NHL Rumor Mill – October 13, 2021

by | Oct 13, 2021 | Rumors | 71 comments

The latest on Brady Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Dylan Strome, Vitali Kravtsov and more in today’s NHL rumor mill.

NOTABLE TIDBITS FROM FRIEDMAN’S LATEST “32 THOUGHTS”.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports no change in the contract impasse between the Ottawa Senators and left winger Brady Tkachuk. They still want a seven- or eight-year contract while Tkachuk wants a bridge deal.

Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The longer this goes on the more concern will be raised about Tkachuk’s long-term future in Ottawa. He’s already played three seasons and a three-year bridge deal brings him to within one year of his UFA eligibility. I can understand the Senators’ rationale to avoid that scenario. However, a long standoff could cause irreparable harm to his relationship with management and send him out the door much sooner than the Senators prefer.

Friedman believes the New York Rangers’ re-signing Mika Zibanejad takes them out of the Jack Eichel trade market unless the Buffalo Sabres or a third party is willing to retain salary. “New York can’t do it at $10M”, referring to Eichel’s annual average value.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Or the Rangers shed $10 million to make room for Eichel’s full cap hit, which also seems unlikely.

The Philadelphia Flyers informed Travis Konecny at the end of last season they could’ve easily traded him as there was lots of interest in the winger. However, they didn’t want to do it because they felt he’s too important and too good to give up on. Konecny rewarded that faith by showing up fit and ready to go for the coming season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sounds like Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher fired a shot across Konecny’s bow. He’s a terrific player but was inconsistent and seemed distracted at times during last season. If he’s put those issues behind him the Flyers will be thankful they stayed patient with him.

Friedman wouldn’t be surprised if the Seattle Kraken sign captain Mark Giordano to a contract extension

BLACKHAWKS COULD MOVE DYLAN STROME

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the Chicago Blackhawks have a surplus of centers and there’s a good chance Dylan Strome could be traded within the next week or two. He said there are some teams “kicking tires” on the 24-year-old center.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman also believes Strome could be a trade candidate. “Head coach Jeremy Colliton is talking about him as a fourth-liner, and that’s not a place he will thrive.”

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli said the Blackhawks aren’t facing pressure to move Strome. However, they’re actively listening to offers and considering their options.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Seattle Kraken could be among the suitors. Strome’s in the final season of a two-year contract with a $3 million annual average value but that could prove expensive for cap-strapped teams.

RANGERS WILLING TO TRADE VITALI KRAVTSOV

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reported the New York Rangers have given Vitali Kravtsov’s agent permission to talk to other clubs about a trade. He claims there’s “definitely interest” in the 21-year-old winger, who was selected ninth overall by the Rangers in 2018.

TSN: Chris Johnston suggested there is precedent for the acquisition cost, pointing out the Rangers shipped former first-rounder Lias Andersson to the Los Angeles Kings last fall for the 60th overall pick (second round) in the 2020 NHL Draft.







71 Comments

  1. Rangers would be foolish to trade Kravtsov. He will be a start player in this league. He would have easily made the Rangers coming out of camp but they had players who were not waiver eligible that they did not want to lose for nothing. I think he is the real deal.

  2. Strome would be a decent pick up as a third line center. But for teams like the Habs, the Wild and the Bruins, the Hawks would have to retain at least 50% of his salary. And they probably wouldn’t get much in return either.

    • A trade for Strome could be a like contract in return for those teams,

      DeBrusk or Foligno for Strome
      Greenway or Foligno for Strome
      Armia for Strome

  3. The situation of Kravtsov and Andersson are different, Andersson was considered a bust who should have been a late first rounder tops. Kravtsov still has pedigree even if 9th now seems like a stretch. It will take a good prospects(first rounder) or a prospect and a top 2nd to make the trade.

