NHL Rangers Seek Compensatory Draft Pick After Prospect's Death

Rangers Want Draft Pick After Cherepanov's Sudden Death

The NHL Rangers are "seeking a compensatory selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft for the loss" of '06 draft pick RW Alexei Cherepanov, who last month died after collapsing during a game while playing in Russia's Continental Hockey League (KHL), according to Larry Brooks of the N.Y. POST. Rangers GM Glen Sather "raised the issue" at the NHL GMs meeting in Chicago last month, citing CBA Article 8.3 (b) that "stipulates that compensatory picks be awarded to teams unable to sign first-round draft picks." Sather said that the Rangers "should receive the 17th selection in the second round of June's draft as compensation for losing Cherepanov," who was the team's 17th selection in the first round of the '06 draft. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly: "It's possible that the language of the CBA would need to be amended to address situations such as this one. If that's the case, then we would need to negotiate that with the Players' Association." Brooks notes the Rangers are arguing that the "current language applies to this case and that amending the CBA is not necessary." Rangers Assistant GM Cam Hope said, "It seems now as if that phrase is unintentionally precluding the deceased from being included as eligible for compensation. We understand that this is a sensitive issue, but with all due respect to Alexei's family and his memory, he is technically eligible to be drafted again next year." Hope added, "If an unsigned player sustained a massive injury on or off the ice, the drafting team would get a compensatory pick. We believe that the letter of the law applies in this case, but even if there is a disagreement on that, it's clear that the spirit of the law applies" (N.Y. POST, 11/7).