The NHL reminded teams they can't get a head start on free agency which means Toronto has to hope they get lucky on July 1 they have some interested players.
The NHL sent a memo to all 32 teams this week reminding them not to speak to pending UFA's until they get their rights traded to them first which could result in severe punishment. John Chayka has to hope that names like Darren Raddysh and Alex Tuch are interested when he's able to call them July 1.
We all know that the NHL doesn't take too kindly to teams trying to skirt the rules as we've seen several investigations into contract tampering (such as Tyler Bertuzzi) as well as the league punishing Vegas for refusing to meet with the media as per their contractual obligations; losing a draft pick in the process.
NHL reminding everyone there is to be no unfair advantages ahead of free agency
Gary Bettman and his crew do not want teams to have any advantage over others, though some fans may heavily disagree. The NHL has tried its best to make sure things have some level of parity, and want to make sure that stays around.
With the news that Ila Mikheyev won't be re-signed by Chicago and essentially free to talk to whoever he wants, the NHL sent a memo to the rest of the league to remind them they can't do that according to Elliotte Friedman:
The league's like, no, that's not allowed. If you want to straight-up trade his rights to another team for a pick, you do that. You can't just give him permission to talk to everybody.
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The punishment the NHL could institute involves a variety of methods including upwards of a $5-million fine, suspensions or forfeiture of draft picks which would severely hinder some team's efforts to sign free agents or draft properly.
There used to be a time when free agents could discuss things with teams but the NHLPA put a stop to that, and there hasn't been a negotiation window since 2020, and the new CBA has nothing in the reformat that involves reintroducing a negotiation period.
John Chayka has to play by the rules and hope that free agents want to come to Toronto
That means that if John Chayka wants to make sure he stays in the NHL's good graces, he can't go skirting the rules like before. He got in trouble for illegally scouting prospects in the Draft Combine and got punished, and can't afford to risk that in Toronto.
Which does indeed put a bit of a damper on the hopes of Toronto being able to sign someone like Darren Raddysh or Alex Tuch without acquiring their deal first.
He realistically could, especially if Raddysh or Tuch are part of Auston Matthews' list of players he wants to play with and the cost of a draft pick won't matter if the signing leads to success. It's really a small price to pay for Chayka.
As two of the top names on the market, Toronto would have loved to get a leg up on selling them the idea of playing there, but now have to hope that their deal in July 1 simply outbids the rest.
He has to really just hope that whatever offers he is selling is enough, which may give fans pause knowing how much the Maple Leafs love throwing around immense levels of trade protection.
The hope is that with a brand new head coach, Gavin McKenna, and a healthy and motivated Auston Matthews will be enough to persuade some to come over but that's certainly far from a guarantee especially with the constant media attention.
But there's still hope nonetheless, it's just a shame that Toronto can't at least sell free agents a little earlier. Well, they can - but they risk serious consequences in doing so.
Should the Maple Leafs try and risk talking to free agents before July 1?
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