I'm not a business guy. I know very little about the way negotiating works, and I cannot understand why it takes months or even weeks to negotiate a contract a la Dubi, Cally, etc.
Do the parties begin negotiations at two extremes with the expectation of meeting in the middle but hoping for a slight advantage? What do they talk about for days on end that it drags on for so long? Repeating the same arguments over and over, hoping for the other party to cave because of a looming deadline?
I just don't understand it. Whoever is knowledgeable about this stuff, please explain it for myself and other laymen, preferably all the phases, step by step.
I doubt they speak every day in the beginning. Both sides might make their wishes known and they'll progress from there. In some cases, the team might be waiting to see exactly how much cap space they have before deciding to up their offer. And the player/agent might be waiting to see what some other comparable player gets before lowering their demands.
The Ladd deal should have given a good framework for Dubi and Cally to get deals done, but the agents are always going to push for the best deals they can get.
Boyle might be more difficult because there are few comparable players. He's 1 year from UFA, yet he's only had 1 productive NHL season. If he goes to arbitration, it's hard to figure what he'll get.
All 3 have their arbitration hearings set, and they still have some time to get a deal done before then. There's really no advantage to either side to hurry the process.
I doubt they speak every day in the beginning. Both sides might make their wishes known and they'll progress from there. In some cases, the team might be waiting to see exactly how much cap space they have before deciding to up their offer. And the player/agent might be waiting to see what some other comparable player gets before lowering their demands.
The Ladd deal should have given a good framework for Dubi and Cally to get deals done, but the agents are always going to push for the best deals they can get.
Boyle might be more difficult because there are few comparable players. He's 1 year from UFA, yet he's only had 1 productive NHL season. If he goes to arbitration, it's hard to figure what he'll get.
All 3 have their arbitration hearings set, and they still have some time to get a deal done before then. There's really no advantage to either side to hurry the process.
1. I would imagine that in case of arbitration the club stands a lot more to lose than the player if the two sides can't strike a deal.
2. How involved is the actual player in this process?
Would love to know if the player is actually communicating during the process or if all interaction between the organization and the player is done through the Agent... Could/Do Sather/Hope/Gorton speak with a player directly about contract offers????
Would love to know if the player is actually communicating during the process or if all interaction between the organization and the player is done through the Agent... Could/Do Sather/Hope/Gorton speak with a player directly about contract offers????
this may be a more extreme case, but I remember during hard knocks last year while revis was holding out they showed tannenbaum and rex driving to go meet with revis agents and mentioned how they had no direct contact with darrelle since the beginning of the negotiations, and the agents stated that in hopes of getting the most $ it would be smart for revis to keep it that way
1. I would imagine that in case of arbitration the club stands a lot more to lose than the player if the two sides can't strike a deal.
It's true that arbitrators usually side more toward the player than the team, but I have to believe that all of these players want longer term deals with the uncertainty of the next CBA looming.
Quote:
2. How involved is the actual player in this process?
I would imagine it depends on the player, but probably most players aren't very involved directly until later in the process. The player talks to the agent, the agent talks to the GM, then the agent goes back to the player and they discuss it.
Agents will talk with other teams and determine how much value a player like Callahan has to teams like Boston, San Jose or whatever. They'll tell their client what their perceived value is and go from there. Some GMs wine and dine players and could give them a contract there, or just talk out of due diligence. Contract talks are relayed between the team and player through the agent. It's not just yearly salary that is discussed but contract clauses, bonuses, and many other perks.
I find Hockey contracts the simplest of all sports besides football, so the wait doesn't bother me. MLB contracts are a ***** though.
