The NHL has long been a league that rewards it’s most loyal soldiers. Franchises and fans alike celebrate players who spend their careers devoted to one franchise; whether they are superstars like Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic or role players like Chris Neil, their dedication to their team is nearly universally praised and admired. However, the free agent landscape of the past several years has made evident that their teams are under no obligation to reciprocate that same loyalty. Since the end of the season, single-franchise mainstays such as Arizona’s Shane Doan and Montreal’s Andrei Markov have been released in favour of newer options on their respective teams.

Now at age 40, Doan’s production has waned over the past several seasons, placing him at odds with Arizona’s fast and exciting youth movement. Although the choice to move on from their captain was an understandable one, many were baffled by the Coyotes’ approach to doing so. The decision to release the 20 year Coyote was made by team owner Andrew Barroway, who delegated the task of informing Doan to his GM John Chayka. Afterwards, Doan himself expressed surprise at the decision, while his agent chided the organization for informing his client in a 10 minute public meeting, a setting he thought of as unceremonious for such a franchise staple.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/shane-doans-agent-coyotes-handled-better/

More recently, Andrei Markov went without a suitable offer from Montreal and chose to return to Russia and play in the KHL. Despite playing nearly 22 minutes per game last season and partnering with Shea Weber in the playoffs, Montreal opted to let Markov pursue other options without a real replacement for the 16-season Canadiens veteran. Despite having over $8 Million in cap space for the upcoming season, Montreal was reportedly asking Markov to wait until September to be re-signed, implying that Markov’s return would only be a secondary priority to the team. Even loyal up to his departure, Markov stated that he would have taken a one-year deal from the Canadiens, and that he couldn’t picture himself in any other NHL jersey. Fan reaction to the move has been split, with many publicly shaming Marc Bergevin and team owner Geoff Molson for leaving their team’s longest serving player out in the cold.

While it can be tempting to be sentimental in an entertainment industry filled with narratives of underdogs and perseverance, NHL managers are wise to express caution. Above all else, professional hockey is a business, and reciprocating the loyalty of a franchise veteran can backfire. Take the cautionary tale of Dustin Brown and Dean Lombardi. Once a perennial 55 point player and his team’s captain, Brown was coming off of what many thought of as a down year in 2012-13, ending the playoffs with just 4 points in 18 games. However, Lombardi wanted to reward Brown for his excellent contributions in previous years, while he was on a bargain contract. The Kings signed Brown to an 8 year extension worth just under $6 Million annually, only for Brown’s offensive struggles to worsen. 2016-17 was his best season since signing the contract, and even then it only saw him score 36 points. While that is still a worthwhile contribution to any team, this season marked the first time since signing his extension that Brown even managed to break the 30 point barrier. No longer the captain of his team, Brown still has 5 seasons remaining on a contract that pays him like a first line winger. As for Lombardi, the long term commitments he made to Brown and his teammate, the often injured Marian Gaborik, contributed to his firing from the team he had built, as their dynastic stature had been reduced to that of a wild card team.
While fans in Arizona are left scratching their heads and Montreal fans level accusations of cold-heartedness at general manager Bergevin, teams know that for all of hockey’s sentiment and emotionality, the success of a franchise often rests on the ability to make cold decisions. In the words of Markov himself, “It’s a business.”