Could a Kawhi Leonard-Style Fiasco Happen in the NHL?
No-show contracts and cap circumvention feel ripe to happen in the NHL.
The NBA’s latest scandal feels like a plot twist from a movie: Kawhi Leonard reportedly received $28 million through a “no-show job” with a tree-planting company funded by Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, allegedly to skirt the league’s salary cap. Add in another $20 million in stock that never materialized, and suddenly you’ve got a situation that has league officials, fans, and even casual observers asking how on earth this could happen.
The Clippers have denied any wrongdoing, saying a fraudulent company also duped them, but the fallout could be massive. The NBA doesn’t mess around when it comes to matters like this, and the Clippers have already seen one owner receive a lifetime ban from the NBA.
Could This Kind of Thing Happen In the NHL?
It’s a wild story, but for hockey fans, it creates an intriguing question. In a sport where owners are beyond rich, but players are widely considered underpaid compared to other professional leagues, it’s enough to make any hockey fan wonder: could something like this ever happen in the NHL?
At first glance, the answer seems no. Hockey players are often seen as athletes with integrity. They are the most blue-collar sports stars in the world. Hard work and earning your way go hand-in-hand with big money.
So too, while the league has a salary cap, NHL contracts are far more straightforward, and the cap rules are less convoluted. The league’s smaller size makes shady financial maneuvers harder to hide.
There aren’t endless endorsement loopholes or third-party “no-show” deals baked into player contracts.
Then again, this is also a league that has had to revisit LTIR loopholes, injury concerns, no-tax state advantages, and other financial issues that question the parity that is supposed to exist among the 32 teams. Frankly, there are questions about the ethical behavior of some of the NHL’s top contenders.
The possibility isn’t zero. The NHL has seen its share of creative cap circumvention—long-term injury exemptions, front-loaded contracts, and bonus structures that test the system.
All It Takes Is One Contract, One Agent, And One Owner
Just this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs accused the Vegas Golden Knights of potential tampering as they “lured” Mitch Marner away from Toronto. Nothing came of it, but the narrative was out there that Vegas wasn’t playing nice.
The Arizona Coyotes were forced to forfeit a 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 first-round pick for violating the NHL's combine testing policy.
The New Jersey Devils got their hands slapped by the NHL for an illegal contract with former star Ilya Kovalchuk.
Other teams struggle to attract free agents, as markets in certain NHL cities aren’t exactly primo destinations thanks to weather, living conditions, tax burdens, or travel. It takes some convincing to get players to view specific teams as viable options. A few million under the table seems like a logical, but unethical overstep.
Could a wealthy owner try to benefit a star player while skirting the rules quietly? The league might catch it faster than the NBA, but temptation is universal when millions are involved.
Look no further than Connor McDavid.
