver claim, or any lineup move.
c. To be eligible for Injured Reserve, a player must have been placed on Injured Reserve by his NHL team or is listed as injured on Fantrax, as noted by a red flag icon on his stat line.
d. Teams may recall a player only after they have been on NAHL IR for at least one week.
e. All players on Injured Reserve will leave IR at the conclusion of the playoffs.
4.6 In the case that a player switches from forward to defense, or vice versa, the team will have the choice of keeping the player in his previous position or moving him to his new position.
a. This must be confirmed with the Admin team at the time of the switch. Once a decision has been made it is final, unless the player changes positions again in the NHL.
4.7 If a player retires while still under contract, that players contract may be terminated immediately. Retirement will be defined by Fantrax noting in the News section of the player page that he has retired. If this has not been noted by Fantrax, the player will not be considered retired and must stay on your roster through the remainder of his contract, or until his contract is bought out per Section 10.
a. Players age 35 or older as of July 1st in the first year of their contracts will not be terminated. They may be bought out at the end of the season per Section 10.
4.8 All transactions must be posted before the scheduled start of the first game of the day, otherwise they will be dated to the following day. Ie. A lineup move must be posted by 7pm EST on most weekdays, even if the players involved have later start times.
4.9 An ineligible roster is any team that does not have the required number of players in the Active Lineup (per 4.3), too many players on the Active Roster (per 4.2), too many players on the Roster (per 4.1), too many players on Inured Reserve (per 4.51), or is in violation of the Salary Cap (per 5.1).
a. Any team with an ineligible roster will not accumulate points until the roster violation is fixed.
b. Any team with an ineligible roster for more than two weeks will be penalized by the removal of draft picks in the upcoming entry draft. The period during which the violation occurs will determine the draft picks forfeited.
i. The forfeited picks for violations in October, November, or December will be a 3rd round pick; January or February will be a 2nd round pick; March or April will be a 1st round pick.
ii. The pick forfeited will be the teams own draft pick in the draft following the season in which the violation occurred. If they do not own their own pick in the prescribed round, the next highest pick will be forfeited, to be determined at the conclusion of the regular season.
iii. If no suitable pick for the current draft, then the prescribed pick in the next draft will be forfeited, along with the team's 4th round pick in that draft. If they do not own their prescribed pick or the 4th in that draft, then another team's pick can be substituted. If no pick in the required round is available, then the picks in the next highest round will be forfeited.
iv. The penalties accumulate. Eg. If a team starts the season with an ineligible roster, and stays ineligible for the entire season, they shall forfeit their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks in the upcoming draft.
Section 5. The Salary Cap
5.1 The salary cap will be set at $75,000,000 in perpetuity. There will be no salary floor.
5.2 The salary cap will not change unless proposed to the league and the majority of owners agree to it.
5.3 The salary cap will apply to all players on the active roster.
a. Non-ELC players in the minors will count against the cap their full salary minus the league minimum. So for example, a player making $2.5m will count $1.5m against the cap if he is sent to the minors, provided he is not on his ELC.
5.4 The salary cap will not apply from 12:01 AM EST on the day following the final game of the Stanley Cup Final until active rosters are submitted at 11:59 PM EST two days prior to the first game of the next NHL season.
Section 6. NAHL Entry Draft.
6.1 The draft will be held in the Shoutbox on the NAHL Forum prior to the beginning of the regular season.
a. Drafts will take place on Friday or Saturday evenings EST during the month of September.
6.2 The NAHL Entry Draft order will be determined by reversing the final rankings of the prior NAHL regular season, with the exception of the top five selections.
6.3 The five lowest teams will be entered into the lottery for the first five picks of the draft. The lottery will be weighted accordingly:
• Last place - 45%
• 2nd last place - 25%
• 3rd last place - 15%
• 4th last place - 10%
• 5th last place - 5%
6.4 The NAHL Entry Draft will consist of four rounds.
6.5 If an owner cannot attend the NAHL Entry Draft they may forward a draft list to another NAHL member, who must draft according to that list.
6.6 Each selection in the draft will last no longer than 5 minutes.
a. If a pick is not made within 5 minutes of the previous pick, the next team can make their selection.
b. If a team has been skipped, they can make their selection at any point before the end of the round.
c. At the end of each round, every unused selection will be awarded a player according to the Autodraft list.
i. The Autodraft list will be compiled using the previous NHL Entry Draft results.
ii. Once a team has been awarded a player from the Autodraft list their remaining picks will have a 1 minute time limit until they make a selection during their allotted time. Multiple Autodraft picks will alternate between positions.
