§1Contract Rules
When you acquire a player (via free agency or trade), you assume his entire contract and salary.
UFA contracts work differently:
- If the player's current contract ends in Unrestricted Free Agency, the contract is not frozen
- If the player signs a new NHL contract before June 20, the CHA team may re-sign him for a fee but without challenge
§2Restricted Free Agents
- When a player is signed with a contract ending in RFA status, the contract is locked — no matter what, he becomes an RFA
- At the end of each season, RFAs are released through a structured bidding process
- All GMs have the chance to bid on the players
Bidding mechanics
- Bidding is open in three rounds, each lasting 24 hours
- Bids are submitted via the RFA Bidding Tool (a Google Sheets form)
- You can place unlimited bids during a Round
- Once bidding closes, all bids go to the player's current GM, who has ~36 hours to decide
- The current GM can match the highest bid (player stays), release the player to a bidder for compensation, or enter negotiation with one bidder
Matching a bid
- The signing bonus counts against the matching GM's cap for the upcoming season
- The player stays on his roster
Releasing a player — compensation
- If a GM doesn't match, he's compensated with draft picks and/or cash based on the signing bonus amount
- Picks come from the new owner
- The Protecting GM may negotiate compensation with any single bidder during a negotiation window
- The Bidding Team can revise its compensation offer (adding picks, players, or cap space)
- The Protecting Team cannot add assets to its side — only the RFA can be offered
- The bid amount cannot change through negotiation
- Revised compensation packages must be approved by the Executive Committee
No offer sheets received
If an RFA receives no offer sheets:
- The current owner may keep him at no cost — assuming his new contract and salary, OR
- Release him at no cost
This decision must be made by June 20 if the player has signed a new NHL contract. If the player is unsigned, the CHA team has one week after the player signs to decide.
If a player doesn't get a qualifying offer
If an RFA doesn't get a qualifying offer from his NHL team, he becomes an NHL UFA — but follows the protocol of an unsigned RFA in Capwise. If he's still UFA at the start of the NHL season, he must be:
- Demoted to JV as an Overager, OR
- Released by the Capwise team (goalies may stay on varsity as dead weight)
If released:
- Any signing bonus paid for that player is erased from cap
- Any compensation given for the player is not regained
- If still UFA by June 1, the player must be released
Other RFA situations
- Unsigned at bidding time: A player without a new NHL contract is still available for bidding. When he eventually signs, the acquiring team may release him at no cost — but signing bonuses and compensation are not refunded. The CHA team has one week after the player's contract details are released to decide, and the player can't play during that time.
- JV-eligible players are not available for bidding — they're protected. (You can opt to make a JV-eligible RFA available if you want compensation offers — let the Commissioner know.)
- Players who go to Europe or otherwise leave the NHL without re-signing: The CHA team may retain his rights and carry him as dead weight on varsity, or release him at no cost. Signing bonuses or compensation paid are not returned.
RFA Bidding Schedule
The RFA period typically begins in early June. Players in each Round are announced before bidding starts (around June 1). A typical schedule:
Bidding rules:
- Bidding is open from 12:00am PT on the first date until 11:59pm PT on the end date — 72 hours total
- Bids must be at least $500,000
- Bids cannot exceed $8,000,000
- Bids must be in $1,000 increments
Star Ratings
RFAs are rated 1–5 stars based on Fantrax Rating, then sorted into three groups for the three rounds. Players who missed the entire season due to injury are rated using the Commissioner's best judgment.
Compensation Points System
Bids in different ranges require different amounts of compensation. The bid range determines the number of compensation points you must include along with the cash.
Compensation points are accumulated from your assets:
- A 1st overall amateur pick is worth 50 points
- A late-3rd round amateur pick or late-2nd round re-entry pick is worth 1 point
- $250,000 cash = 1 point
- You can use any combination of assets to reach the required points
Overbidding
You may add more compensation than required to sweeten a bid — but with a limit. Your compensation package cannot match or exceed the points required for the next-highest bid range.
§3Unrestricted Free Agents
When a player is signed with a contract ending in UFA status, the contract is potentially subject to change.
- If the player signs an extension with his NHL team before June 20 of the year his contract ends, the CHA team may keep him for a fee equal to 15% of the player's new AAV (applied to the following year's cap)
- If the CHA team doesn't want him, he goes to free agency at no cost
- If the player doesn't sign a new NHL contract by June 20 of the year his contract ends, he goes directly to free agency at no cost
§4Contract Termination
If a player's NHL contract is terminated, he's removed from his CHA team's roster automatically at no cost. This applies in cases of:
- NHL buyout
- Player retirement
- Player leaving for Europe
- Player breaching his NHL contract terms
- Career-ending injury