Disgraced former NHLPA executive director Ted Saskin is scheduled to testify tomorrow on behalf of the NHL and against the interests of the union he once represented, in an arbitration hearing that has critical implications for the Rangers, The Post has learned.
The issue at hand concerns the status of drafted European players who do not sign before June 2 of the second calendar year following their selections. Article 8.6 of the CBA states that clubs lose their rights to such players if they are not signed on or by that date.
The Rangers, therefore, would lose their rights to Alexei Cherepanov, whom they selected 17th overall in 2007, if the Russian does not sign by June 1, 2009. Under terms of the CBA, Cherepanov, currently under contract to KHL Omsk, would be available for claim in the 2009 Entry Draft. The Rangers would receive the 17th pick of the second round as compensation.
The NHL, however, is claiming that the absence of transfer agreements with European hockey federations renders that portion of the CBA obsolete. It is the league’s position that those unsigned players revert to what was known as “defected status” under the CBA that expired on Sept. 15, 2004, and thus remain the property of their drafting clubs forever.
The union has filed a grievance challenging the league’s position. The NHLPA has also notified the NHL that it is reserving the right to challenge the league position that the CBA prohibits individual club-negotiated transfer fees.
Saskin’s brief reign that was marked by accusations that he was too comfy with the NHL hierarchy on Sixth Avenue, ended in scandal in which he allegedly ordered subordinates to hack into union activists’ NHLPA e-mail accounts. He is on the league witness list with his chum, deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
The Mats Sundin situation remains status quo, with big No. 13 at home in Sweden agonizing over the decision whether to retire or play an 18th NHL season. Contrary to falsehoods circulating on the Internet, the Rangers have never considered trading Scott Gomez to clear cap space for Sundin. Nor will they.