Report: NHLPA reviewing Predators’ hiring of CAA in team’s GM search
It appears the Nashville Predators may have made a misstep in their hunt for a new general manager.
After former long-time head coach Barry Trotz stepped down as the team’s general manager on Monday, Nashville hired the talent agency CAA Sports to conduct the search for the team’s third ever GM. However, the NHL Players’ Association is reportedly reviewing this hire for a potential conflict of interest.
News: The @NHLPA is reviewing #preds hiring of @CAA_Sports to conduct GM search for potential conflict of interest violation of the certified agent regulations. Regulations stipulate that any agency which represents #NHL players may not also have a role in front office or
According to the NHLPA’s agent certification rules, agencies that represent players may not have seperate business with the ownership group or front office personnel of any NHL team, even if said business is being conducted by a department or arm of the agency that is not directly involved in player representation.
The potential conflict of interest at play here is easy to see. Player agencies are supposed to be strictly fighting for the best interests of the players in all negotiations. If an agency also has business with the other side of the negotation, which in this case would be an NHL team’s ownership or front office, the agency could be incentivized to settle for a less-than-favorable deal for the player in order to maintain a friendly business relationship with the team’s ownership/front office.
At the very least, if a player agency can also help install a team’s GM, that GM could be motivated to give players represented by that agency more favorable deals than players not represented by that agency.
The findings of the NHLPA’s reported review are still unknown. When Nashville does eventually hire their new GM, it will be a major event for the relatively young franchise. Since the team’s inception in 1998, they have had only two GMs. David Poile was their first GM and served in the role until 2023. Trotz then took over until he recently stepped down.