It seems that vanishing contracts are quite popular this off-season in the NHL. Just when we thought that everyone else had their ducks in a row after the Kovalchuk fiasco had finally been resolved, there’s a new one brewing a couple of hundred miles south in Washington. And while it’s not involving one of the premier talents of the league, it makes up for it in legal “he said, she said” that is building up like a bad soap opera.
For those living under a rock, or the Southern United States, here’s the scenario in a nutshell. Eric Belanger, the centre whose career took Hank Snow’s ”I’ve been everywhere” to heart, ended up in Washington at least years trade deadline in return for Washington second round draft pick(Johan Larsson) in this year draft. After Washington’s shocking loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Belanger, now a free agent, was looking for a new contract. That gets us up to speed to the point where everyone can agree on events.
After that, stories start to deviate.
According to Belanger, him and his agent were notified by general manager George McPhee via text message that the club was working on moves to allow them to sign him to a new contract, if he was committed to signing with the Capitals. Belanger confirmed that he was interested in staying in Washington for the next seven week he waited for word on when the contract was ready to be signed, while receiving the usual news about training schedules and help from the club with moving his family to the Washington DC area. After seven weeks, he was informed that Washington was unable make a deal and hence would not able to sign him. His thoughts that weren’t hard to deduce.
“For over seven weeks I have a lease on a house, my kids are enrolled at school,” he told Montreal’s Team 990 radio. “We have a verbal agreement over seven weeks ago; they said it would take about a week to make a trade (to make room for him). It wasn’t a question of if they were making it but when, and you’re going to be signed, because they didn’t want to lose any leverage on the trade and we all know the story after that.
“I’m no lawyer guy but the line has been crossed, and now I’m looking ahead.”
His agent, Joe Tacopina, is also looking ahead; at possible legal action. His version largely echoes Belangers, stating that Washington’s lone hesitation for offering him a one year $1.85 million dollar contract was completing a trade, and was…..unimpressed at the deal falling through.
“George McPhee has a reputation and many people aren’t surprised,” Tacopina said of taking the dispute public. “As far as I’m concerned, the facts are the facts.
“Eric’s a veteran NHL player, with two young children, 600-plus games played and respected around the league as a character guy. To string him along like he’s a piece of property as opposed to a human being? … It’s very disturbing how this went down. Then to treat this like they had no obligation, moral or otherwise? That’s the organization.”
The Capitals in return, have had very little to say about the situation other then they never had a contract in place for Belanger. In fact the only folks that have a positive side to this tale of woe are the Phoenix Coyotes and their followers, as this is looking like quite a steal for Phoenix, according to many across the league. With a one year deal that will only cost the Coyotes (and those that are keeping it afloat), seven-hundred and fifty thousand, he helps to improve their crop of centres for the upcoming season and leaves Washington to find a quick replacement for his spot.
As for who is in the right in this mess it depends on who you ask, but I would say that neither are really in the right here. The elusive text message non-withstanding, Tacopina really should have been looking for other options for his client while waiting on McPhee to make up his mind, because loyalty is sadly no longer a currency respected in the NHL (or any pro sport for that matter). Belanger shouldn’t have committed to the Washington area without guaranteed employment, as any working stiff will agree when relocating to a new job in a new area, to say nothing about always getting it in writing. And McPhee really should have said one way or another if a deal was happening, as it really doesn’t take two months to move enough to fit less then two million in the cap.
So do Belanger and Tacopina have a legal leg to stand on? Well if you believe some of the quotes from other NHL agents, the answer would be a big fat No, as quoted by an un-named agent.
“They don’t have a legal leg to stand on. The entire situation is governed by the CBA. An agent and the player are obligated under the CBA to not take individual legal action or you can lose your certification to be an agent … The sole remedy would be a grievance.
“The grievance precedent is 100-per-cent crystal clear: Unless you have a signed standard player contract on file, registered with the NHL, you have nothing.”
With the lack of teeth that the NHLPA has shown this summer, that’s not exactly confidence building. However, there’s the matter of that text message mentioned earlier. If it collaborates Belangers and Tacopina story, it makes the situation a lot more complex, as a legally binding agreement often constitutes verbal and written consent between two parties. The written obviously never happened, but as for the verbal, that could begin the lawsuit machine regardless of the CBA, and yet another legal mess for the NHL to enjoy.
Popularity: 4%
The owner of the Sports Blog Network, Chris tells it exactly as he sees it, be it in the stands, in front of the tv, or on his semi-trusty laptop. And always with a can of trusty Dr. Pepper by his side, and spell-check working overtime. 
The guy waited for over almost two months without a written contract? What a chump.