2026 Around the League | Offseason Edition

[MacKaRtin]

I’m not sure it has anything to do with the agent. Again, these non-compete clauses for coaches and management is pretty standard. It’s very likely written extremely similarly across the board.

It just so happens that there have been very few instances where an organization actually enforces the non-compete clause.

I think both Bettman and Daly made it clear that this is due to Cassidy not having the correct language in his contract, and that to me falls directly on the agent and the agency's legal department

They aren't standard coaches' contracts, and it's up to the agent to make sure the right language is there

Quoting:

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman added by saying, “When you sign, or insist on, a long-term contract, there are certain league policies and consequences on that.”

Daly said there are contracts in the NHL that would not allow for this situation to happen.

“This was not one of them,” he said.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Zero chance that’s legit. McDavid would’ve just done that now if that was the case.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[McMetal]

The behind the scenes stories I've heard about Torts remind me of an old boss I used to have. He was gruff, blunt, and did not tolerate bullshit or stupidity from anyone. But once I figured out how he operated, he was a fantastic guy. He had a VERY dark and dry sense of humor, too. He would look you dead in the eyes and tell you that the seven generations of your grandmothers were whores and he would skullf*** you to death if you made a mistake, but that was just his way of saying "Good morning". The worse he treated you, the better he liked you, and he would never bat an eye if you threw the abuse right back in his face, either. I have tons of hilarious stories about him.

He was truly a stand up guy and my favorite manager I've ever had, he just seemed like an asshole until you got to know him personally. I knew people who HATED him, but they either misunderstood him, or just sucked at their jobs and he refused to cut them slack.

 

[Balthazar]

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[Foppa2118]

I think both Bettman and Daly made it clear that this is due to Cassidy not having the correct language in his contract, and that to me falls directly on the agent and the agency's legal department

They aren't standard coaches' contracts, and it's up to the agent to make sure the right language is there

Quoting:

If that's the case, that to me sounds like Vegas again tried to sneak something though they shouldn't have, for their own benefit, and the NHL failed to flag it and make them change it.

The league shouldn't approve a contract that doesn't let a coach seek employment if they're fired.

It should be pretty cut and dry. If a coach is fired, the team has to keep paying them until their contract ends. But they can seek employment elsewhere, and if they're hied, the prior contract is null and void, and the former team doesn't have to pay them.

This has been the unspoken way it's always been handled, but Vegas is trying to unethically handle this differently, through some kind of technicality.

If there's some kind of legalese language in the contract, that's designed to prevent this, especially if done in a sneaky way, the NHL needs to step in and make sure there's a level playing field between all coaches.

It's the agent's fault for not seeing it, but the NHL also should have stepped in. They shouldn't just be approving contracts designed to screw someone over by treating them differently than everyone else.

 

[dahrougem2]

So what will happen? The league might find that he did and then what? What can they actually do to prevent this from happening?

I honestly think this is the Oilers trying to stick it to the league re: Cassidy and Vegas. They are going to bring this piece of shit back into the league because the league allowed Vegas to block Cassidy from interviewing.

 

[Foppa2118]

Zero chance that’s legit. McDavid would’ve just done that now if that was the case.

Stauffer is the Oilers shill right? Obviously trying to put pressure on McDrai to stay. They set the expectation with fans that they're committed to the team and they'll stay. Now if they leave, they'll look like the bad guys.

 

[dahrougem2]

Stauffer is the Oilers shill right? Obviously trying to put pressure on McDrai to stay. They set the expectation with fans that they're committed to the team and they'll stay. Now if they leave, they'll look like the bad guys.

He isn't really a shill, he's actually highly, highly critical of the Oilers a lot of the time.

More often than not when he drops something like this, he has enough reason to believe it.

 

[Foppa2118]

He isn't really a shill, he's actually highly, highly critical of the Oilers a lot of the time.

More often than not when he drops something like this, he has enough reason to believe it.

The impression I've gotten in the past, is that he gets his info from the team. I've heard others state this as well. Do you think that's incorrect? You're more familiar with him than I am.

 

[dahrougem2]

The impression I've gotten in the past, is that he gets his info from the team. I've heard others state this as well. Do you think that's incorrect?

Oh he definitely gets his info from the team but he doesn't really parrot a "everything is amazing" type of message the way a typical shill would.

He rips into the team and calls staff and management out all the time despite being employed by them and fed info all the time lmao. It's a super strange relationship. My guess is they pay him in pastrami and gabagool, so they allow him to be critical.

 

[Foppa2118]

Oh he definitely gets his info from the team but he doesn't really parrot a "everything is amazing" type of message the way a typical shill would.

He rips into the team and calls staff and management out all the time despite being employed by them and fed info all the time lmao. It's a super strange relationship. My guess is they pay him in pastrami and gabagool, so they allow him to be critical.

lol at gabagool. Took me about 10 years to find out what "gabagool" was after the Sopranos, and why I couldn't find it anywhere.

 

[Foppa2118]

So what will happen? The league might find that he did and then what? What can they actually do to prevent this from happening?

I honestly think this is the Oilers trying to stick it to the league re: Cassidy and Vegas. They are going to bring this piece of shit back into the league because the league allowed Vegas to block Cassidy from interviewing.

I think you might be right.

Remember when Staples and Dreger just happened to float this idea a few weeks ago? Then Babs pretended like he wasn't interested, he was retired? Then a couple weeks later he's already met with the Oilers and some of their players?

The news about Vegas not allowing Cassidy to talk to Edmonton came out I believe on May 12th. Then the Babs stuff came out on May 20th.

 

[Foppa2118]

I bet there were a few teams that wanted to hire Babs, but didn't because they followed the NHL's lead on "ethics."

