Wow, I can't believe that some people just don't get how this damages the Flames and are giving Kipper a pass on this. Forget the fact that he just had a baby. Tons of Athletes have Babies all the time. He plays in a League with guaranteed contracts. That means he can't be cut for under-performing like the NFL (I wish the NHL did this). He negotiated a long term contract which only had the NMC active for a portion of that contract.
If this news had not gotten out, he would have been looked at by a few teams with goalie injuries as insurance for the playoffs, and based on his salary, he likely would have been a first round draft pick.
Now that this rumor has floated around, the pool of teams who are interested in him has just shrunk, and not only that, but the offer for him will not be as big, since there is uncertainty.
I am sure that the NHL would nullify the the trade if its only him and draft picks involved and he refuses to report, but it gets much more complicated if there is another player, or player rights involved, it makes it much harder for the NHL to nullify a trade then.
The fact is, the Flames are well within their rights to trade Kipper this season. If he had gone to the Flames and asked to renegotiate his contract, then fine, but to sabotage a trade through the media, that's unfair
|