Originally posted by MarkEagleUSA
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I get the frustration; 2 years ago, RPI had a ton of momentum and a goaltender in peak form going into the ECAC playoffs after snagging 4th place in the last game. Then COVID shut down the season and RPI took one of the most conservative positions on reopening throughout, and seemed unable to let anyone know what the plan might be to restart practices, which is also clearly part of the equation here. That's not the fault of the other teams, but it's just disappointing that the kids in the 19-20 team didn't get a chance to take another run with the intact underclassmen group.
I am conflicted on the transfer rule. I think kids should be able to move for a fresh start, but we have to accept that flexibility is going to allow good players to transfer to direct rivals. Something about college sports is lost there, but I don't think we reckon with the reality that the prior rules had their own downsides for players. It will be interesting to see if any further changes are made after a couple of years of experience. I haven't heard any evidence of other schools "tapping up" kids, I think most of these conversations are getting initiated by the players through intermediaries (e.g. juniors, high school, and AAU coaches) anyway, and that type of action is impossible to prevent, and may be even undesirable to try to limit.
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