Wouldn't be surprised if the Oilers after the decision on Cassidy were like, "Oh your ethics are just for show then? You let Vegas continually do unethical things for their own benefit. Fine, we'll do things for our own benefit. Give us Babs and you can deal with the blowback too."

 

[Balthazar]

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[Balthazar]

What the f*** did he do?

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

What the f*** did he do?

 

[AllAboutAvs]

View attachment 1252461

Well.....you are not much help, aren't you?

 

[Foppa2118]

This whole situation is so stupid.

Vegas fires Cassidy and refuses to let him talk to Edmonton.

The NHL approves this based on some kind of language in the contact they never should have allowed.

Edmonton gets pissed and starts using insiders to float the idea of hiring Babcock.

The NHLPA tells the NHL to start the investigation they never did on Babcock.

The NHL then starts using insiders to tell everyone that there's some bad stuff they know about Babcock they haven't told anyone, worse than the phone stuff, and that if Babcock withdraws, they won't do the investigation. Implying they won't release the info.

Meaning, the league has been essentially covering up what Babcock did, and is telling Babs they will continue the cover up if he doesn't try to coach again. But Vegas is allowed to prevent the employee they fired from seeking new employment.

Everyone is acting shady and doing unethical things for their own benefit. Humanity 2026.

 

[dahrougem2]

This whole situation is so stupid.

Vegas fires Cassidy and refuses to let him talk to Edmonton.

The NHL approves this based on some kind of language in the contact they never should have allowed.

Edmonton gets pissed and starts using insiders to float the idea of hiring Babcock.

The NHLPA tells the NHL to start the investigation they never did on Babcock.

The NHL then starts using insiders to tell everyone that there's some bad stuff they know about Babcock they haven't told anyone, worse than the phone stuff, and that if Babcock withdraws, they won't do the investigation. Implying they won't release the info.

Meaning, the league has been essentially covering up what Babcock did, and is telling Babs they will continue the cover up if he doesn't try to coach again. But Vegas is allowed to prevent the employee they fired from seeking new employment.

Everyone is acting shady and doing unethical things for their own benefit. Humanity 2026.

According to Oilers reporters, Babcock has supposedly divulged to the management and core players what this "other stuff" is and they are fully fine with moving ahead and hiring him.

Again, to me the Oilers are telling the league to f*** off and basically stop favouring the Vegas Golden Knights by doing this and potentially hiring Babcock.

I don't care for the Oilers and think Babcock has long been overrated, but good on them. F*** Vegas and f*** Gary for always catering to them.

 

[LOFIN]

The NHL approves this based on some kind of language in the contact they never should have allowed.

Well, that's on Cassidy's agent. There is no CBA for coaches, they are individual contracts between the coach and the club. League is not involved. And each of these contracts has different language attached to it, because they are obviously individual contracts, not standardized.

I could swear I heard in some pod (can't even remember who said it let alone the pod), that one coach had a clause in that he has to actively search for a job if the club relieves him, because they want to get out of that contract. Or something like that.

My reaction to this whole Cassidy saga has been up and down. At first I was on Vegas's side, because I thought Cassidy was just worried about having his money, and thus not resigning and going for an interview as a free agent. Then, I learn that he actually can't do that. Or rather he can, but because of the non-competes written in his contract, it still won't allow him to coach anywhere else. I was pissed for him. And now I'm basically at the point where I've come around that it's completely understandable that clubs have these non-competes written in the contract, so that coaches can't just quit for another team.

I just think that's it's excessive that Vegas can keep him out of coaching for over a year. That's on Cassidy for signing that contract, and on North American laws that allow such non-competes to be written in contracts. That type of length is just excessive IMO.

 

[Foppa2118]

Well, that's on Cassidy's agent. There is no CBA for coaches, they are individual contracts between the coach and the club. League is not involved. And each of these contracts has different language attached to it, because they are obviously individual contracts, not standardized.

I could swear I heard in some pod (can't even remember who said it let alone the pod), that one coach had a clause in that he has to actively search for a job if the club relieves him, because they want to get out of that contract. Or something like that.

My reaction to this whole Cassidy saga has been up and down. At first I was on Vegas's side, because I thought Cassidy was just worried about having his money, and thus not resigning and going for an interview as a free agent. Then, I learn that he actually can't do that. Or rather he can, but because of the non-competes written in his contract, it still won't allow him to coach anywhere else. I was pissed for him. And now I'm basically at the point where I've come around that it's completely understandable that clubs have these non-competes written in the contract, so that coaches can't just quit for another team.

I just think that's it's excessive that Vegas can keep him out of coaching for over a year. That's on Cassidy for signing that contract, and on North American laws that allow such non-competes to be written in contracts. That type of length is just excessive IMO.

I disagree.

The agent is at fault for not catching the clause in the contract, but writing in some language that prevents a fired employee from seeking employment, when this language isn’t in any other contract, is something that is well within the scope of what the league can, and should disallow, when they submit the contract for approval.

They just didn’t care. The NHL just lets Vegas play by their own rules.

 

[LOFIN]

when this language isn’t in any other contract

According to several people, it absolutely is in pretty much every coach's contracts. The difference is, that nobody else will enforce that after firing the coach, because they want to get out of that salary obligation. Vegas on the other hand is doing it, either because they really want to take advantage of a competitive edge by keeping Cassidy from working, or the owner has a big personal issue with Cassidy and wants to keep him from working.

And again, they don't submit these contracts to the league. The contract between the coach and the club is only between them. This is different from the players, who have a CBA, and they are basically contracted to the league, not to the individual clubs.