6.7 At the end of each round, there will be a 2 minute break to announce trades. At the conclusion of the 2 minute break, the 5 minute limit will begin for the first pick of the next round.
6.8 Trades may be negotiated at any time during the NAHL draft, but they will only be announced and become official following the conclusion of a round.
a. Once the two minute trade announcement break has been completed, the selection order for the following round is set.
6.9 Players are eligible to be drafted only if they have been drafted or signed by an NHL team.
6.10 In the event that an entire season is lost out due to strike or lockout, the draft will proceed as outlined above.
a. The draft order will be determined from the last played season, and picks that have been traded will remain traded.
6.11 Entry level contracts are tied to draft position.
a. All entry level contracts will last the next three seasons.
i. An ELC season will only count towards the three season contract length if:
1. The player was age 20 or older as of September 15th at the start of the season; or
2. The player has at least 10 career NHL games by the end of the season.
b. The top five picks of the draft will have $3m cap hits.
c. The sixth through tenth picks of the draft will have $2m cap hits.
d. The remaining picks of the first round will have $1.5m cap hits.
e. The remaining draft picks will have $1m cap hits.
Section 7. Trades.
7.1 Any asset may be traded at any time during the NAHL calendar year.
a. Trades may be between two or more teams.
b. Assets are players and draft picks.
c. Two for one trades, three for one trades, three for two trades, etc. are all legal.
d. The NAHL calendar year begins at the conclusion of the playoffs until 11:59 PM EST on day following the NHL Trade deadline day.
7.2 Each team can make an unlimited number of trades per NAHL calendar year.
7.3 No trades can be made from 11:59 PM EST on the day following the NHL trade deadline, until midnight 12:01 AM EST of the day after the Stanley Cup is won.
a. All trades must be announced and confirmed by all parties before the 11:59 PM EST deadline.
7.4 Players traded during the regular season do not bring their points with them. They will only gain points after they are on the new roster. Players traded away will not take points from the team either.
7.5 "Buddy" trades will not be accepted. If anyone believes that a trade was colluded upon by two owners to benefit one team, they may lodge complaint with the Admin team.
a. If that complaint is seconded, an open poll will be created to determine the validity of the trade.
b. A vote of three-fourths or greater will be sufficient to nullify the trade.
c. The complaint must be lodged within 48 hours of the trade.
7.6 A trade will not be made official until all parties post in the NAHL transaction thread and both rosters in the "NAHL Rosters" thread are edited to reflect the transaction.
a. If there are any discrepancies in the details, the deal will be considered void.
7.7 All confirmed trades are final.
7.8. All trade offers should be returned within 48 hours, when possible. If the offer requires further thought, PM the person with a brief note: “I’ll think about this for the next # days and get back to you”.
7.9 No team may trade a draft pick beyond three drafts in the future. For example, during the 2015-2016 NAHL season, draft picks for the 2016, 2017, and 2018 draft may be traded. Following the 2016 draft, 2019 picks will become available for trade.
7.10 Players will remain on the same type of roster following a trade. A player on the active roster will remain on the active roster of their new team, and a player on the inactive roster will remain on the inactive roster on the new team.
Section 8. Lineup Moves.
8.1 Every team will have one general lineup move per month, in which any players may replace players in the active lineup.
8.2 Every team will have one injury replacement lineup move per month, in which any player may replace a player in the active lineup who has been placed on Injured Reserve by his NHL team or is listed as injured on Fantrax, as noted by a red flag icon on his stat line.
a. Exceptions can be made if the sufficient evidence can be provided by the team and/or media
8.3 If a general lineup move (8.1) is made and the player demoted goes on the NHL IR later that same calendar month, you may exchange the general lineup move for an injury replacement lineup move, subject to section 8.2.
8.4 Every team will have one goaltender lineup move per month, in which any goaltender may replace the goaltender in the active lineup.
8.5 Players acquired through trade, free agency or waivers may replace any player in the active lineup, if stated at the time of the transaction.
Section 9. Waivers.
