Don Waddell and Canes have potentially broken NHL rules

​Tension on the rise! Rumours are heating up the already fiery saga!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Don Waddell and Canes have potentially broken NHL rules
Zuma Press

Earlier today, we explained in a previous article that the Carolina Hurricanes might have gotten an unfair advantage when it comes to the offer sheet they tended to Montreal Canadiens centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi. 

That’s because a rumour has surfaced from a report by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that the Canes were able to come out with a strong offer sheet after they negotiated a long-term contract. On top of that, former NHL enforcer and now radio host Georges Laraque also reported that there is a secret deal in place between the Canes and Kotkaniemi, a deal that would come with a $4 million annual salary. 

While none of this has been confirmed, it prompted some insiders to wonder if the Hurricanes were breaking NHL rules with this strategy. Vocal insider Larry Brooks of the New York Post commented this: 

“So if Carolina has a multi-year extension at a $4M AAV ready to go for Kotkaniemi on 1/1 that the player’s camp has likely committed to, is that not circumvention?”

Habs reporter Andrew Zadarnowski attempted to make sense of all this and answered the following explanation to Brooks: 

“Technically, Kotkaniemi is a member of the Hurricanes reserve list after signing the offer sheet, and until the Habs match, so they can negotiate an extension during this window. They can’t officially sign the extension on a one-year deal until later in the year.”

If the Canadiens do not match and let Kotkaniemi go to Carolina on this offer sheet, we should expect this long-term secret contract to come out in January 2022. 

It’s hard to see if the Hurricanes indeed broke the rules here… 

The Canadiens have until tomorrow around 5h30pm ET to match the offer sheet the Hurricanes tended to Kotkaniemi. 

Many believe the Habs will let him go, but you have to wonder now if the NHL will need to investigate deeper into this… 

Source: Twitter