Quoting: RazWild
The only thing with Rossi that gives me pause on that ELC thing is that he already slid once due to Covid and the pandemic, his first 'official' year of his contract isn't at age 18/19 but 19/20 instead. Given it's his age 20 season, I don't think that contract slides again, even if he plays in the AHL this year.
But I haven't seen anything that says either is the case or which is correct. I just know from everyone in the media talking about Rossi, they talk about him as if his contract doesn’t slide again. Which makes me wonder, and begs the question. Which is correct?
Rossi's contract is slide eligible this season. Since he signed last year, his slide eligibility is simply based on his age as of September 15th of this year which was 19. Had he signed this summer, he would not have been slide eligible.
I think the thing tripping you up is his early birthday. This is considered his age 19 season, not age 20. UFA eligibility is based on the player's age as of June 30th and draft/ELC slide eligibility is based on the player's age as of September 15th. The player's age at any other point in the calendar is completely irrelevant.
Here's the relevant quote from the CBA FAQ:
"If a player who is signed to an entry-level contract and is 18 or 19 years of age (as of September 15 of the signing year), does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games (including both regular season and playoffs; AHL games do not count), their contract is considered to ‘slide’, or extend, by one year. [...] An exception to this rule is that if the player is 19 on September 15 of the first year of their contract, and turns 20 between September 16 and December 31, their contract does not slide. Players who sign at 18 years old are eligible to have their contracted extended for 2 seasons. This extension does not apply if the player turns 20 between September 16 and December 31 in his signing year."