Texas Stars Have Veteran Rule Issues After Meech Signing

Toby Petersen and Francis Wathier

Last night, it was reported here that former NHL defenseman Derek Meech has been signed to an AHL deal by the Texas Stars. Meech has 144 games of NHL experience and a whopping 356 games of AHL experience to boot. Not even counting the NHL experience, Meech qualifies as a veteran for the AHL's veteran rule.

If you are unfamiliar with the veteran rule and want to brush up, read more here. At its core, the veteran rule ensures that the AHL remains a development league by limiting the number of veteran players allowed to dress for any one game. The limit is six players with 260 games or more of NHL, AHL, IHL and European Elite league experience (one of whom must have less than 320 games). If it's still confusing, read the explanation I linked above.

The Stars' veteran rule situation shakes out as follows. Remember that all game totals are calculated at the beginning of the season.

Player	NHL	AHL	Total
Toby Petersen	398	517	915
Maxime Fortunus	8	568	576
Derek Meech	144	356	500
Francis Wathier	10	444	454
Chris Mueller	37	323	360
Colton Sceviour	2	294	296
Travis Morin	3	284	287

In summary, what this means is that one of the players listed in the table will have to sit every night in order to satisfy the veteran rule. Usually when this happens in the league, the scratch is rotated among a few players. Right now it's a non-issue with the injury of Toby Petersen. Of course, if Sceviour is called up, this is also a moot point.

However, when Petersen returns and Sceviour is in the lineup, someone has to sit. Coach Desjardins is rather unlikely, you'd think, to healthy scratch Sceviour, Morin or Mueller. That leaves Petersen, Wathier, Meech and Fortunus. Given the unsteadiness on the blue line due to injury that led to this signing in the first place, my bet is on an alternating scratch for Wathier and Petersen.

(Stick tap to Margaret in the comments for bringing this up)