  4. Kravstov shows a lot of promise, in Some ways, I think I like him more than Kakko and Laffrienere. but this isn’t his first time throwing a temper tantrum with NY brass. His attitude was known problem when he was drafted. (Yay Jeff Gorton). They went off the map to take him over Wahlstrom, they need to make this right somehow.

    Oddly, I don’t think his stay down was meant to last more than a week or two. This was about trying to trade Hajek. Maybe it’s time to abandon that plan?

    • Kratsov is #2 RW on the roster and getting sent down so the Rangers can dress all the 4th liners to skate against Wilson triggered the kid again.
      Has a 200ft game. Guess wont be @ MSG but again he does have some attitude issue even with the Rangers treatment. Galant must not be feeling the KRat

      Good thing we moved Buch ….

  5. Brady, take this sage advice from Saxon White Kessinger

    Sometime when you’re feeling important,
    Sometime when your ego’s in bloom,
    Sometime when you take it for granted,
    You’re the best qualified in the room;
    Sometime when you feel that your going,
    Would leave an unfillable hole,
    Just follow these simple instructions,
    And see how they humble your soul.

    Take a bucket and fill it with water,
    Put your hand in it up to your wrist,
    Pull it out and the hole that’s remaining,
    Is a measure of how much you’ll be missed.
    You can splash all you wish as you enter.
    You may stir up the water galore,
    But stop, and you’ll find that in no time,
    It looks quite the same as before

    And don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.

    • love it George.

      Far too many young athletes making demands and pouting. Put in your time , remember that you are getting paid to play a game you love.
      Good things comes to those that wait.

      I used to be a huge MLB and NFL fan , I lost interest….I hate to admit it but the NHL is starting to sour on me.

      • We seem to be on the same path Fergy22. I wore out tires going back and forth between Ottawa and Montreal (first Jarry then the Big Owe) to take in the Expos, and had season’s tickets for their Triple A team, the Ottawa Lynx.

        But when they got screwed with that cancelled season after becoming the best team in MLB, it all started going downhill. Now I could not possibly care less about baseball.

        The NBA never interested me (last shot wins – slam DUNK!) and the NFL I view as “antiseptic” football. Still love the college games in both basketball and football.

        And, as I’ve said in here before, if and when the Sens are ever moved to another location – either in Canada or the U.S. – I won’t lose any sleep.

    • Hahahahaha…Thanks George! Completely agree!

    • Haha! Awesome George! And I agree 100%!
      I’d love for the Sens (or any other team in a similar situation) to let him sit. I believe Ottawa still has the parts to make a bit of noise this year without him!

    • That’s a pretty cool way to say what I was thinking. The poetry just makes my thoughts feel a little more sophisticated.

      • While far less poetic than George, and I have no idea who said it first; The graveyard is full of irreplaceable people.

    • George

      Love it … I remember the poem but no way could I remember the author… Kudos to you… that’s got to be 30 years or more old now

      The trouble with the poem as it relates to BT…. his father (maybe also brother) keep whispering sweet nothings in his ear telling him to repeatedly put in (and take out) his arm from the bucket of water until there IS a hole left…. Papa thinks this is physically possible…. the science of Physics…. just a simple theory to him… and to him…. It’s wrong

      Trade him, move on; or sit him for the year… moving his UFA window 1 year down the road

      Sens are on the right track for this rebuild; I don’t think they believe they are making playoffs this year (BT playing or not)…. it’s just an unwanted distraction

      • I agree. And if Formenton, playing in his spot (or Stutzle – depending upon who gets line 1 or line 2) blossom, they can always find a decent 3rd/4th line LW somewhere. Maybe as one part of any deal for Tkachuk.

      • Pengy, I think what Dorion is really trying to avoid is a Matthew Tkachuk situation whereas, in 3 years of bridge deal, he might have to qualify Brady at an amount that could hurt trying to form a balanced roster as others of his prospects come up for re-negotiation at the same time.

