We don't make the rules. Veterans do. And Brooks Laich is definitely a veteran.
Brooks Laich has been around the block a few times by now. He's 32 years old; this is his 11th season in the NHL. He's been on terrible Capitals teams; he's been on incredible, seemingly Stanley Cup-bound ones. (Including this year's, before he was whiplashed from the top of the standings to the bottom.) He knows what's going on.
Which will make him helpful for taking the futures of the Toronto Maple Leafs under his wing - including his apparent new nephew, William Nylander.