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Assisting Hockey Players With Their Free Agent Goals

It happens once every year. The NHL free-agency market opens, and is quickly flooded with talent that teams salivate over. Today (July 1st) is that very special day, and agents will clog their phone lines in conversation with potential managers for their clients. Look for the lines to start getting busy at 12pm, which is the official opening of free-agency. Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail believes that the most sought after free agents will be off of the market within 48 hours and may get contracts of up to $8 million per year [Off-ice action should be fast, furious].

Daniel Brière is one of the more attractive free agents, and is represented by none other than Pat Brisson of mega-power, CAA. Brisson expects more deals to be made on the first day of free-agency now that the start time has been pushed back from midnight to noon. He also sees the window for signing players beginning to close a bit.

From The Globe and Mail article:

Nowadays, an agent needs to be aware of how many seats there are for a player of a certain type. For example, if eight teams have a need for a No. 1 player and there are only three on the market, the action on them figures to be fast and furious.

“Before, a lot of times, we’d go back and forth and the client would talk to his wife, and his family, his mother and father, and sometimes it would take hours,” Brisson said this week. “There’s no such luxury now. You’ve got to be ready; you’ve got to be quick. You need to understand the market, so we’re preparing our clients for that — now, more than before.”

Teams that may be more willing to spend extra dollar bills to ratchet some big name players are the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and Los Angeles Kings.  Just wait until next year, when the salary cap for teams will rise $6.3 million to a total of $50.3 million per team [NHL salary cap rises to $50.3 million next season].  Only 2 seasons ago, the salary cap was $39 million.  Will teams be able to handle the rise in cap dollars while it seems like the sport of hockey continues to die?  Will players be making more than $8 million per year coming in free agency deals?

It is a scary thought, but you know what happens when there is drastic over-valuation.   Bubbles pop.  Markets crash.  What’s in line for the NHL?  Everyone should listen to Brisson and take his words out of context when he says “You need to understand the market, so we’re preparing our clients for that — now, more than before.”  Get your NHL clients as much money as the market will allow currently, before owners realize that filling their caps will be fiscally irresponsible.

-Darren Heitner 

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.