        A top heavy cap is a road to disaster as you well know with the Leafs. Some thinks it’s just fine to pay your best players the top dollars, but if that total exceeds 50% of the cap you have to hope that those used to fill out the roster don’t hurt you on the ice. The problem with that approach, however, is the ones who do contribute significantly then become beyond your capacity to pay once they reach re-negotiation. An example of that is Hyman.

        Next off-season it’s already being speculated that UFA Morgan Rielly will be beyond their capacity to pay him what he’s sure to demand, while at the same time finding enough to meet the demands of UFAs Jack Campbell and Ilya Mikheyev.

        And, what if any of their RFAs have breakout years: Ondrej Kase, Pierre Engvall, Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren?

        A $1 mil increase in the cap ain’t gonna cover all that.

        THAT is what GMs are going to have to avoid as much as they can. And that is what Dorion is doing now with the Tkachuk case.

      • Yep

        Trade him , move on, pass the headache on to a competitor…. Get at least two md six wingers’ Cap covered, for what he is asking

        I realize Canadian King hates my suggestion re Byfield (I don’t blame him)

        Comtois /Steele…. 👍👍

  6. I hope the Sens stand their ground with Tkachuk. If he doesn’t sign before Dec 1st it will hurt the Sens, but sitting the whole season will hurt Tkachuks development and future earnings more.
    Who is more stubborn, Melnyk or Tkachuk? LOL

  7. George: Teams need to establish a policy on these early contracts at the Board or owner level. Being inconsistent or battered around by individual players will bite them in the ass if they don’t.

    One reason the Leafs are in “trouble” is that there seemed not to anticipate the unintended consuequences of the Tavarres contract nor the order they approached the other 3. Dubas’s inexperience was IMO one cause of this.

    As an Sens fan you had better hope there is philosophy behind what they are doing.

    • Terence Smith, I think the philosophy in this case is driven by the knowledge that Brady is approaching this in the well-established (with daddy and big brother) “Tkachuk Way” and that there’s NO way Dorion is going to put himself and the team in the same position as that to be faced by Treveling in Calgary at the end of this season.

      I truly believe Melnyk is letting his GM handle this as he sees fit, and that, at some point, there will be a deal with a team that thinks they can negotiate their way through the demands (St. Louis?).

      Yeah, they could miss his presence, but what he’s done is open an opportunity for someone else to get those minutes and one who has seemed to stepped up his game is Alex Formenton. And don’t forget, when he is dealt it will likely be a true “hockey trade” with a quality player coming back.

  8. If the Tkachuks dig in, I also hope Ottawa digs in and makes him sit out the whole year. The Sens know they are not winning the cup this year so use the collective agreement to your favour. I am sure if Brady has to sit one full year it will make him think twice about sitting 2 years.

    • Agree totally. Either that or deal his rights to a re-building club where he can spend the next 3 seasons looking up.

      • Trade him to Anaheim for Trevor Zegras

      • Love to – but I doubt Anaheim wants any part of the headache. One way or another I believe daddy wants both boys playing for the Blues. Be interesting to see how much – if any – influence he has on the inner Blues philosophy.

    • Trade him to BUF for Eichel. If Eichel isn’t healthy and doesn’t play X amount of games this season, BUF throws in their first in the 2023 draft. Should be a good pick, they won’t trade this year’s because of Wright and they will suck. At least I wouldn’t trade it.

      BUF gets to the cap floor and a young player to fit their timeline. They have Cozens as a young C in their system along with a high pick in the upcoming draft. Maybe even #1 and Shane Wright.
      Norris and Pinto look like promising young C’s, but Eichel, if 100% healthy, is a game changing dominant C.

  9. Man the comments on here are just… gross today. Brady has every right to not want to sell his ufa years! He wants what every person would want and that is the right to choose his employer. Maximize his talent and get the most value for it.

    This stuff is the worst kind of fan treating the athletes like objects. Almost as bad as throwing things at them on the ice.

