Former New York Rangers GM exposes the league for breaking the rules
NHL free agency was absolute chaos in 2024, but after deals got signed suspiciously quickly, some people are calling out the league for tampering.
For some time now, many people around the NHL have assumed that tampering is a major issue, but because it is so rampant, it's simply not called out by anyone within the league. Now, former New York Rangers GM Neil Smith has called out the situation, noting that tampering is an issue in plain sight that is simply being ignored by those around the league.
"I was out at the NHL draft in Las Vegas, talked to a lot of hockey people, and they tell me that the tampering with the upcoming free agents is just rampant in the league. There's ways to get around the tampering rules by talking to the agents through a third party or whatever you want to do.
The problem... there isn't a whistleblower in the league because everybody is doing it.
The problem... there isn't a whistleblower in the league because everybody is doing it.
Smith is one of the more connected people around the game of hockey, but the fact that he knows exactly what is going on should be a warning sign for the league, as the constant tampering isn't a good look, even if it brings plenty of excitement on free agency day.
Simply put, this is just something no one within the league talks about because everyone benefits from it, but for fans that miss out on free agents due to tampering, it may become a major issue moving forward.
Source: Hockey Feed
Former NHL GM calls out teams for tampering in free agency.
Former NHL GM calls out teams for tampering in free agency.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 6 | 174 ANSWERS Former New York Rangers GM exposes the league for breaking the rules Do the NHL need to crack down on tampering? | ||
| Yes | 144 | 82.8 % |
| No | 30 | 17.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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