Forward Patrik Berglund has been suspended indefinitely by the organization due to failure to report

[feffan]

Seems like different levels of bad judgement all around (well Buffalo gets off the hook almost completley if not informed that Berglund had missed to send in his list...). But in St.Louis case,ff you´ve given a player a clause in the contract it´s not a thing to try to use like this. Will just end in bad tone. A bad repatition as a trade partner. And for Berglund and especially his agent... if you negoitate your NTC like this - be damn sure to set that date in the calender...

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Who??

 

[SC2GM]

If you're another team, how do you even take on a player like this if you know he'll act this way if benched? I think he shot himself in the foot if he wanted to play in the NHL again. Maybe his plan is to go back to the Blues. If they allow Maroon to play, they'd definitely allow Berglund to go 82 games without a point.

 

[mattihp]

Such an un-swedish thing to do.

 

[Em etah Eh]

Who is Berglund’s agent and does he still have a job? Pretty huge mistake for an agent to make. Have there ever been any other situations where an agent dropped the ball like this?

Berglund got traded into a pretty good situation if he would have just given it a chance. It will be interesting to see how this ends.

 

[Thorton02]

If you're another team, how do you even take on a player like this if you know he'll act this way if benched? I think he shot himself in the foot if he wanted to play in the NHL again. Maybe his plan is to go back to the Blues. If they allow Maroon to play, they'd definitely allow Berglund to go 82 games without a point.

That's where I am too. It's not like Berg is top 6 player. To pull the whole NTC not being honored in the off-season because you were benched months ago is BS. Buffalo is 2nd in the best division in the NHL with an immediate need for a middle six center. Who else is offering a better option than that?

If ROR was shipped out if town because of some comments during locker room clean out, no way Bergy ever puts a Sabres jersey on again after this stunt.

 

[gallagt01]

Who is Berglund’s agent and does he still have a job? Pretty huge mistake for an agent to make. Have there ever been any other situations where an agent dropped the ball like this?

Berglund got traded into a pretty good situation if he would have just given it a chance. It will be interesting to see how this ends.

This is the frustrating part as a Buffalo fan. The team is playing well. His teammates reportedly like(d) and look(ed) up to him. He was playing well in his role despite what the numbers may say. It seemed like a good fit.

Oh well.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

If you're Sabres management, Or, an attorney repping the Sabres best interest. You want to pursue a term of the contract, as well as compensation from St. Louis. Arguing that ignoring the M-NTC was not in good faith.

Will you get draft pick compensation? Probly not. But act like he was valuable to the team and get what you can, all while just being happy the contract is off the books.

Would anyone want Berglud on their team at this exact moment with that term left?

This is ridiculous hopefulness from Buffalo. Berglund reported after the trade. He played for the team for months. There is no liability by St Louis here for a trade that was consummated, and was approved by the NHL front office with full knowledge of Berglund's contract clause. Berglund (and his agent) didn't fulfill their part of the contract to provide the list by the approved time.

I could see this if Berglund failed to report or something, but the current scenario its disingenuous. Buffalo has no basis for a complaint against St Louis here. Their relationship with the player is on them, if they poisoned it to the point where he will no longer consider playing for them, when he started out the season in good faith.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Wow this is kind of a mess. Why doesnt he want to play for Buffalo? Good team atm.

 

[BFLO]

Wow this is kind of a mess. Why doesnt he want to play for Buffalo? Good team atm.

Berglund was getting 4th line minutes and was being treated as a 12th/13th forward, healthy scratched a few times. Hard to argue that his line should at the least have been getting more ice time, berglund/larsson/girgensons are possession monsters even if they aren't a regular scoring threat. Larsson/girgensons/XXX has been the sabres 2nd most effective line all season.

Sobotka and Thompson deserved to be scratched over berglund too.

1- Not getting his NTC list in on time
2- Scratched over 2 players that were playing worse
3- "4th line"

 

[Moskau]

4th line and healthy scratched or not, it seems insane that a well respected 10 year veteran who has been nothing but professional in his career would get to this point and then piss away his reputation like this. While being on a top 10 team that is only going to get better in the remaining years of his contract. There's quite a few steps most players take between being healthy scratched and quitting on the team.

He and his agent handled this terribly twice. First when they failed to get their list in. This is a business and no matter what players want to think the owners and GMs are not their friends. To not have your list in on July 1st when teams are looking to make moves is incompetent. Second instead of playing out the season and trying to get something done in the Summer they decided it was a good idea if Patrik quit on the team. They had a pretty easy opportunity to make St. Louis look like the only bad guys in this scenario and they screwed that up by pulling this stunt.

