It was suggested in a report on Saturday from Renaud Lavoie that the Montreal Canadiens were interested in re-signing Victor Bartley, and it's possible that this is because of a very specific American Hockey League (AHL) rule.
When Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin compiled his list of priorities for the off-season, there was a particular player that he needed to sign for the St. John's IceCaps: a "veteran exempt" player. This is the classification for players who have played over 260 professional hockey games, but fewer than 320.
In general the three player classifications in the AHL are as follows:
| Status | Games |
|---|---|
| Developmental Player | less than 260 |
| Veteran Exempt | btw 260 and 319 |
| Veteran | more than 319 |
This classification is assigned at the start of the year to each player, and is based on the total regular season games played in the National Hockey League, American Hockey League, and European Elite Leagues.