By TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button and TSN Hockey Managing Editor Steve Dryden Don Maloney said it. Surely, other GMs are thinking it. That is, wouldn’t it be good if NHL teams had the option to send their best teen prospects to the AHL rather than be required - under terms of the NHL-CHL agreement - to return them to the CHL until their major junior eligibility runs out. We all understand top junior players are valuable assets for their junior Clubs,” Don Maloney told ESPN.com. “However, for any elite junior player who has played three full CHL seasons, the option to place the player in the AHL would be invaluable to us and a real benefit to the player’s development. Of course, the CHL would prefer the status quo remains because its main players, its main attractions, would play in the Quebec, Ontario and Western leagues as long as possible to drive revenues. It’s a reasonable perspective. After all, the CHL is producing a large percentage of players and the development model needs to be self-sustaining. “Any change - even on a restricted or limited basis - would be devastating to the CHL,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN.com. “So, no, I dont see this changing in the near future.” The current agreement doesn’t expire until June, 2020 - and Daly said, We actually surveyed the GMs before last years CHL deal and it wasnt an overwhelming need” - so there’s no reason to believe any change is imminent. But should it be a one-size-fits-all system for CHLers? Consider this: Players not drafted from the CHL are now eligible to be sent to the AHL as teens. Is it time a similar option existed for exceptional major junior players. The answer is, yes, provided limitations are placed on such a system. Here’s our criteria for major junior-eligible players being sent to the AHL: 1. Players must have been selected in the first round of the NHL draft and have played three full seasons in the CHL. 2. Players must pass a tryout period – say 9 games in the AHL to mirror the NHL 9-game tryout period - to prove they have effectively outgrown the CHL. Here’s the logic: 1. Only NHL-rated elite players (e.g. first rounders) would be included to guard against a new system cutting too deeply into the CHL talent pool. 2. CHL teams should consider three full seasons fair return on their investments. Consider that NHL players are technically free agents after going through the three-year entry level system. If you can play in the NHL as a 19-year-old, why not the AHL? Now before you think that there are going to be 30 elite CHLers being sent to the AHL each year, let us tell you how many we think would be sent to the AHL this season if that criteria were followed: 9. And that number includes Sam Reinhart (Kootenay), who is expected to be sent back to their CHL teams, plus Bo Horvat (London) and Curtis Lazar (Edmonton), who may well remain with their NHL teams. That’s nine players – and it could be as few as seven - spread over 60 teams in three leagues. The others on the tsn.ca list of CHLers/AHLers are Darnell Nurse (SSM), Sam Morin (Rimouski), Max Domi (London), Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert), Shea Theodore (Seattle) and Nick Ritchie (Peterborough). By the way, Jonathan Drouin would go back to Halifax, not the AHL, because he has played 2-1/2 seasons, not three full seasons. So, under this system, some teams would suffer more than others: notably London, potentially losing two players to the AHL. But that’s to be expected when any change is made and, not to minimize the impact, but in time there would be a new normal and acceptance that that’s just the way it is and greater flexibility is generally for the greater good. And a final thought: Let’s not forget that some of these players have already had exposure to the AHL – most prominently Morrissey. The 2013-14 WHL defenceman of the year runner-up played eight regular season games and 20 in the 2014 AHL playoffs, where he shone with two goals and 9 points for the Calder Cup-finalist St. John’s IceCaps. It seems counter-intuitive the AHL isn’t an option for him this season. Here are nine CHLers – including current NHLers Horvat, Lazar and Reinhart - who would be candidates to play in the AHL this season if rules were amended to permit first round draft picks with three full seasons experience to play in the top minor pro league. Player Pos CHL Team League NHL Draft No. Darnell Nurse D Sault Ste. Marie OHL Edmonton 2013 7th Bo Horvat C London OHL Vancouver 2013 9th Sam Morin D Rimouski QMJHL Philadelphia 2013 11th Max Domi C/LW London OHL Arizona 2013 12th Josh Morrissey D Prince Albert WHL Winnipeg 2013 13th Curtis Lazar C Edmonton WHL Ottawa 2013 17th Shea Theodore D Seattle WHL Anaheim 2013 26th Sam Reinhart C Kootenay WHL Buffalo 2014 2nd Nick Ritchie LW Peterborough OHL Anaheim 2014 10th Robinson Cano Jersey .J. - Percy Harvin is ready to go, and theres no question in his mind hell be playing Sunday. Felix Hernandez Jersey .twitter.com/xBTpoAKLJk — Daryl Zerr (@darylzerr) May 29, 2014 @BarDown I give to you the @SquirrelsNCHL aka the Fighting Squirels. http://www.marinersrookiestore.com/ . A player confirmed to TSN on the condition of anonymity that he received his ballot yesterday. Another confirms hes been told to expect his shortly. "The unions executive committee insists a strike vote does not mean were pushing away from the table," the player said. "But we want the league to know were serious about our position. Hisashi Iwakuma Jersey . I suppose Sternberg