NHL Lists Tampering Penalties, Sends Huge Warning to Teams

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has issued a stern reminder to general managers about the league’s strict stance on tampering with pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs). During a recent meeting, Daly emphasized that any discussions with UFAs before the official free agency period opens on July 1 are prohibited and could result in severe penalties.

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According to Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada, the NHL sent out a memo warning not just general managers and players, but also team employees like coaches and other people who worked in the front office. They reminded everybody of the potential tampering penalties if you are caught. Those potential consequences include substantial fines and the forfeiture of draft picks. For teams, it could be up to $5 million in fines, the loss of the player being signed, and forfeiture of draft picks, with some penalties potentially going to the clubs that these players were leaving.

For the players who get caught talking to teams before they are supposed to, it could mean up to $1 million in fines and suspension or expulsion.

The NHL Is Clamping Down On Teams and Players Who Don’t Care Enough to Hide This

Realistically, there’s almost no way to guarantee tampering doesn’t take place. What the NHL is trying to do is get control over the optics and how blatant some teams and players are about clearly violating the rules. The understanding is that players under team control elsewhere can’t and shouldn’t talk to new teams until they are officially permitted to do so. Daly noted his discomfort with reports in the media suggesting that some teams may have engaged in early negotiations with UFAs. He’s trying to get a handle on things as both sides continue to push the boundaries without having their hands slapped.

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This warning comes as more and more players sign within minutes of the opening of the free agency process, and after the NHL removed the grace period for UFAs to talk to teams. By cracking down on tampering, the NHL aims to ensure a level playing field for all 32 teams.

What will really make a difference is when a team or a player gets caught and harshly penalized. Teams might then learn.

With free agency being a critical period for roster building, teams will have to tread carefully in their pursuit of top talent. Perhaps like LTIR and players coming back just in time to play in the postseason with no cap penalty, this could be tough to prove. Still, the NHL wants everyone to know they’re watching. Violations could significantly impact both their finances and their future draft capital.

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