 

[Jamin]

Did he fire his agent for bungling one of the most important things an agent can do. How do you forget your client has a NTC nad not submit a list of teams?

Its like hiring a lawyer and he goes my bad I missed the court appointment.

 

[sincerity0]

I’m seeing a bunch of talk on Berglund’s agent not submitting a NTL, is there’s any reliable report to back this up? Many posts are stating this as near fact but haven’t seen anyone news wise talking about it.

If this /is true/ I’d imagine there would have been a grievance filed with the NHLPA months ago, not after he got ass hurt that his playing time and role was reduced. Again, my assumption is that these rumors are true. I cannot see what kind of leverage he’d have in front of a neutral party (arbitrator?) if they ask “hey you had a NTC but didn’t enact it at the time of the trade?”

The whole thing seems fishy to me.

 

[sabremike]

Someone on the Blues board said that the knock on Berglund is that he's more interested in personal success than team success. I don't know the veracity of that claim but this situation (seemingly quitting on a team performing very well over not getting enough ice time) is pretty strong evidence that it's true.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Someone on the Blues board said that the knock on Berglund is that he's more interested in personal success than team success. I don't know the veracity of that claim but this situation (seemingly quitting on a team performing very well over not getting enough ice time) is pretty strong evidence that it's true.

No, I said that this is the only explanation for why he's doing this based on what we know. That comment had nothing to do with his time in St. Louis. We can speculate that our locker room has those issues, but we have no way of knowing.

 

[SharksCyclops]

Good riddance, there are plenty of kids who would love to take that spot. Buffalo seems better off without him.

Buffalo should try to get in on the upcoming Blues fire sale and see if they can get a little leverage for this headache.

 

[sabremike]

No, I said that this is the only explanation for why he's doing this based on what we know. That comment had nothing to do with his time in St. Louis. We can speculate that our locker room has those issues, but we have no way of knowing.

OK, thanks for the clarification.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Someone on the Blues board said that the knock on Berglund is that he's more interested in personal success than team success. I don't know the veracity of that claim but this situation (seemingly quitting on a team performing very well over not getting enough ice time) is pretty strong evidence that it's true.

He may have been disappointing at times, when he was viewed as a top center potential in his early career. But Berglund never had his professionalism questioned while in St Louis.

 

[sabremike]

Good riddance, there are plenty of kids who would love to take that spot. Buffalo seems better off without him.

Buffalo should try to get in on the upcoming Blues fire sale and see if they can get a little leverage for this headache.

Their 2020 pick back for ROR

 

[TheDoldrums]

All parties come out of this looking bad.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

I’m seeing a bunch of talk on Berglund’s agent not submitting a NTL, is there’s any reliable report to back this up? Many posts are stating this as near fact but haven’t seen anyone news wise talking about it.

If this /is true/ I’d imagine there would have been a grievance filed with the NHLPA months ago, not after he got ass hurt that his playing time and role was reduced. Again, my assumption is that these rumors are true. I cannot see what kind of leverage he’d have in front of a neutral party (arbitrator?) if they ask “hey you had a NTC but didn’t enact it at the time of the trade?”

The whole thing seems fishy to me.

He had a Full NTC (for the 2017-2018 season) that expired on June 30th which then turned into a Modified NTC on July 1st for the 2018-2019 season, that MNTC would have allowed him to block a trade to 20 teams...

He was traded on the 1st, I guess the deadline is Midnight? I don't know. I guess you could say it's Berglund and his agent's problem that they did not submit the 20 team list as soon as his FNTC expire and before STL traded him. And I guess you could also say STL did him dirty for trading him without that list and perhaps reaching out to him before the trade?

It sounds like Buffalo would have been on that 20 team list. It also sounds like legally, STL didn't break any rules for trading him without the list.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Did he fire his agent for bungling one of the most important things an agent can do. How do you forget your client has a NTC nad not submit a list of teams?

Its like hiring a lawyer and he goes my bad I missed the court appointment.

Seems like the general rule is teams ask for the list when they're shopping a player. We see it every trade deadline and offseason, where there will be rumors about a player moving, and some media insider will pop up with "Well, [player] hasn't been asked to submit a list of teams," and that's the end of the rumors.

If the Blues didn't bother to ask him for a list, it seems like, at the very least, they were unprofessional and not acting in accord with NHL norms.

