Multiple Toronto Maple Leafs prospects become free agents
Behind everything at the end of the day, hockey is a business. Most of the time fans are only able to see the positive side of things. However, today fans were given a look behind the curtain of the darker side of the business. After weeks of negotiating appears that the worst has come to fruition as the Toronto Maple Leafs ECHL affiliate has officially shut their doors.
News began to leak last week that the team was in financial trouble and current ownership had defaulted on multiple loans. The league had worked hard to to find a solution and rectify this situation. Today however, it appears that no solution was to be found and the league was forced to shutter the doors for the team.
According to Maxime Truman, over the last hour, the team has notified other teams in the league that their players will officially become free agents.
EXCLUSIVE! The @NLGrowlers have indicated to other ECHL teams that their players will become free agent later today. #TheEnd
Multiple reports earlier this week claimed that the league was working to find a way to ensure these players were paid until the end of the season. With players having the option to become free agents, some players will likely find new homes, while others will be forced to evaluate their living situation is not an option and could bring a premature end to their season.
For anyone who follows the ECHL they understand just how hard these players work and a situation like this is truly heartbreaking. As these warriors continue to try to and play the game they love. They are now faced with a neglectful owner who has decided to put these players in a terrible position.
| POLL | ||
Should NHL teams be forced to own their minor league affiliates? | ||
| Yes, that would prevent this from happening | 123 | 64.4 % |
| No, I support private ownership | 30 | 15.7 % |
| I don't know enough to say | 38 | 19.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
