Loosely related to Hanifin to Florida. On the Cam and Strick podcast, when they were talking about where Barbashev was going to sign (before he signed in LV), Andy Strickland segued into a story about a GM that recently screwed him.
My summary of the sophomoric and somewhat salacious story (46th minute of July 10th episode):
It involved a tweet Andy sent out about a UFA's potential landing spot. This unnamed GM reached out via text in connection with that tweet and strangely backstabbed the player's agent (called the agent a greaseball, liar etc).
Strickland ignored it, but then shortly after, he gets a call from that agent reaming him out. Apparently the GM (stirring stuff up?) had called the agent for some strange reason saying "Strickland told me everything you said" implying Strickland was backstabbing. Strickland says he never talked to the agent before the tweet, but at the draft he and the agent mended fences. Strickland also talked to "a number of hockey people" about the GM...the consensus was "be careful of that guy"!
It lines up at least in my mind that Strickland was talking about Barbashev whose agent is Dan Milstein. And the GM in my estimation is probably Bill Zito (tweet was about Barbashev going to florida which had money and interest). Zito was maybe throwing a reporter under the bus for some unknown gain.
Just interesting that a GM would do this (i think it is Zito in this case). You lose the trust of people including a well known reporter and an agent that reps almost every russian player. I'm sure GM's play games with insiders and outright lie to get an edge. But not many would make up stories with personal insults VIA TEXT that damage reputations and burn bridges like this. Lou wouldn't, I can't see Treliving doing it, etc.
Anyway, i thought it might be interesting to mull over as we wait and wonder if Hanifin goes to Florida. Conroy seems like a trusting fellow.
https://twitter.com/user/status/1671919248459849729