About the recent talk of American players demanding trades... Isn't it a good thing?

[PistolPete]

I mean thats part of being famous. It's happening for the World Cup right now. There's a reason why they all make less.

Hockey players make less?

 

[Melrose Munch]

Hockey players make less?

Than the other sports, yeah. A lot less

 

[PistolPete]

Than the other sports, yeah. A lot less

Ok.

But it's not as if they don't do any promoting for the league so not sure where you're going with this.

 

[nucks88]

They really should just f***ing cap the amount of full NMC a team can have 2F/1D/1G thats it. We all know these stupid GM's need saving from themselves anyways so just pull the band aid off when the next contract expires between the NHLPA and the NHL comes up.

Better yet, NMCs and NTCs are voided if you request a trade….if you squeeze out one of those clauses and then want to bugger off, f*** you….you will go where the team can recoup the best assets…..

 

[koivalev]

I think, hopefully without wading too heavily into politics, that the intersection of rising nationalism and most American players coming from fairly well off, conservative families likely plays a role in it.

As OP said though, well-managed teams with ownership willing to get out of the way helps a lot as well (looking at you Aquilini)

 

[Melrose Munch]

Ok.

But it's not as if they don't do any promoting for the league so not sure where you're going with this.

They do events, these are small time and dont have the reach. They also dont do enough of them clearly given the ratings. Im not even sure what events they do.

 

[SammySalo]

A much more boring truth is that the NHL is becoming more like the NBA, where star players leverage their power to team up and try to win it all. All the recency bias "tax advantage" talk is silly when the Oilers have been B2B SCF finalists thanks to two generational players sticking together, the Wild are now seen as one of the powerhouses after the Hughes trades and teams like the Kings and Rangers continue to be destinations despite their recent shittastic management.

The politics talk is also silly. Canada openly provides financial and logistical support for Ukraine against Russia, while even under Trump the US continues to provide their own share of help. It has not stopped Russian players from signing and playing in the NHL. Players look out for their careers first and foremost, not optics in social media.

The Larkin situation was a reminder it's not about "Americans in Canada". It just so happened that we've had a string of Canadian teams on the downswing from poor management, that also had their best players and/or captain be American (Hughes/Gaudreau/Tkachuk/Hellebuyck/Matthews). Caulfield definitely isn't leaving Montreal any time soon, and even Kyle Connor is not exactly beating the drums over in Winnipeg.

 

[Strangle]

For Canadian teams, has drafting, signing and trading for American players become the uncertainty that bringing in Russians used to have in the 80’s?

I think if it is it simplifies things and Canadian teams can focus on Canadians, Russians, Finn’s, Swede’s, etc

 

[Adam da bomb]

Players will always want to play for well-run organizations, and flee poorly-run organizations. It just so happens that there are a few basket cases among Canadian teams right now. Montreal's doing fine, because it's well run. Toronto, Vancouver, arguably Edmonton and Calgary, are not. Jury is out on Ottawa for me. Winnipeg kept its stars through their highly competitive period. Now that they are teetering, lost their beloved coach, and had a poor year, the facade might be cracking a bit.

Are there some advantages in places like Sunrise, Tampa, Las Vegas, Dallas? Sure. The weather and the tax situations are balmy. They're also among the best managed organizations in the NHL.

But does being places players want to play make it easier to be well managed?

You can be more cutthroat if you have free agents coming in. You don’t need to be seen to be as loyal and hold onto players after their best before dates when you know organization loyalty isn’t the only thing attracting players or getting them to stay. You can give players less say about who they play with.
No one has you on their ntc. Even when jets were at the best they were limited who would block trades to wpg, who would sign.

All things we are defining as well managed.

 

[Mattilaus]

It's funny reading this thread and then comparing the people saying the trade requests are a good thing and their teams vs. the people who say they aren't and their teams.

Absolute shocker than fans of like the 5-8 teams, that always get traded players and free agent signings, say it is a good thing. I'm sorry but spending an extra billion to pamper these players isn't going to stop them from requesting a trade out of Winnipeg when they get hit in the face with -30 degrees and lose 40% of their pay to taxes. It's a joke that a bunch of you don't think this is the real problem and that the REAL problem is just the players "aren't getting treated well enough" or some such garbage.

 

[newfy]

Theres nothing good about the NHL becoming more like the NBA at all. And its honestly an entitled generation coming through the US program right now that's doing it.

Having a guy like Larkin, wearing the C, signing a huge contract and then thinking its cool to provide a 3 team list with 2 teams that are asset free basically is horrible for the league. An Olympic team having a group chat where they're basically all colluding where they should team up to try to win a cup is the most NBA thing I've heard

But its REALLY pathetic when a guy like Rutger McGroarty thinks hes fine to force a trade at his age/experience level. The guys a solid AHL player and prospect with no issue forcing a trade.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Something I've been thinking about since Friedman mentioned a few weeks ago that there will be more than one trade request this summer coming out of the American Olympian camp (and from other players too)... It's a net good for the league and even those teams losing those players like Helleybuck, B Tkachuk, etc.

We see how badly many Canadian teams have been run: the Oilers, the Canucks, the Leafs most notably. Isn't it a good thing that top players are demanding a change of scenery? It will reinforce better practice and punish bad practice, it will hold a mirror up to the badly run teams to reflect on why they squandered their time with eg. Quinn Hughes.

