A goaltending prospect that has won gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships is re-entering the NHL draft after refusing to sign with his team. Ben Gaudreau was drafted in the 3rd round (81st overall) in 2021 by the San Jose Sharks. His agent says the Sharks pipeline is too crowded for Gaudreau to get ice time.
"Because of what is developing with their goaltending prospects, we have decided to go back in the Draft." - Gaudreau's agent Eddie Mio
San Jose had until June 1st to decide whether to sign Gaudreau, but it seems they decided to cut ties before that. Hi agent refused to go into detail over the prospects in San Jose's pipeline. The team has already signed young netminders Magnus Chrona and Georgy Romanov recently, while the Sharks also have to deal with restricted free agents prospects Eetu Makiniemi and Strauss Mann.
Re-entering the Draft
According to the NHL's rules, when a player and team fail to reach an agreement on a contract, that player can re-enter the draft as long as they are 20 or younger when the next one comes about. You cannot re-enter again when drafted a second time.
Source: San Jose Hockey Now
Is this the right move for Gaudreau?
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