Players are refusing to sign with one NHL team because of how they treat their players

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Josh tupper
July 14, 2022 (5:30 PM)

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Certain teams around the NHL have a reputation for treating their players extremely well, while others have developed a reputation for having a lack of respect and appreciation for their players. While the Vegas Golden Knights were once a location sought after by Free Agents, that is reportedly no longer the case.

After the way the Golden Knights handled the Marc-Andre Fleury situation, Alex Pietrangelo signing and now the Max Pacioretty trade, players are now hesitant to signing in Vegas. According to multiple NHL Executives, Vegas takes the "it's a business" motto to an extremely level.

A "large number" of players around the league have taken notice on how the Golden Knights conduct business, and refuse to play for them.

According to several NHL executives, most believe that Vegas is disrespectful to their own, and take the motto "it's a business" to an absurd level.

These claims have been confirmed by an article by The Athletic where an NHL Player Agent shared the following.

Vegas treats you great until they dont. They've gone from the team of opportunity, the 'golden misfits' or whatever, to the 'evil empire. As an agent, you have to warn your guy that he's expendable as soon as his salary doesn't fit with the plan. Look at what happened with (Marc-Andre) Fleury. I think as long as they win they'll avoid problems, but if they have a losing season, watch out.

This reputation will make it much more difficult for the Golden Knights to ice a competitive team going forward. So this creates the question, should teams treat players like commodities?