NHL insider reveals concerning trend in recent contract terminations

Across the NHL recently, contract terminations have seemingly been popping up more and more. Corey Perry notably has his contract terminated this year for a questionable unknown incident, and now yesterday, the Coyotes terminated the contract of forward Adam Ruzicka. NHL insider Frank Seravalli says the growing contract terminations without grievances are seriously concerning.

Seravalli's statement seems to indicate teams are terminating contracts much more quickly, and in the case of Corey Perry, even as a precautionary measure in fear of public blowback. Ruzicka also may have a substance abuse issue, something that should be dealt with in the NHL Player Assistance Program, not a reason to eliminate a contract.




It's critical to set a precedent for the legalities of these contract terminations, so teams don't have the freedoms to terminate contracts so loosely. In the case of Corey Perry, a non-criminal off-ice incident led to his termination which is honestly an injustice that needs to be fought. However, Seravalli updated that the NHLPA has still not filed an official grievance on behalf of Perry, which means they may not fight the termination at all. It's certainly a concerning trend to see these contracts terminated with such frequency, to high profile and low profile players, and with such immediate finality.