The Calgary Flames have had to completely re-work a contract with a new player after the league rejected the one filed by GM Craig Conroy with the Central Registry. Conroy had just signed 24-year-old forward Sam Morton to an entry-level deal, but failed to check the proper cut off date for his age. Morton turns 25 this summer, meaning he is not eligible to sign an ELC.
Signing Morton to an ELC would have allowed the Calgary Flames to send minors to the minors immediately without having to go through waivers. That is, of course, if the team wasn't attempting to break rules. Morton has since been signed, with Conroy using some fancy footwork to get him to the Calgary Wranglers without the possibility of being grabbed by another team.
The only question left now is whether Conroy and Morton's agent completely blanked on the rules as they apply to North American players turning 25, or whether they were trying to pull a fast one on the NHL hoping the contract would sneak through. Honestly, both are terrible looking scenarios for the Flames.
