Could More Teams Start Negotiating Through the Media Like the Old Days

Will More Teams Use the Media to Negotiate Deals with Top Players?

Elliotte Friedman was on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Morning Skate with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick for his regular Wednesday appearance. He was asked if, given the way things played out with Jeremy Swayman and now Igor Shesterkin, more teams could start negotiating through the media like they did years ago.

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions

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Gord Stellick: “So Friedge the way Carter Verheaghe, his contract got announced last night is the way we’re used to, kind of quiet, and the team comes up with an announcement. So first of all, we have Jeremy Swayman situation, now Shesterkin all in a couple weeks.

Now, are we getting back to the old-fashioned style about bringing it to the media, which we would welcome? It’s been dead for decades. But what have you made about these getting, whether it’s leaked out or very public and tactically, how that’s worked or doesn’t work?”

Elliotte Friedman: “Well, I would say this, Gordo, as a media member, I don’t have a problem with things getting out publicly. It’s kind of tough for me to argue otherwise. I understand why people don’t like it, who are directly involved in it. I do respect that, but I as a media member, I don’t mind.

Look the Boston one, the Cam Neely one, Gordy, that was strategic. They put out, they trotted out Neely that day with, with Don Sweeney and Charlie Jacobs and Jim Montgomery. The Bruins had a plan that day, and Cam Neely had a plan that day, and on one level, it worked like he forced Jeremy Swayman to make a decision.

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This one yesterday is a little bit different. First of all, it was a report, and it was a good report by Kevin. Like any reporter would like to be front-facing on that one. So, it’s a good day for him. I would say that one seemed to be a bit more destructive, for lack of a better term.

I would think that you know the fact that it like, the thing about Neely is whether you like it or hate it. He got right out there himself, put himself in front of the microphones and put a face and a name to it. One of the challenges I see in this moment is, you know, Shesterkin is probably annoyed. The people around him are probably annoyed.

And I think that, I think there’s a situation where, because there’s no face to it. It kind of gets out. You can see how that kind of just, you know, throws a bit of a wrench into the whole thing. And, you know, the guy whose tweet I looked at last night was the guy who’s probably the most connected to the Rangers is Larry Brooks.

And when he’s saying he doesn’t understand what the Rangers motivations would be to do this kind of saying that he doesn’t think it was necessarily theirs. I just think when he’s writing that it’s like Gordie, he knows that this is not a good thing, and so as we saw with Swayman everybody can cool down after a couple of days and relax and find a way to work it all out.

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We’ll see what happens here. But in the moment, those things, as you know, Gordie, from your days in the front office, they’re not well received.”

Stellick: “Right?”