    Just…. Yuck.

    • Your opinion and you are entitled to it, Chrisms.

      Actually, hockey players don’t get the right to choose their employer – not until they hit UFA status. And the price of their “jail time” with their team is way better than any other career they will ever have.

      Now, once they prove their worth and actually demonstrate they are worth the big bucks, great. More power to them as UFAs. That’s the time when they have finished their apprenticeship and can then seek what the market will pay them.

    • The Sens, as the employer, have the right to not sign him to a contract they don’t like. This stuff is the worst kind of athlete treating the fans like objects. Almost as bad as giving the fans the bird when leaving the ice.

    • Chrisms you clearly fail to see that, under the collective agreement, negotiations work both ways. And a team has every right to take a firm stance if they feel the demands are unreasonable.

      • Sorry George, I don’t think it is fair to expect somebody to sign for 8 years if they don’t want sign that long. Not everyone wants to sell their UFA years. More money is expected to be on the table in the next 3 or 4 years and I’m sure he doesn’t want to leave money on the table.

        Brady is a unique player and I agree he has not proven himself to be a $8 million player yet, provided this is the actual number. Why not sign him to 2 yrs at a lower number and see if he is actually worth that amount.

        Or if the team hates short term, trade him. Imo there would likely be a lot of interest and the Sens could expect a great return.

        Nobody wants to have a deal rammed down their throat and it takes two parties to agree in any successful negotiation.

      • Sparky, that’s exactly what I have been saying. I never said he should be denied his right not to lock himself up for 8 years and demand a short-term instead.

        What I HAVE said is that Dorion is perfectly within his rights to stay away from the ramifications of a bridge deal if he sees cap problems ahead colliding with what he’s going to have to offer to his other top prospects who will be coming up for re-negotiation of ELC deals at the same time as he’d have to qualify Brady.

        He’s a good player – not great by any stretch – and certainly NOT indispensable. They have the ingredients to step in and play 1st and 2nd line LW in Stutzle and Formenton, And if there is a trade you know it’ll be a true hockey trade with a quality player coming back. At some position where they really need it (RW?).

      • Does anyone think that the players or owners have any concerns about how much the fans (who cover the cost of the contracts) are willing to bear ? I think ticket, parking, and concession prices are out of control here in Detroit, and I say that knowing that what we pay here is probably peanuts compared to places like Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston, and others.

      • Hi George, I am obviously not a GM but imo the Sens would likely have a bundle of good offers if they were to trade him.

        Ottawa has the right to sit him out, and no doubt the KHL is not likely to come close to an NHL salary, however this would almost certainly assure Tkachuk would be out of there ASAP

        Worst case, he would play like Dubois did in CLB the season he was traded which would not be healthy for team moral. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

      • @Iago, I agree that the prices are out of control but as long as we keep giving them our money, they will take whatever the market will bear.

        I had season tickets for years for the Wings so I know exactly what you are talking about.

        Mind you, I didn’t have to worry about parking. Parked at my business across the street from the tunnel bus stop in Windsor and took the bus to the game and back. Really cheap and zero hassle.

        And of course, I just avoided the concession stands and spent my money on food and drink after I got back home.

        I just wish I could have seen the Canucks play there more often.

        I will say I went to every Columbus/Vancouver game I could. Nice little road trip, you practically drive straight into the arena parking.

        The arena was very nice (have not gone in a few years but started going since they were first there).

        They always had incredible deals when they first started and the prices have always seemed pretty good even since then.

        And the fans? Always incredible!

        Anyone who has gone to Columbus/Vancouver has probably seen me in my Black and Gold Hockey Skate jersey with the C on the front and the number 16 on the back and the reason you might remember me is that instead of the players actual last name across the shoulders it read ‘IRONMAN.’

      • Is the Tunnel Restaurant still there? And their signature mile-high lemon pie?

      • If you mean Tunnel BBQ George, no. They closed years ago.