9.1 To send a player to the inactive roster from the active roster, they must clear waivers.
a. A player will be on waivers for at least 24 hours before they clear waivers.
b. Players will not count against the salary cap while on waivers.
c. All waiver claims will be processed on Sundays 12PM EST (noon).
9.2 Waiver claims must be made before the player clears waivers by posting in the waiver thread.
a. The roster move will apply from the date the claim is posted (not when the player clears).
b. Players will immediately count towards the salary cap.
9.3 If a waiver claim is successful, the owner has the ability to immediately place that player in the active lineup.
9.4 Players under the age of 25 at the time of the move will not be subject to waivers.
9.5 Players can be placed on waivers at any time.
9.6 If more than one team submits a claim for the same player, the lowest team in the standings will receive the player.
a. Prior to November 1st, the previous year’s standings will be used to determine the lowest ranked team.
9.7 Each waiver claim is a separate transaction, and multiple waiver claims at the same time will not have any impact on each other.
9.8 Players subject to waivers cannot be traded until after they have cleared the one-week waiver period
Section 10. Buyouts
10.1 Player contracts can only be terminated during the buyout period.
a. The buyout period will begin at 12:01 AM EST the day after the Stanley Cup Finals and will close at 11:59 PM EST on June 30th.
b. Teams can buy out two players per team per offseason.
10.2 Bought out players will count against the salary cap 50% of their prior cap hit. Ie. A $7m per year contract bought out would count $3.5m against the salary cap.
a. Buyouts will stay on the cap for one year less than their remaining term. Ie. A four year contract bought out would last three seasons.
b. Buyout penalties will round up in $500k increments
c. Buyout of the final year of a contract will carry a $500k cap penalty.
10.3 Bought out players will become unrestricted free agents.
10.4 For a buyout to be completed, the player must clear waivers. Once a buyout has been announced, all teams will have until 11:59 PM EST on June 30th to place a claim on a player.
a. If more than one team submits a claim for the same player, the lowest team in the standings will receive the player.
b. If no teams submit a claim, the buyout will be completed and the cap penalty as described in Section 10.2 will apply.
Section 11. Free Agency.
11.1 Players with expiring contracts will enter free agency each summer. Players will not count against the 50 contract limit from the close of the NAHL calendar year until they have signed new contracts.
a. Free agents under 25 as of July 1st will be restricted free agents.
b. Free agents age 25 and older as of July 1st, players that have been bought out, and unsigned restricted free agents will become unrestricted free agents. Unrestricted free agents will no longer count against the 50 contract limit on July 1st.
11.2 Each team will have one 5 year contract, one 4 year contract, three 3 year contract, five 2 year contracts, and unlimited 1 year contracts each offseason. These contracts can be used on restricted or unrestricted free agents.
11.3 Contract bids will consist on a salary cap figure and contract term and be posted in the relevant thread.
a. Format for bids should be "Team Name offers Player Name a 3 year contract for $3.5m per season."
b. Bid amounts will be made in $500k intervals.
11.4 Restricted free agency will occur during the month of July.
a. Beginning at 11 AM EST July 1st teams can begin bidding on restricted free agents. All new bids for RFA players must be placed by 11:59PM EST on July 20th.
i. Bidding will close once there are no bids within the prior 12 hours.
ii. Any bid within the final 12 hours will automatically extend the bidding period by 12 hours from the time of the latest bid.
b. The Admin team will compile a list of available restricted free agents listed by team.
c. Any team with available roster spots and appropriate compensation per 11.6 may bid on any player during the free agency period
d. Bidding for each player will end exactly 72 hours after the first bid was placed, unless there was a bid within the prior 12 hours.
i. Bidding will close once there are no bids within the prior 12 hours.
ii. Any bid within the final 12 hours will automatically extend the bidding period by 12 hours from the time of the latest bid.
11.5 The team holding the rights to a restricted free agent can match the winning bid at the end of the bidding period for the player.
a. The team holding the rights will have 48 hours to decide whether to match the bid or receive the compensation.
b. Should no bids be made on a player, the team owning their rights can choose to sign them to a $1m contract for the term of their choice. The owning team must place a minimum bid on their RFA's by 11:59 PM EST on July 20th.
c. The team can also allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent.
