Elliotte Friedman Reveals the NHL is Threatening Huge Penalties for League Tampering

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River Hawk
December 1, 2024 (5:22 PM)

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As the intensity of the NHL ramps up, Elliotte Friedman revealed that the league has made it clear they will hold those working outside the rules accountable.

The NHL, barreling forward as a modern capital enterprise, has teams and players that find loopholes, and others that simply break the rules.

However, in the fallout of a trade availability rumor with the New York Rangers, the league is reportedly cracking down on tampering regulation violators.

In a recent edition of Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman detailed how word spread that Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba were options for the team, ultimately creating a firestorm in the league.

"They sent out a note this week saying that Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba could be available, if teams were interested, to contact The Rangers, and it got out and the public fallout was massive."

Freidman continued, sharing that teams interested in these players were looking into what sort of trade deal the New York team would consider, particularly considering both players' no-trade clauses.

Following The Rangers' attempts to cool and control the situation, the NHL shared a not-so-subtle memo, reminding teams and employees of the consequences of tampering.

"Earlier this week, the NHL sent out a memo. You'll remember, at the GM meetings, they warned teams about tampering. They didn't like how July first went last year with a bunch of signs right announced right afternoon, and also they warned about not only players, but teams' employees, like coaches, and managers; other people who worked in the front office, and they said they reminded everybody these are the potential tampering penalties if you are caught for teams or individuals, so they are trying to tell people 'you get caught, we are going to punish you.'"

According to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, teams can face up to $5 million in fines, contract terminations, and forfeiture of draft picks and assets to the impacted team, while individuals can face $1 million in fines and potential expulsion.

Despite no indications of particular culprits, Daly's comments on contract reports and reminders imply there may be some punishment ahead somewhere in the league.

Until any additional revelations, hopefully, the NHL's warnings do not fall on deaf ears.