        They were known for there great but expensive desserts and even more famous for their ribs but to tell the truth, I never liked their ribs. Just not my style I guess. They were certainly big but they were dry. I like mine tender and falling off the bone. Fantastic BBQ sauce, though.

      • TheFlyingV – yeah, that’s the one. I used to go to the Windsor/Sarnia/Point Pelee/Pelee Island entry points a lot when I worked at Immigration, and never missed an opportunity to go there when in the area. Of course, I’ve been retired for 31 years! 🙂

      • Their problem was that most of their customers were American and after 9/11 and then the new passport laws, American clientele dried right up downtown.

        I owned several successful bars and restaurants downtown(we catered to our own local residents and not the finicky tourists) a few years before that up until just a few years ago.

        We had a great run and went out on top and I have to say I am so glad to be out of it with how the world has changed and is still changing due to this Pandemic. The government garbage was enough to deal with back then. Dealing with them now? No thank you.

        You ever get a chance to see the Spits play at the old Barn?

      • Great article, TheFlyingV. Thanks. Yes, I did take in a few games at the old arena – remember going there once in the early 1980s when the 67s was the opposition (Gary Roberts was the star at that time) mainly to catch a look at Keith Gretzky.

        I also went to games in Detroit at the old Olympia – loved the green ice.

    • The Brady impasse reminds me of the contract issues the Jets had with Trouba – there is a path both sides can move forward with that is professional and beneficial for both parties.

      Trouba held out until December, made his point, signed a bridge. Jets used their leverage as owning his ELC rights and retained them as long as they could before getting some value back in trade.

      I appreciated what Trouba had to say when his holdout ended with the signing of bridge – that in his mind ‘it was over, no hard feelings, he was happy to be a jet’. It didn’t change that we knew he would be moved, just disarmed the tension and made the path clear. I think Brady will do something similar.

    • Lj. The price of their jail time is irrelevant and is only brought up due to jealousy. Brady is literally asking to prove his worth with a bridge deal. Ottawa is refusing to let him do that.

      Kev jam. Brady isn’t treating the fans like anything. The fans are irrelevant in the negotiation. They are not his employer.

      George. His demands that I know of are not unreasonable. I have only heard numbers regarding the 8 year deal. Haven’t heard numbers for the three that Brady is asking for. Is he asking for 3 years 30 million? Or 3 years 15 million? Your ire would maybe be justified if Brady was demanding 8 years and the sens wanted 3. Then I could see it being unreasonable. What Brady is asking for in the form of a bridge is the definition of reasonable.

      • Well, you’re not the GM nor do you KNOW what his demands are. All we’ve seen is press/TV speculation. Clearly, Dorion doesn’t like what he’s hearing and, under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, he has every right to dig in HIS heels.

        When Tkachuk reaches UFA status he can dictate to his heart’s content and choose the one that meets his demands.

      • Brady isn’t asking to prove himself. Brady wants his money now and even more later. The Sens are willing to overpay Brady now in hopes that it will be a bargain in the last couple of years of the contract. Brady wants the majority of the money in signing bonuses, which is something the Sens don’t do. From what I saw on Cap Friendly, all the players the Sens signed (not traded for) don’t have a signing bonus of any kind.
        The fans aren’t irrelevant in this. Because of Brady’s greed they are missing out on seeing one of their teams star players, plus they’re missing out on seeing their best team possible play on the ice.

      • Neither do you George but you feel justified in excoriating the young man.

        And George… he is trying to do just what you suggested… reach ufa. By trying to prevent that Dorian is absolutely the bad guy here.

        I’ll change my tune if Brady’s three year contract demands come out and they are outrageous. But unless they do the rhetoric on here is really unfortunate

      • Chrisms, again that’s YOUR opinion. And since you choose to refer to OUR opinions as “gross … and just yuck” then excuse me if I, for one, regard yours as hero-worshipping butt-kissing.