Bad teams should feel repurcussions for being crappily run and not trying their best!

My own team is the Habs and we all know how many mistakes and self-serving excuses Montreal had for its misfortunes and "bad luck" with FAs and players and with assembling a team over the years. Now there seems to be better management and those excuses don't come up. Funny that good players commit to stay in Montreal despite the weather and taxes now, isn't it? The lack of palm trees in Buffalo don't seem to matter as much either now that they're better run either.

So do you also think it would be good if, Caufield and Hutson want out?

 

[Golden_Jet]

That's just your vision of what a contract means. In high-level European football, which in terms of money is much more competitive than hockey, most players are sold while still under contract, or re-negotiate their contract for a pay increase with years still remaining on it. Just because a "contractual agreement" means a certain thing under the honor code of yours, doesn't actually make it so. Players are perfectly within their rights to negotiate any number of different outcomes with the leverage they have.

For starters, if teams don't want to deal with it, they shouldn't be giving out no-trade/no-move clauses like they mean nothing.

European contracts in a different sport have zero to do with NHL contracts,

 

[Breakers]

I agree with it

I have no problem with Hughes asking for trade
As Vancouver is SH)T run organization, and my fellow nuck fans act like he had to suffer through it.

The Larkin trade exposes that it isn’t limited to Canadian teams as that is his home town team and even he is sick of ineptitude

 

[Lt Dan]

Well this Larkin request proves that even poorly run American teams aren't safe from this sort of stuff.

Indeed and let's also remember three players requested trades from the LA Kings last season

 

[Mubiki]

Theres nothing good about the NHL becoming more like the NBA at all. And its honestly an entitled generation coming through the US program right now that's doing it.

Having a guy like Larkin, wearing the C, signing a huge contract and then thinking its cool to provide a 3 team list with 2 teams that are asset free basically is horrible for the league. An Olympic team having a group chat where they're basically all colluding where they should team up to try to win a cup is the most NBA thing I've heard

But its REALLY pathetic when a guy like Rutger McGroarty thinks hes fine to force a trade at his age/experience level. The guys a solid AHL player and prospect with no issue forcing a trade.

Ironically, most people miss why the NBA is the way it is. The problem in the NBA is that star players don't actually make enough money, which sounds absurd, but it is the truth.

In the NBA you can only pay a player a certain max percentage of your cap. This actually prevents the truly elite players from getting true market value, which is exactly the thing that provides the space for multiple star players to team up together. They have destroyed their ONLY incentive not to do this.

 

[AquiliniHurtsMySoul]

Another one.

 

[Ezekial]

How on earth is a team who made two consecutive finals and made rhr PO the following year a horribly run franchise?

Which of Chiarelli, Ken Holland, and Stan Bowman was/is running things well in Edmonton?

 

[PistolPete]

I think, hopefully without wading too heavily into politics, that the intersection of rising nationalism and most American players coming from fairly well off, conservative families likely plays a role in it.

As OP said though, well-managed teams with ownership willing to get out of the way helps a lot as well (looking at you Aquilini)

How do you know they come from conservative families?

 

[PistolPete]

Which of Chiarelli, Ken Holland, and Stan Bowman was/is running things well in Edmonton?

Remember those two Cup finals I mentioned? The fact thst they made the PO this year as well?

Your rhetorical question didn't address it.

 

[PistolPete]

Ironically, most people miss why the NBA is the way it is. The problem in the NBA is that star players don't actually make enough money, which sounds absurd, but it is the truth.

In the NBA you can only pay a player a certain max percentage of your cap. This actually prevents the truly elite players from getting true market value, which is exactly the thing that provides the space for multiple star players to team up together. They have destroyed their ONLY incentive not to do this.

Isn't the NHL max 15 or 20 percent of team cap?

 

[Heldig]

For Canadian teams, has drafting, signing and trading for American players become the uncertainty that bringing in Russians used to have in the 80’s?

I think if it is it simplifies things and Canadian teams can focus on Canadians, Russians, Finn’s, Swede’s, etc

It is a growing issue.

Interesting to watch if the players association takes a step back on the NMC stuff. Is it in the best interest of all the players if the stars can force their way to a small choice of teams?

 

[EpochLink]

Hellebuyck is next

 

[dahrougem2]

I'd argue the 'American factor' is much, MUCH worse than the 'Russian factor' ever was and Canadian teams now have to avoid drafting any Americans with high picks.

Depth players are fine, they don't have this luxury of demanding out and accepting only 3-4 teams. Stars? Not so much.

First it was Matthew Tkachuk (and to a lesser extent Johnny Gaudreau), then Quinn Hughes, now Brady Tkachuk.

I'll bet before next summer we see both Connor Hellebuyck and Auston Matthews demand trades, with an outside possibility of Kyle Connor, too.

 

[PistolPete]

For Canadian teams, has drafting, signing and trading for American players become the uncertainty that bringing in Russians used to have in the 80’s?

I think if it is it simplifies things and Canadian teams can focus on Canadians, Russians, Finn’s, Swede’s, etc

Canadians don't even want to play in Canada