Trade Demands and Free Agency: How the NHL is Being Run By Its' Players

We saw the flashes of it early last season when the defending champion Anaheim Ducks were handcuffed by indifferent returning stars.

We saw what Ray Emery's attitude did to the Ottawa Senators last season.

We started to get a taste of this past offseason when Alexander Radulov up and left without any forewarning to his NHL organization.

Like their professional brethren in throughout baseball, basketball, and football, NHL athletes have decided that they are seemingly above their team's decisions and that it's themselves who in fact control the destiny of the NHL and it's teams.

Years ago, teams would determine if you had a job or not, when, where, and if you would be traded, and whether you would play 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes a night.

As time moved on however, players decided they need more pull in matters affecting them. All of the sudden superstars started demanding trades, players on the brink of stardom started to pine for more ice time, and backup goalies discontent with their role would tell their employers "play me or trade me".

While we scratched are heads and muttered under our breath at these outrageous claims by these pampered prima-donnas, they continually got what they want, using any means at their disposal.

While some would allow their performance to drop-off drastically and some would refuse to play at all, others played the two biggest cards up their sleeve perfectly to saunter their way to achieving their demands: The media and the fans--both of which go hand in hand.

As professional sports grew in popularity (and money-garnering prospects) from the 1970's to the 1980's to the 1990's, the media grew with it. Granted the idea of a team winning a Superbowl on a last-second field goal wasn't as headline grabbing as a war or a high-profile resignation as Chairman of a multi-billion dollar company (yet), but it was something that you could put in the paper, and grab a handful of customers just at the mere mention of the words "sports section".

With the introduction of beat writers for each and every team and the size of post-game media scrums in dressing rooms growing each year, fans found themselves heading towards a premium for information on their favorite team.

Want to know if your favorite player waxed his eyebrows? There was probably a picture of it somewhere. Want to learn about the soft, shiny hair of your star goalie? Someone was probably writing a piece about it. Interested in whether or not the ambidextrous players on the team got their own bus or not? There was probably an expose coming out on your local TV Station about it soon enough.

But with the growth in the media coverage and the expansion of the common fan's knowledge, the players (while getting stronger and faster) were also getting smarter.

They began to take notes on what the media would and wouldn't print or broadcast. They began to learn that cliches and mundane answers don't sell or get air time. Much like the celebrities they longed to be, they found that smut sold papers, published photos, and wrote stories.

So why not let the muck-raking begin?

With the media searching for the next big story, players would leave a big steaming pile of controversy smoldering in their locker if they were unhappy. They'd rip the organization, the coaches, their fellow players, and even the fans--placing the the "feet that fill the seats" in some of the most dangerous palms known to man.

People in every facet of society have learned to become passionate about whatever they follow--usually to a dangerous extent. While some follow the careers and even stalk movie stars and starlets religiously, others preach, pray, and prosper in the friendly confines of their local arena or field.

Say something great about an organization or it's fans, and you can be immortalized. Say something negative about them, and you'll be sure to hear about it--which is exactly what the athletes learned. The scary thing is, that as long as it took you to read that paragraph, public perception can change just as easily.

But through the media, the blowhorn was put in place for disgruntled athletes to broadcast their message to the masses. They'd badmouth the organization and fans would make their opinion on the matter known--either by showing up and booing, or not showing up at all.

If the fans aren't showing up, then the big wigs at the top of a team's corporate latter aren't making any cash. If the fans are showing up but are angry just the same, the big wigs are still losing money thanks to a lack of merchandise sales.

If the team starts losing money and (quite a possibility with all the bad mojo floating around) games, then that makes it back to the media, which get their story and force it upon the fans. The fans then see a dysfunctional, unappealing team take the ice (or grass or hardcourt) each night, and they begin to lose interest in paying their hard-earned money to watch a bunch of babies lose a game.

So the easiest way to alleviate this crippled cash cow, was to give in to the demands of the man who had so easily manipulated the media and the fans through each other: He gets traded, receives more time on the playing field, or gets his raise.

But while only the higher profile athletes used to only feel comfortable pulling off stunts such as these, the poison has trickled from the mouth of Sleeping Beauty all the way to her toes it seems.

Just today Ottawa Senators prospect Alexander Nikulin was traded, after saying "make room for me in the NHL or trade me, or else I'm going to Russia". Seniority-wise, Nikulin has played all of 73 games in North America and two of them have been the NHL (both this season).

The problem has gotten so serious that players who've barely sniffed their cup of coffee have dumped it down the drain, only to demand a new one.

So what can be done?

Well as far as "demanding trades" goes, limit it.

Following the lockout of 2004/05, the players got their wish when they asked for free agency to happen sooner in a player's career--it will soon be either seven years of service in the NHL or by the age of 27.

In that case, why not do roughly the same thing with players demanding trades? Establish a limitation that says "If a player has played in more than 150 NHL games over his career, or 300 AHL games, then he has the right to seek a trade from his organization".

At the 150 game mark, a player can argue that for just under two-full seasons he's been underused by his ruling club. It benefits both the player and the club, as the player can showcase himself to other clubs who may take an interest in what he can do at the NHL level, while the club may be able to negotiate a little bit more than a journeyman defenseman in return (Much like the Senators got from the Phoenix Coyotes in Drew Fata).

After 300 games in the NHL, the player can then make the argument that he hasn't gotten a fair shot at the big leagues or is "blocked off" from the NHL by others on the parent club's depth chart. In that case, the player mainly benefits because of his "second chance".

And while we're at it, why don't we amend this "Brett Favre mindset". While restricted free agents in the middle of a holdout have until December 1st to sign a new contract or they're forced to sit out the season, veterans of eight or more NHL seasons (the point at which a player has achieved free agent status for one season) will have a lockdown period of November 15th to decide their future, as judged by the NHL.

At first, this rule is going to be a bit confusing, but to clarify, the NHL would use it's judgment in determining which players are "locked down" and which aren't. Players who are merely unsigned free agents, yet are still actively pursuing a return to the NHL will be allowed to retain free agency status while players "wrestling" with the idea of retirement (as judged by the NHL) will be given the definite date of November 15th by the NHL to sign their retirement papers, sign with an NHL club, or sit out the remainder of the season.

While the interpretation of "wrestling with the idea of retirement" may be the main snag in the plan, the NHL needs to do something about the attempted player takeover, before potential picks are organizing their own trades on draft day.

Oh wait, Eric Lindros already tried that.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile. You can also check out all of Bryan's previous work in his archives.