11.6 If another team signs a restricted free agent, and the original team does not match the offer, the original team will receive compensation.
a. Restricted free agent offers cannot be made unless a team owns a pick in the necessary round.
b. Compensation will be awarded as follows:
i. $1m receives no compensation
ii. $1.5-2m receives a 4th round pick
iii. Over $2.5-3m receives a 3rd round pick
iv. $3.5-4m receives a 2nd round pick
v. $4.5-5m receives a 1st round pick
vi. $5.5-6m receives 1st and 3rd round picks
vii. $6.5-7m receives 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks
viii $7.5-8m receives two first round picks, a 2nd round pick, and a third round pick
ix. over $8m receives three first round picks, and two 2nd round picks.
c. Teams must have their own draft picks for future drafts. They can have other teams picks for the upcoming draft provided the pick is higher than their own. Eg. If I owe my 3rd round pick as compensation, but I traded it away, then the next highest pick I own will be sent in compensation, whether that is another teams 3rd, my own 2nd, etc.
d. Teams can match an offer sheet if they no longer have the matching contract length. This will be done by using the next length down in contract they have to offer, and using the salary-contract length matching rules from 11.8a. For example, a 5 year becomes a 4 year; a 4 year becomes a 3 year; a 3 year becomes a 2 year; and a 2 year becomes a 1 year.
11.7 Unrestricted free agency will occur during the month of August.
a. Beginning at 11 AM EST August 1st teams can begin bidding on unrestricted free agents. All new bids for UFA players must be placed by 11:59PM EST on August 20th.
b. The Admin team will compile a list of available unrestricted free agents listed by team.
c. Any team with available roster spots may bid on any player during the free agency period
d. Bidding for each player will end exactly 72 hours after the first bid was placed, unless there was a bid within the prior 12 hours.
i. Bidding will close once there are no bids within the prior 12 hours.
ii. Any bid within the final 12 hours will automatically extend the bidding period by 12 hours from the time of the latest bid.
11.8 Each extra year of term offered will be worth an extra $500k when comparing offers. For example, a 5 year, $5m offer is equal to 1 year, $7m offer.
11.9 Following the end of the entry draft, all players age 25 and older as of July 1st will then be available to sign league minimum contracts.
a. League minimum contracts will have a term of one year and a cap hit of $1m.
b. They will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis based on posts in the appropriate thread.
c. Teams can only sign one minimum free agent per post. Additional players signed must come in a separate post.
d. Teams have unlimited league minimum contracts to offer.
e. League minimum contracts can be signed from the end of the entry draft until 11:59 PM EST the day following the NHL trade deadline.
11.10 Beginning at 7PM EST on the first day of the NHL Regular Season teams may offer contract extensions to their pending Unrestricted Free Agents.
a. Contract lengths will count against the next seasons contract allotments per 11.2.
b. Teams may bid on opposing teams pending UFA's only if the current team has already offered the player an extension.
c. Teams only sign two players to contract extensions, whether their own UFA's or opposing teams.
d. No team may offer a new extension after June 23rd at 11:59PM EST.
e. New contracts will not take effect until August 1st of the following year.
i. If a player is signed by their original owner, the new salary will not count against the salary cap until the following season.
ii. If a player is signed by another team, they will not count against the 50 contract limit or the salary cap until the following season.
iii. If a player is signed by their original owner and is subsequently traded, the player will carry the completed extension to their new team. Any team that trades away a player with a completed extension will not receive an additional contract extension to their allotment. If a team trades for a player already signed to an extension, it does not count towards their yearly extension allotment.
f. Bidding for each player will end exactly one week after the initial extension offer was placed, unless there was a bid within the prior 12 hours.
i. Bidding will close once there are no bids within the prior 12 hours.
ii. Any bid within the final 12 hours will automatically extend the bidding period by 12 hours from the time of the latest bid.
g. When making an offer on their own free agents, the player's current team only needs to equal the current highest offer in value. All equal value bids by the current team must fall within the timeframe for bidding on players as set by Rule 11.10f. For example, if the Rockstars offer Connor McDavid a 5 year, $10m contract, the Outlaws will be the leading bid with a 4 year, $10.5m contract.
Section 12. Expansion and Contraction.
12.1 Contraction will occur if there are vacant teams on June 1st.
12.2 The NAHL will not contract below 16 teams.
a. If there are vacant teams below 16 teams on June 1st of any year, the period to find a new owner will be extended until September 1st.
b. If no owner is found by September 1st the team will be contracted.
