Quoting: ricochetii
When you are drafted, you are given the choice to play in the NHL. Nobody is forced to sign. The price of admission is that you accept a contract with the team that drafted you. In return you get resources and ice time to develop your game and a chance to earn contracts worth millions of dollars.
While I believe there should be exceptions for players' decisions over medical treatment (re:Eichel), the "control" is reasonable. All workers agree to certain terms when they sign an employment contract and employers have a right to expect some form of minimum standard.
Remember that these are guaranteed contracts. There are necessary protections for both parties.
If Edmonton is good enough for McDavid, what right does Fox, or anyone else, have to refuse signing and still play in the NHL?
Sorry that isn't how it works. Gee, Fox never signed an employment contract when he was drafted.
Once a player signs an NHL contract he is governed by the "movement restrictions". that the owners and NHLPA have agreed too.
So Fox, Marino, Vesey and others delayed their entry to NHL so they could be in effect UFAs and chose to their destinations....which are the rules of the owners and the NHLPA.
So Fox never violated any NHL or labour laws. Actually he followed the rules set out in the NHLPA agreement
Actually the owners like this rule. It allows them not to be seen as a monopoly on player movement. MLB allows drafted players to not sign with their drafted teams, as does the NFL, and sign later with other teams in the MLB or NFL.