Columbus Blue Jackets forward Miles Wood has cleared waivers after being put on the wire yesterday by Don Waddell. This is a bit of a shocker, considering Wood has so much NHL experience and can still bring energy to a team in need.
Now Wood has to decide if he wants to keep playing in the AHL or refuse to report to Cleveland. Here are the rules regarding players refusing to report. He would be eligible to go to the Cleveland Monsters.
When an NHL player clears waivers and refuses to report to the AHL, the team can suspend the player without pay and fine them for breach of contract.
- Suspension: The team officially suspends the player for a "failure to report".
- Loss of Salary: While suspended, the player does not receive their pay, and their cap hit may or may not be partially relieved depending on league rules and team actions.
- Trade or Resolution: The team and the player's agent usually work behind the scenes to find a trade partner. If a trade cannot be worked out, the player might agree to a contract termination, or they may choose to sit out the remainder of the contract while losing money.
- Weighing Options: Sitting out rarely lasts long or benefits the player's career, as missing games reduces their value and playing status across the league.
After being traded to the CBJ from the Colorado Avalanche before last season, he played in 54 games and totaled 14 points. He's played 567 NHL games and has 196 points for the Devils and the Avalanche.
In the 2016-17 season, he played 15 AHL games for the Albany Devils and recorded 8 points.
Wood is signed to a 6-year, $15,000,000 contract with a $2,500,000 per-season cap hit and is entering year 4.
Should his contract be terminated by the Blue Jackets, he'd be free to sign anywhere.
