Player Power Reshapes NHL Landscape
The trade that sent Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers is part of the new NHL, where players have never had more power, according to columnist Steve Simmons. The inmates are now running the asylum in the National Hockey League, with general managers becoming bystanders to circumstances beyond their control.
Players who shook hands on deals, accepted huge bonuses, signed long-term contracts, and happily negotiated no-movement clauses are suddenly plotting their way out of town. This trend is exemplified by Tkachuk in Ottawa, Dylan Larkin in Detroit, Quinn Hughes in Vancouver, and potentially Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg.
Captains Abandoning Ship
Tkachuk was the captain in Ottawa; Larkin is still captain in Detroit; Hughes was captain in Vancouver. Hockey looks at the 'C' in an almost imaginary big-picture way, believing it's far more meaningful than it actually is. When a player wants out, it's one thing, but when a captain wants out from a team hoping to contend, it may be the greatest indictment of the internal situation.
The Ottawa Senators didn't win a playoff game in being swept by the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes back in April. They scored five goals in four playoff games. Tkachuk started the series with a meaningless opening face-off fight but had no goals and no assists in the series.
Senators' Return Questioned
Now the Senators, looking like a team on the rise, don't have their captain or their leader. The Senators today are not nearly as good as they were yesterday, and they weren't good enough yesterday. General manager Steve Staios picked up a boatload of draft picks from Florida in the deal for Tkachuk, the last two being choices you might not see until 2031. Simmons questions how that helps the team now.
Simmons argues that trading Tkachuk to the very smart Florida Panthers without getting back a player of substance is a loss. If Florida says no to Carter Verhaeghe, the Senators should say no to the trade. You can't lose a Tkachuk, in a deal orchestrated by himself and agent Craig Oster, and not have a body to plug into the lineup.
Players Outsmarting Management
Steve Yzerman is probably more methodical and certainly more stubborn than Staios. Unless the market is completely dry, there should be a place for Larkin on about 25 different NHL teams, assuming the man who agreed to a no-trade arrangement is willing to broaden his expectations.
Players have snookered the GMs and owners. When they accept their big bonus on signing day — $10 million for the newest Maple Leaf, Darren Raddysh — they say this is where they always wanted to play. They agree to a no-movement clause, and the team thinks they have the guy for life. Then later, somebody determines they don't want to play in Ottawa, Detroit, or Vancouver and will accept a trade only to a city or team of their choice.
Lost Leadership in Ottawa
Not all that long ago, Brady Tkachuk was the face and voice of the Ottawa Senators. He was the player you couldn't stop watching, saying rhetorically, 'Follow me, kids, and I'll guide you to big places.' Now he's off to the two-time Stanley Cup champions in Florida, playing with his brother Matthew, playing with a team that understands what it is to win. Traded away for hope, but not a single player the Senators can insert in their lineup.
Simmons concludes that you lose those trades every time you make them when you give up the best player. The great Sam Pollock always said that, and would probably have told Brady Tkachuk to shut up, do your job, and fulfill your contractual obligations. Not a lot of Sam Pollocks or Lou Lamoriellos are around anymore in a player-friendly NHL, where players insist upon no-trade arrangements but only until the day they decide they want to leave.
