Kukla's Korner Hockey
Another Side To The Belanger/Capitals Situation
by Paul on 09/15/10 at 06:59 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Mike Vogel of dump ‘n chase,
I spent some time this afternoon gathering some intel, and this is what I can tell you.
Tacopina (Belanger’s agent) and Caps’ assistant general manager Don Fishman began discussions on a Belanger contract in June. No surprise there, as Belanger had stated his intention to get a deal done before he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
One of the most fundamental parts of an agent’s job is to know the market and know how his client’s worth fits in with that market. Tacopina, who never spoke with McPhee at any point during the process, told Fishman that Belanger wanted a three- or four-year deal, minimum. The Caps countered with a two-year pact worth a total of $3 million. Remember, this was before Belanger was officially an unrestricted free agent, before he could negotiate with all 30 NHL clubs.
The Caps were told that Belanger would not accept a two-year deal, that at his age (32), he was looking for his one big contract, the one that would set him up for his years beyond hockey. Belanger wanted term, and he wouldn’t take less than $2 million per season.
As best as I can tell, Belanger is the lone NHL player on MASE’s client roster. So if Tacopina were able to get him that home run contract, I have to think it would look pretty good to potential clients.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Eric+Belanger,
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well everyone has to start somewhere… including agents. Sheesh! It sure sucks to make a mistake that big, but relatively speaking, we all have probably made a big mistake regarding money and career paths.
Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 09/15/10 at 08:33 PM ET
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Wow, bad agent, poor way to start off his new career. If I were Belanger and looking for a new agent, I would first ask them to write me a personal letter, and check that thing for grammar, punctuation, capitilization, and spelling errors. That would weed out these Tacopina guys real quick-read his email to McPhee, at least on the surface. Some lawyer.
Posted by NathanBC on 09/15/10 at 07:29 PM ET