        Dorion’s obligation is the TEAM as a whole – he has to look ahead at who’ll be coming up for renewal at the same time as Tkachuk’s bridge is ending, and what he’d need to qualify him at, while trying to keep a solid core intact within the confines of a hard cap.

        He is NOT bigger than the team.

      • Kev. The fans are missing out on seeing a player cause the owner won’t sign him.

        And while I remember signing bonuses being the suspicion for the hold up but now it’s apparently the desire for a bridge. Is it both? I don’t know. But if it is a signing bonus issue then that is entirely on Dorian if the fans don’t see Brady play.

      • Hero worshiping? I’m not a sens fan nor could I pick Brady out of a lineup. The only fanboy stuff here is coming from you guys. Which is unusual for you George. If his obligation was to the team he would be putting the best team on the ice. Three years is still three years. Plenty of time to figure out cap issues.

        I read about how Dorian needs to set an example. What example is he setting if alienates the rest of the players by not playing fair with Brady?

      • I have no issues with a player not signing a long term deal and waiting for the bridge. Especially in the flat cap era. Nurse did it because he thought he would keep improving because he worked his butt off. He did it and got paid.
        There was no animosity and he stayed long term.

        Now, if Brady is asking for the moon on the bridge and it includes up front $ and the poison pill qualifying offer at the end, then ya, let him sit as that is the right decision.

        We just don’t know.

        If I had to bet and this drags on the the 11th hour, Dorion’s phone will ring, just like Dubas got the call from Nylander, and how Trouba settled for less than most thought when he dragged it out. Hopefully for the Sens this gets settled sooner rather than later. I think they make some progress this year. Brady is a good, not great, player at this stage.

      • Well said ray.

      • I don’t think anyone commenting on this is ‘wrong’ per say.

        The Sens want what is best for their pocket books and Brady wants what is best for his pocket book.

        They are both exercising their rights.

        These long term contracts are just a new way of manipulating the cap. I remember when long term contracts were doled out to players who the franchise believed would be franchise players.

        That no longer seems to be the case in most of these new long term deals early in a players career.

        I honestly don’t know which approach is better, long term or bridge. It is a gamble either way.

        I can’t comment on which offer is more fair either, or at least my opinion on the subject, because I don’t know the counter offer from Brady’s camp.

      • Chrisms: what is this jealousy thing? Do you think I am jealous of Brady – or any other NHLer? Where is that coming from? You know nothing of my life, my finances, my career or my happiness index. A little petulant and presumptuous of you.

        Or, am I misinterpreting you?

        As for the negotiations, why is it that Ottawa is the one refusing, and not Brady?

        PS: It occurred to me after I made my initial comment to you that players make two choices: the first is to participate in the NHL entry draft (or accept a PTO).

        Secondly to allow themselves to be drafted by any team – or not. Players can state through their interviews with teams or via their agents if they do not want to be drafted by a particular team. This will usually influence who does pick them. So they have made at least two choices before they are drafted.

      • Jealousy thing applies to anyone who uses the athletes salaries overall to justify attacking them personally. They get paid good money cause they make the owners good money. The whole they make millions to play a sport thing is irrelevant

        To say that the nhl players have a choice in drafting and elcs is misleading. They could choose to not play in the league where they could maximize their earnings by a large margin compared to other league but it’s not really much of a choice. They can’t play in said league without signing a contract whose rules were designed by a union they had no representation in. And I have no problem with the above. But to tear a guy apart who wants to get himself to the point of self determination and get past the early years is patently unfair.

        Ottawa not only wants to hold Brady to a contract system that was unfair but also is demanding he give up some of the years that he worked in those unfair conditions to earn.

        It’s hard not to see Ottawa’s moves as circumventing the collective bargaining agreement. The owners should have negotiated for longer rfa terms if they wanted longer control.

      • And so we remain poles apart in our opinions.

