Maple Leafs Tampering Case Under Investigation Involving Tyler Bertuzzi's Odd Departure
The NHL has begun investigating several contracts around the league, and former Maple Leafs player Tyler Bertuzzi is under scrutiny now for how he left the team.
What had so far made the NHL's approach to free agency unique was fundamentally based on not having in place a developed system by which to allow the advancement of negotiations between teams and players in advance.
Without a "negotiation window," it's chaos at times, with teams scrambling to assess options and players suddenly relocating, sometimes across countries.
It's not fair to the teams and the players, but that's just how everything works. Predictably, teams are going to cheat, and there's going to be backroom talking where the league just winks and looks away; on occasions, though, if these happenings come into the open, it's a whole different case, it blows its lid off, trying to appear in control.
This recent saga of Tyler Bertuzzi and the Chicago Blackhawks just embodies that tension.
As Elliotte Friedman of '32 Thoughts' indicated, citing warnings by the NHL lately over investigations into contracts, it would seem as though this could signal a clampdown on backroom discussions.
He did, however, acknowledge that such discussions are a "necessary evil" considering the current system.
What it says to me is the league is looking to punish someone who is overly blatant or not careful (and let's face it, many teams are just as guilty as the agents). But, the league doesn't need a complaint to act. When Toronto signed John Tavares, it was investigated - and cleared - without the Islanders asking."
- Elliotte Friedman
Other leagues have a period of free agency when formal negotiations let them gauge interest for players and teams alike, with no real surprises.
In contrast, the NHL version puts a free agent mainly in limbo, almost always not sure if they are going to get a number of offers or no offers whatsoever, a very difficult way to manage careers and futures.
Another NHL insider, Pierre LeBrun, indicated that Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly called the discussions a violation of league rules at the GM meetings this week.
Daly said that everybody knows tampering usually is frowned upon, but this summer really pushed the envelope.
The NHL has an awfully easy call to make: either establish a negotiation period or, alternatively, acknowledge the unsavory reality of tampering.
In a league touting parity, such rigid adherence to its position would deny the players what others take for granted: namely, the ability to make an educated decision regarding career and family. It is just one more mismanaged situation by the leadership of the NHL.