 

[sincerity0]

Seems like the general rule is teams ask for the list when they're shopping a player. We see it every trade deadline and offseason, where there will be rumors about a player moving, and some media insider will pop up with "Well, [player] hasn't been asked to submit a list of teams," and that's the end of the rumors.

If the Blues didn't bother to ask him for a list, it seems like, at the very least, they were unprofessional and not acting in accord with NHL norms.

Between your post and Dangles’ my assumption that players with modified no trade clauses are then required to submit their list by the start of the league year (July 1st) if not, it’s void. But then we note the point you made, which is usually if a team is trying to shop a player with a MNTC they will ask for the list — which makes me think that players are only asked to provide their list if the team is trying to trade them.

Given the rules of the league / CBA are very lawyer-y there has to be set in stone rules dictating if or when a player needs to submit their list.

Either way, I can’t see him winning a grievance here unless he can convince a party that his agent failed at his duty and Buffalo would have been on the list. But even there, what can be done? The NHLPA is t going to want to allow his contract to be terminated

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Seems like the general rule is teams ask for the list when they're shopping a player. We see it every trade deadline and offseason, where there will be rumors about a player moving, and some media insider will pop up with "Well, [player] hasn't been asked to submit a list of teams," and that's the end of the rumors.

If the Blues didn't bother to ask him for a list, it seems like, at the very least, they were unprofessional and not acting in accord with NHL norms.

Of all the parties here, St Louis is the last one that should be charged with acting unprofessionally. Are we going to have another instance where Buffalo fans construct an alternate reality in retrospect to explain a situation they don't like?

I think you're conflating the trade deadline with the limited trade clause. Teams will ask for an informal list of teams that a player is willing to waive to go to, when they have a full NMC. But this is different, where he has a very specific limitation and time frame. Plenty of players are able to function with these clauses and submit that list of teams on time. I can't even think of a precedent where a player didn't exercise his right to do this.

If it were you in Berglund's situation, can you justify being lackadaisical about that 10 team list when you KNOW the team have been shopping you for months? Its malpractice by his agent. It was freaking July 1st. You have to know the GMs are working like crazy on trades then.

 

[Selanne00008]

Of all the parties here, St Louis is the last one that should be charged with acting unprofessionally. Are we going to have another instance where Buffalo fans construct an alternate reality in retrospect to explain a situation they don't like?

I think you're conflating the trade deadline with the limited trade clause. Teams will ask for an informal list of teams that a player is willing to waive to go to, when they have a full NMC. But this is different, where he has a very specific limitation and time frame. Plenty of players are able to function with these clauses and submit that list of teams on time. I can't even think of a precedent where a player didn't exercise his right to do this.

If it were you in Berglund's situation, can you justify being lackadaisical about that 10 team list when you KNOW the team have been shopping you for months? Its malpractice by his agent. It was freaking July 1st. You have to know the GMs are working like crazy on trades then.

Of ALL the parties? See the below article where the Rangers asked Nash for his list of teams based on his LIMITED NO TRADE CLAUSE. This is not an "informal list" for a NMC players that might want to win a cup and be happy to move on or something. This is a Limited NTC and the Rangers kindly asked Nash for his list of teams he would be willing to go to (same thing as if he listed the teams he would Not be willing to go to). They didn't just up and do him dirty and ship him off to whoever for best value because he didn't submit his list yet. Yes, this is around the trade deadline, but it's a limited NTC. Seems like if PB was on the Rangers he would have been asked for his list, but being on the Blues they don't give a shit. If you want me to site more players that were asked to submit their list where this exact scenario comes up I'd be happy to, but the list will be lengthy.

Nash submits 12-team trade list at Rangers' request – where could the veteran winger end up? - TheHockeyNews

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NYR have requested Rick Nash’s No-Trade list and Nash gave it to the club yesterday. The list is 18 teams Nash cannot be traded to (unless he were to waive his NTC). Conversely, NYR now have the green light to trade Nash to the 12 teams not on the list.


IMO, it seems like players don't just give their list of teams until the organization asks for it. What if PB submits his list on July 1, but by Dec. 1 he changes his mind on a few teams based on their progress? And then it changes again based on a family situation? Maybe the agent is 80% at fault, but the other 20% is the Blues looking bad here, and 0% on the Sabres. If anything, every agent that reps a blues players has submitted their list now rather than let it linger knowing you could be shipped off to Arizona (sorry zona fans).