It’s that time again when we take a look at what’s been happening in hockey’s business and legal world. Once a week we cover the big and not so big stories in this arena. We also include a featured story of the period. Let’s take a look at what has been happening this period.
Hockey’s Business and Legal News
Calgary Renounces Rights of Prospect Following Suspension
The Calgary Flames announced that they have renounced the rights of Finnish prospect Topi Rönni. This came after a court in Finlaned sented Rönni following a rape charge related to an incident when he was a minor. His Finnish SM Liiga team Tappara Tampere also terminated his contract. The Flames had not signed the 2022 second round draft pick to an NHL contract yet so renouncing his rights is much easier. But with that said, off-ice conduct like this almost certainly rises to level of a material breach of an NHL contract allowing for unilateral termination.
Update: The Flames have officially renounced Rönni's draft rights. https://t.co/ZW4NyQ7RIv
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) March 12, 2024
NHL, NHLPA and Chicago Blackhawks Reach Settlement on Corey Perry Contract Termination
Following the somewhat mysterious termination of Corey Perry’s contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, the NHL, NHLPA and the Blackhawks have reached settlement on the matter. The Blackhawks terminated his contract in November after determining that Perry “engaged in conduct that is unacceptable and in violation of both the terms of his standard players’ contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.”
There is still a lot unknown on this situation as Perry eventually signed with the Edmonton Oilers. But the NHLPA made sure no one could use this situation as a precedent for future contract issues. Even though Perry never filed a grievance, a small cap charge is coming against the Blackhawks as part of the settlement.
The NHL, NHLPA and Chicago Blackhawks have reached a resolution on Corey Perry’s contract termination, Sportsnet's @FriedgeHNIC reports. https://t.co/aHuRWtOs4O
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 14, 2024
Doug Armstrong Named General Manager of Team Canada
In preparation of the NHL’s upcoming participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics as well as the 2024 and 2025 World Championship and the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, Hockey Canada named Doug Armstrong as General Manager. In addition, Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Salmond will serve on the executive committee. Armstrong is the current General Manager of the St. Louis Blues and will have a lot of work ahead of him in picking Canada’s team and coaching staff for these upcoming tournaments.
Doug Armstrong named Hockey Canada GM for 2026 Winter Olympics https://t.co/U7EFS0sJWm
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) March 15, 2024
Hockey’s Business and Legal Updates Featured Story: NHL Expansion Updates in Atlanta
In this period’s hockey’s business and legal updates featured story, Krause Sports and Entertainment will be holding a public meeting on March 19th regarding the planned development of The Gathering at South Forsyth. This $2 billion development north of Atlanta, Georgia is planned to be an entertainment district comprised of an arena capable of holding an NHL team. With much speculation about both NHL relocation and expansion, in addition to this meeting, ASM Global has been selected to manage and assist in the design of the arena.
Krause Sports and Entertainment will hold a public participation meeting the evening of March 19th for locals interested in The Gathering at South Forsyth, a planned $2 billion development that includes an arena that could house an NHL franchise north of Atlanta
— Ryan Kennedy (@THNRyanKennedy) March 15, 2024
Post image attribution by: kaatiya, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