has earned the right to speak out since his Rays, despite one of the lowest payrolls in the Majors at $58 million, are entering the final weekend of the regular season holding down the first Wild Card spot in the American League, one game ahead of Cleveland and two up on Texas. Carlos Ruiz Jersey .5 million. The 25-year-old Varlamov is thriving under first-year coach and Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, posting a 26-9-5 record with a 2.TORONTO - As rumours surrounding the future of Kyle Lowry - this summers biggest free-agent prize at his position - begin to swirl, the most reasonable question that comes to mind is, what took so long? The Raptors breakout point guard has been the subject of recent speculation, originating at ESPN, connecting him to the four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. The parties are said to have "mutual interest". Often, where theres smoke theres fire, but thats not always the case in the NBA, especially not at this time of the year. Smoke, in this case, comes with the territory. Fresh off a career season, leading the Raptors to an unexpected division title, Lowry is poised to become a coveted commodity in unrestricted free agency when he officially hits the open market on July 1. If the Heat are the first team to come knocking, they assuredly wont be the last. Why wouldnt Miami be interested in Lowrys services? The Heat are less than a week removed from a disheartening trip to the NBA Finals, where they looked vastly inferior to the San Antonio Spurs in a five-game elimination. Their current point guard, Mario Chalmers - also a soon-to-be free agent - was notably ineffective en route to losing his starting job late in the series. And Lowry? Why wouldnt he want to play in South Beach? Under the right circumstances, accompanied by a suitable contract, you would be hard-pressed to find someone unwilling to play in one of the leagues most desirable destinations with LeBron James, the best basketball player on the planet. Therein lies the caveat, and its a big one; money. The Heat, under their current construction, can only offer so much of it. Firstly, in order for Miami to put together a passable offer to Lowry or any other prominent free agent, James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would need to opt out of their contracts - owing them each more than $20 million over the next two season - to renegotiate smaller deals. Udonis Haslem would likely have to do the same. Lowry, underpaid for most of his eight-year career, has been one of the leagues bargain players, earning just over $6 million last season. At best, Miami - or any other capped out team - may be able to offer something in that neighbourhood. From a Raptors perspective, nothing has changed since Masai Ujiri addressed the point guards future six weeks ago, making Lowry the teams top offseason priority. "Its very important for us, in terms of continuity," said the Raptors general manager that afternoon, asked abbout the likelihood of re-signing Lowry.dddddddddddd "For me, negotiating is easy if we want Kyle to be here and Kyle wants to be here." "I think well be fair with Kyle and well figure it out and I think its important. So well go through that process but were optimistic stuff will happen." They remain confident to this day and much of that stems from the fact that they can offer Lowry more than any other team, while also providing him the platform to lead a winning team with a cast that hes comfortable with. The 28-year-old is staring down his first super-sized NBA contract and in a league where so much can change in three-to-four years, there are no guarantees that another one will follow. Certainly, if hes willing to sacrifice in exchange for a better chance at competing for a championship hell have that opportunity but for a player entering his prime, one with a young family to support, it would be surprising to see him leave that much money on the table. With the Raptors he could double the size of his most recent contract, a four-year $23 million deal signed back in 2010. As you might expect, Lowry and his representatives will test the market, see whats out there and leverage the interest hes sure to get from other teams. As he wisely pointed out during a midseason wave of rumours following the trade of his best friend Rudy Gay, its a business. The Raptors will also have a big decision to make, holding the 20th pick in next weeks draft, five days before teams are able to sit down and meet with their free agent point guard. Would they select a lead guard as insurance? "I think the biggest thing is to not make draft decisions based on that, on your current roster and your current situations," Dan Tolzman, the Raptors director of scouting, said last week. "You keep it in the back of your head and youll take it into account when youre drafting players but if the most talented guy or the highest guy on your list happens to be a position that your loaded up with you can work stuff out later." "So I dont think you really approach the draft like, okay we need a point guard because we dont know what the situation is. But at the same time if the best player on the board is a point guard, well figure it out." And so it begins. For four months, primarily in the next two, the game shifts from the court to the boardroom, podium and social media sphere. The sound of sneakers squeaking and whistles whistling are replaced by rumours, bravado and conjecture. Buckle up. 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