Sometimes in professional sports, there comes a time when a player who gets drafted by a team decides to return to the team he's playing for, the school he's attending, or in cases of international players, begin a professional career «at home» where they're familiar with the culture and the game itself.
Although this situation may seem strange, the Ducks knew that this may be a possibility as teams drafting a player out of college retain the rights to the prospect for four years and if a contract isn't reached the player then becomes an unrestricted free agent.
As rare as this occurrence has been, the Ducks have fallen victim to a somewhat similar situation, most notably with Defenceman Justin Shultz. Shultz signed with the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2012.
By knowing today of Thruns' intentions, the Ducks have until August 15, of this year to use him as a trade asset.
The most recent example of a situation that Thrun has put the Ducks in is that of Carolina and Adam Fox. Fox made it perfectly clear his intention was to play for the New York Rangers, thus handcuffing the Hurricanes.
