The fact the Columbus Blue Jackets had to give the Vancouver Canucks a future second-round pick in order to hire John Tortorella as their new head coach nearly prevented the deal from happening, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
However, NHL teams being forced to give up compensatory draft picks after hiring coaches or executives that have been fired could soon become a thing of the past.
This issue is now on the agenda for the GM meetings next month and the Board of Governors meetings in December, Friedman reported during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada.
“There is hope that starting on Jan. 1 (2016) that teams will no longer have to pay compensation for coaches or executives who have been fired and who are currently not behind a bench or in the front office,” Friedman said. “It has to go through the process but at least it’s on the agenda and it looks like it’s going to be out in January.”
The Blue Jackets weren’t the first team forced to hand over a draft pick in order to hire a new coach or GM. The Toronto Maple Leafs had to compensate the Detroit Red Wings (even though Mike Babcock wasn’t fired), the Edmonton Oilers had to compensate the Boston Bruins for hiring Peter Chiarelli and the Buffalo Sabres had to compensate the Pittsburgh Penguins when they hired Dan Bylsma.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has stated in the past that he is not a fan of the rule.