        And I gather what you’re saying is, Dorion does not have the right to structure his roster as he sees fit, all within the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

        Brady is not interested in a long-term deal. Dorion is not interested in a bridge deal. How is one wrong and the other right?

        The impasse should – and will – lead to a trade.

      • I suppose that’s a good way to wrap up the debate George. A trade might be best for all (although I think signing Brady to the bridge and seeing how the sens do this and next season before exploring trade is the way to go… cause I see sens as a serious contender if they play their cards right and use the flexibility the elcs and second contracts give them).

        I always tell people that report to me that I will validate any concern they have so long as that concern comes with solutions. I think the only fair thing for players and teams would be to allow arbitration immediately after elc. But that’s irrelevant. I think it’s foolish of Dorian to not sign Brady. He still holds the power to trade him… anywhere.

        I just wish people wernt so hostile towards Brady or any other player for trying to navigate an unfair cba

    • I can see both sides, the RFA thing is there for a reason, but I do agree on that Ottawa cant just have 7-8 year deals on the table, I think he will have and should, agree to a 5 year deal but then at the right price

  10. To CGY: Tkachuk
    To OTT: Monohan & Johnny G.

    • That is so funny. Treliving would go nuts trying to negotiate with two Tkachuks. LOL

  11. Yes but it would get him to the west. I don’t want to have to face him if we ultimately move him. St. Louis, Calgary, Anaheim. Who cares. Just not Buffalo or Detroit.

    • I’d prefer San Jose, if only because every deal Ottawa has made with them has wound up blowing up in Wilson’s face. This would be no different.

  12. Would you take EK back….? I still have a soft spot for the guy. Give them Brady, Colin. Take back EK and another one of their picks. Somehow both GM’s don’t get fired from the deal LOL

    • Nooo. EK has burned his bridges. Same as I would never take Duschene back, or Hoffman.

  13. Agents and players who have no runway legally, choose to go public in an attempt to gain leverage don’t miraculously gain new rights.

    They take the chance of invoking the ire of the fan base or dumping it on the backs of ownership.

    In the cases of Eichel and Tkachuk they have managed to make two unsympathetic owners look good.

    Melnyk and Pegula “digging in their heels” are just acting within their rights while the players are acting like two year olds demanding what isn’t theirs.

    • Agents, players and owners all use the court of public opinion in negotiations to gain leverage. This is done in pro sports, public sector agreements, even with Britney Spears and her conservator legal battle with her father. Hardly new, and entirely legitimate bargaining.

      And it is not just the players who take the chance of invoking the ire of the fan base – or trying to rally their support. Kevin Adams has been banging on about doing what is right for the Sabres – surely an appeal to the fans. Nothing wrong with that either. Again, a legitimate part of bargaining.

      • Bang on, LJ.

        Use of the court of public opinion to manipulate is not exclusive to players and/or agents.

      • @FlyingV, so right.. Marie Antoinette was pretty much ruined by the court of public opinion after the Diamond Necklace Affair, in which she had no part in whatsoever .. even after the culprits were caught and charged, including someone impersonating the Queen, the people of France generally were sympathetic to those caught up in the charges instead of their Queen..

      • The actual rights of RFAs and teams are laid out in the CBA. and do not change whether negotiation is private or public, though you all might disagree with that.

        The tactic has backfired for Eichel and Tkachuk though you all might disagree with that.

        The tactic has made Melnyk and Pegula look good, though you all might disagree with that.

        If you want to argue negotiation rights, take it up with somebody else

      • “The actual rights of RFAs and teams are laid out in the CBA. and do not change whether negotiation is private or public, though you all might disagree with that.”

        Not sure what you mean by this, hf30. I don’t think anyone said anything about the actual rights changing.

        Nobody is claiming that the negotiation rights change in the court of public opinion, just that a public opinion can affect negotiations.

        All that has been said is that the court of public opinion is not exclusive to players/agents and absolutely can affect a negotiation.

