All players except goalies must play in a minimum number of RHL games based on the number of games he appears on his RHL team’s roster and the number of games in which he participates in the first 60 games of the season for his NHL team. Players who do not meet the minimum requirement shall be declared free agents at the end of the regular season and may be drafted by any team at the beginning of the next season.
Players who become free agents in this manner may not be used in the playoffs and may not be included among the players made available in the supplemental draft. A player designated as an overtime player in an RHL game shall have that game counted against the minimum only if he is used in the game. A player who plays for two or more RHL teams during the season shall have all games played count against the minimum but the minimum requirement shall be based on the number of games he is on the roster of the team with which he completes the season.
Any player who is injured, suspended, sent to the minors or is otherwise unable to perform for an NHL team during the entire month of February (or March in a year in which the NHL is shut down for the Olympics) shall be exempt from the minimum games played requirement.
The number of games that must be played shall be determined according to the following table:
GAMES ON RHL TEAM ROSTER
NHL GAMES PLAYED 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-39
0-12 0 0 0 0
13-24 0 0 0 1
25-36 0 0 1 2
37-48 0 1 2 3
49-60 1 2 3 4