NHL Confirms Final Verdict on Current Active Tampering Investigations, per Elliotte Friedman
A major bit of news at the NHL Board of Governors meeting signals the faith of one team that risked a potential tampering violation over an offseason signing.
One tampering question that was held pertained to the status of Chicago Blackhawks free agent acquisition Tyler Bertuzzi.
Bertuzzi signed with the Blackhawks in the offseason to a four-year, $22M contract.
The move attracted notice when Bertuzzi mentioned discussing the potential of joining the team with Chicago forward Nick Foligno prior to the signing period, something that brought speculation over it's legality as Bertuzzi mentioned the Blackhawks had interest in him prior to free agency.
According to Sportsnet Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, it appears there will be no action taken as it's revealed there are no active tampering investigations in the league, something that guarantees there is nothing that warranted a possible penalty in the discussions had between Bertuzzi and Foligno.
Friedman had previously reported on the league's plan to crack down on potential tampering as the NHL has concerns over the seemingly blurring line between informal and formal discussion during the free agency process.
Was the Foligno heads-up tampering or just a discussion?
It was never said outright if Foligno and Bertuzzi's talks warranted being labeled as "tampering".
In the NHL, tampering takes a lot, and needs to have proof the team acted in a way that would give them an advantage in negotiations.
It was not an official contract decision or involving any numbers more than just a discussion on a player telling another about a team's interest in them in free agency, nothing that could be proven to have swayed Bertuzzi in that direction or contributed to the later contract details.
It also means there are no potential instances of tampering around the league, something the NHL is trying to enforce heavily.
Ottawa Senators Michael Andlauer recently accused the New York Rangers of attempted tempering after reports came out of the team's interest in Sens superstar Brady Tkachuk.
Ottawa is being tough on the rules, having been burned by losing a first round pick in the voided Evgeni Dadonov trade back in 2022 after failing to provide the Vegas Golden Knights with his no-trade list the year prior.
In a time where tampering is taken more seriously, and more things leak than ever before, both the league and it's teams seen further positioned to be vigilant in policing to keep themselves from taking a major blow over one wrong move.
| POLL | ||
Did Nick Foligno tamper by informing Tyler Bertuzzi of the Chicago Blackhawks interest in him? | ||
| Yes | 878 | 76.7 % |
| No | 266 | 23.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