        Not saying it always does, just saying that it definitely happens.

        As for the rest of what you said, you are absolutely correct. Some will agree with your opinion of each situation and some will disagree.

        Personally, I am on Eichel’s side in regards to the surgery. If it was me, I would opt for the replacement based on my own research. My priority would be my health and if I believed it was the best option for me in the long run, I would elect the one I felt best for me.

        If it was a money issue why would he not have whatever the team told him to? He’ll get paid regardless if it worked or not, right? Who cares about your future health when you have all that money, right?

        This seems like more like a personnel choice to do what he thinks is best for himself. Again though, just my take on it so I don’t see Eichel in a bad light here.

        The Sabre’s ownership has demonstrated to me that they make a lot of poor business decisions so trusting them to be the deciding vote on a medical procedure as important as this one would be a big leap of faith for me…one that I don’t think the team deserves based on their own history.

        As for the Brady situation, I have no opinion (yet) on the fairness of the offer because like I said earlier, I have no idea what the counter is or anything else about their actual exchanges or proposals. Too many unknown factors.

        I will say one thing about the Brady situation though in regards to you saying that the player/agent is using the media for this negotiation…how do you know Ottawa is not trying to use the media here? You are insinuating it is one sided but I would venture a guess that the Ottawa offer that we ‘are aware of’ was just as likely to be leaked by Ottawa using the media to negotiate by putting that info out there in order to get the public riled up.

        I don’t doubt that Brady is being difficult but I also don’t doubt that Ottawa is being difficult as well. That is the whole nature of a negotiation, to try and get the best deal you think you can and to see what each other wants and then try to find a common ground that will satisfy both parties.

  14. Some good stuff here today…. George, if I’m not mistaken, before they took the training wheels off and made the NHL, was not Formenton – Norris – Batherson, or Formenton – Pinto – Batherson a dynamite chemistry line in the AHL?

    I remember something like that, and wonder if the Sens will put them back together?

    In any case, someone throw a ham for papa Keith to go chase while Brady’s deal gets done.

    • Could be Augustus. However they form up – and assuming no Tkachuk – Norris, Batherson, Formenton, Pinto, Stutzle, Connor Brown will be the top 6 Fs.

      They just have to hope that the bottom 6 of Tierney, Paul, Kelly, Shaw, Ennis and Sanford can get that job done.

      Re Papa Keith – what’s so frustrating is the so-called “Tkachuk Way” of negotiating. Keith did it – more than once I believe – Matthew did it – so baby brother Brady has to do it as well. It’s become “a thing” unto itself.

  15. Just read all the back and forth today wrt BT

    Oddly enough, basically all have some very valid points; even in contrary stances on the issue

    We have but supposition, guesses, innuendoes etc etc as to contract offers, counter offers, stances, term, values, structure etc etc

    To me it simply comes down two sides not agreeing and no if’s and or buts, a distraction to the team and fans

    Simple… trade (to a team that is basically willing to agree to his terms)… result

    1. BT plays and gets paid; he’s happy
    2. Sens distraction vanishes đź‘Ťđź‘Ť
    3. Sens get assets (possibly already under contract) and highly likely to have at least two of those assets (mid 6 wingers?) collectively earning (Cap wise) less or about the same as BT, in 2 years; when they are beginning their windowđź‘Ťđź‘Ť
    4. BT in or out of Sens roster this year not likely to make Sens playoff contenders this year
    5. In two years, BT on another team, with Sens competing and doing well…. Regrets by Sens fans limited (if any)
    6. Sens don’t possibly set a precedent with contract terms that they’ll have to agree to for others…. Hello Jimmy (Tim) Stutzle

    Ask for Zegras, get denied; then counter with Comtois and McT; denied; finally settle on Comtois and Steele…. Comtois and Steele combined should put up more production than BT and at a much lower Cap hit

    BT has a future as winger for Zegras

    Win win