They're typically late round draft picks that the club that drafted them don't really care about.  If the NHL team doesn't sign a guy 1 or 2 years after drafting them it's pretty much a forgone conclusion that the player will stay 4 and see what's available to him on the open market.  The Avalanche said they had no interest in signing Butcher last year, he goes out and wins the Hobey Baker and now they want him; I'd of told them to pound sand too if I was Butcher.