The Toronto Maple Leafs had to decide between re-signing one of their best two pending free-agent forwards in Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi. They inked the former and let the latter go.
Domi signed a new four-year, $15 million deal with Toronto while Bertuzzi left the Maple Leafs on his way to sign a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $22 million over four seasons.
Bertuzzi’s decision, however, wasn’t even in his plans before receiving a call from former Boston Bruins teammate Nick Foligno that convinced him to sign with the Windy City squad, as he confirmed on July 5.
“Chicago wasn’t really on my radar,” Bertuzzi said. “And then, the day before free agency, Nick Foligno called me and he said, ‘They’re a little bit interested.’ I was excited about that and then things kind of went from there.”
Bertuzzi further explained, “We just talked about the organization, the city, where to live, and things that are important to me and my family while obviously moving to a new city.”
The timing of Foligno’s contact has raised questions about potential tampering, which Bertuzzi inadvertently confirmed by unveiling his conversations with him. The NHL prohibits tampering, which is defined as any attempt to influence a player under contract with another team.
Considering the nature of the conversations between Bertuzzi and Foligno, and the fact that they took place with the former still under contract (before July 1, 2024), Bertuzzi is facing accusations of tampering.
As of now, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has not indicated any plans to investigate or take action regarding these allegations, and no reports about Bettman taking any action have emerged through July 11.
Nick Foligno’s Helping Hand in Chicago
Bertuzzi played with Foligno in Boston as the two players were with the Boston Bruins in the 2022-23 season. It’s fair to say both men forged a strong relationship back then leading to their reunion in Chicago ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The veteran Foligno, 36 years old, already played for the Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season. He appeared in 74 games scoring 17 goals and assisting 20 for 37 total points.
Former Maple Leafs forward Bertuzzi, on the other hand, completed his one-year contract in Toronto logging 80 appearances in which he scored 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists).
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson acknowledged the help he received from Foligno on July 5, saying the veteran has “a lot of friends around the league,” one of them being Bertuzzi.
“I think Nick’s got a lot of friends around the league,” Davidson told reporters. “He’s a guy, I think, whose network is very large. It’s kind of funny when we hear that. We don’t ask them to do these things but Nick cares. He knows a lot of people, he loves the team and he wants to push this thing forward.”
The Most Famous Case of NHL Tampering Happened in 1999
Bertuzzi’s incident and accusations have brought back and drawn comparisons to the most famous tampering case in NHL history, reported then by Steve Popper of the New York Times.
In 1994, the New Jersey Devils suspected tampering when the St. Louis Blues tendered an offer sheet to restricted free agent Scott Stevens. Although the Devils matched the offer and retained Stevens, who later became their captain, the team pursued an investigation into the matter. This effort culminated in 1999, resulting in significant penalties against the Blues.
After four years of investigation, the NHL ruled in favor of the Devils. Commissioner Gary Bettman announced a settlement that awarded New Jersey a record $1.4 million cash payment from the Blues, along with the choice of one of the Blues’ first-round draft picks within the next five years. Additionally, the Devils gained the ability to swap first-round picks with the Blues once during that period.
The investigation revealed that the Blues had an offer sheet prepared well before Stevens’s contract with the Devils expired, providing clear evidence of tampering. As part of the settlement, the Devils also received a $500,000 payment they had to include when matching the Blues’ original offer, bringing the total compensation to $1.425 million, with an additional $75,000 going to the league.
Thanks to swapping picks in the 2003 NHL draft, the Devils landed Zach Parise with the No. 17 pick. Parise retired at the end of the 2023-24 season while playing for the Colorado Avalanche. He completed a 1,254-game career scoring 889 points and was named to the All-Star game once as a member of the Devils in 2009.
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