12.3 In the event of contraction, there will be a dispersal draft conducted as follows:
a. The draft will be conducted in reverse order of the NAHL regular season standings.
b. Every asset currently owned by the contracted team(s) will be available for selection.
c. The draft will consist of one round for each team contracted. Therefore if one team is contracted, the draft will last one round, if two teams are contracted, the draft will last two rounds.
i. Assets from all contracted teams may be selected in any round.
d. If a team does not wish to select an asset, they may pass.
i. All undrafted players will become free agents or enter the NAHL Entry Draft pool.
ii. Unselected draft picks will be omitted at the time of the NAHL Entry Draft.
e. The dispersal draft will occur the second weekend of September.
12.4 In the event the NAHL contracts below 16 teams, and a new owner is found prior to June 1st of the following season, an expansion draft will be held to return the NAHL to 16 teams. An expansion draft will also occur if there are at least two new owners interested in joining and the league is under 20 teams.
12.5 An expansion draft will be conducted as follows:
a. Current owners can protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender; or eight skaters of any position, and one goaltender.
i. Players eligible for selection include all players who have signed a contract after their ELC, and have years remaining on a contract or are pending RFAs.
ii. Teams must have at least two forwards and one defenseman unprotected, and at least an equal number of players unprotected as expansion teams.
1. To meet these requirements teams will be forced to expose one of the seven forwards or three defenseman selected for protection
iii. Each existing team must not lose more than one player for each expansion team.
b. The expansion draft will consist of the number rounds commensurate to the number of established teams.
i. Expansion teams can select more than one player from any given team.
c. The expansion draft will occur between four and five weeks after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals.
d. Protected lists must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST two weeks after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals.
e. Following the submission of the protected lists there will be no transactions until the conclusion of the expansion draft.
i. Active teams and expansion teams may agree to trades contingent upon selections (or non-selections) in the NAHL draft with only the expansion draft contingency sent by the expansion team.
ii. Contingent trades should not be posted publicly, but sent and confirmed in a group message to at least one of the admins (Outlaws, Winter Bears, Rockstars, Ivory, and ICE). These deals will be confirmed publicly following the expansion draft should the contingencies be met.
f. In the event that a protected list is not submitted by midnight of the deadline, the lowest 10 pool point producers of the prior season will be left unprotected.
g. In the scenario where the Expansion Draft occurs after July 1st, the Restricted Free Agency period will be pushed back, to start at 12:01AM EST the day after the Expansion Draft.
12.6 Expansion teams will select after the lottery in the NAHL Entry Draft.
12.7 Expansion beyond 20 teams will only occur if the majority of the league agrees to expand.
Section 13. NAHL Divisions and Playoffs.
13.1 The teams will be split into four divisions before the start of each season based on geographical location.
13.2 The top three teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs. The final four playoff spots will be filled by the top four remaining teams in the standings.
a. The highest ranked Wild Card team will play the lowest ranked division winner, the second highest Wild Card will play the second lowest division winner, the third highest Wild Card will play the third lowest division winner, and the lowest Wild Card will play the League Champion.
b. The second round of the playoffs will continue the matchups within the divisions.
c. The matchups for the third round of the playoffs will reseed based on regular season record.
13.3 Each NAHL playoff round will begin with the first game played in the respective round of the NHL playoffs and conclude with the conclusion of that round of the NHL playoffs.
a. The team with the most NAHL points during the round will be the winner.
13.4 The NAHL playoffs will use the same point structure as the regular season (Section 2.1)
13.5 Points will not accumulate through the playoffs. Each round will consist only of points gained during that round.
13.6 Following the final game of the regular season and prior to the first game of the playoffs every playoff team will have unlimited lineup moves. Once the playoffs begin Section 8 will apply for lineup moves.
a. Players will not need to clear waivers during the playoffs.
b. Teams must stay under the salary cap for the duration of the playoffs.
Section 14. Rule Changes.
14.1 All changes to the NAHL Rules and Regulations must be approved by the majority of the owners.
14.2 Rule change proposals can be brought to the league at any point following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals and the beginning of the following NHL season.
14.3 Rule changes should be brought to the league in terms of the actual rule as it would exist in writing. Ideas will not be considered by the league until it is brought in full written format.