Key commentary in there validating that agents and other coaches are ticked at him because he is messing up the con for everyone else. They can't get as much of a fleecing of the billionaire owners if those owners can hold up Rod as an example comparable and Rod is ruining crazy raises (and agent fees!!!) for other coaches getting new contracts.
It happens just as much with the players. Don't you dare take a discounted rate. You will mess up the arbitration for all the other players who will have your contract used against them. No you can't take 5m aav from the Canes to leave room for them to load up their team under the cap. You need to sign this deal with a crappy team in Chicago for $9.25 x 8 to reset the rates for RFA defenseman that will be used for Nurse in Edmonton and Dougie in NJ. Your team doesn't want you. They were insulting you with their offer. They only offered you the salary they did because they thought you were a chump who would take it. They don't value you. Stick with me and I will show you the love so I can also get 3 more clients a boat anchor of a contract and I can pocket the fees off it. Who cares if you have to suffer 5 seasons of pitiful results and non stop losing. They will love you and value you in Chicago or NJ for that $9M+ and you can enjoy the extra money to offset the constant losing and not making the playoffs. Get with the program buddy. This is how the NHL works. You will do what us agents and your fellow players want or pay the price with planted stories and bad PR.....
ETA.... now having said that, don't want to make it seem I don't understand and tip a cap to the guys that play the media game and say all the "right" things about the team they are with and wanting to get it done, while behind the scenes telling te agent to get them every single last penny possible. They earned that right based on their unions hard negotiated CBA terms. And if they want to earn every penny they can because most careers are super short and they need to earn it while they can before they are cutoff and have to love the rest of their lives off their time in the show and generations after them will benefit, go for it. All the best to them as that is their right as a players. My loyalties are to a team and that is in direct conflict with a player wanting to get every penny and moving on to do it as the hard cap prevents everyone getting paid what they can get on the open market. So as a fan I want the hometown discounts so the owner doesn't pocket the savings but rather uses it to their advantage to build a better overall team than the hard cap might otherwise have allowed. But respect to those that want to use their negotiated rights to their max benefit...