The Other Side of The Trade

Sometimes we speculate. Sometimes we have inside information. Sometimes we write about it and report it, but that’s where the story ends right……or does it?

What about the other side of the story? The personal story behind a trade.

Do we ever see or hear about that side of the story? You might call me a hypocrite for writing this, but to each their own. I broke a trade probably 6 years ago now and I swore at the time that I wouldn’t do it again. I had four very reliable sources tell me a trade was happening, so I reported it. At the time it was pretty substantial trade, but my biggest concern was did the players know?

Did the players and their families and billet families know about it?

I was given the indication that they did, so that’s when I decided to break it.

Two pictures and a few lines in a tweet. That’s all it took.

Ironically a few weeks before I tweeted out that everyone wanted to be an insider and break trades, I said that I didn’t want to be part of that and boom, just like that I was breaking a trade. I was completely torn, and a short time after putting it out there I felt truly awful. Oh, it’s part of the business, it’s part of the process, but what about the other side of the trade?

The personal side. Some would say writing a speculation piece and throwing names out there is just as bad. Isn’t the writing on the wall?

Don’t players and their agents have a feeling that they might get moved? Do certain players want out and ask for a trade?

Where does it end?

Speculation, rumour or fact?

What’s the difference during this time of year? Every team at some point during the Trade Period make trades, it’s inevitable. That’s just part of the business.

Organizations make trades that they believe will strengthen their hockey club moving forward. They make trades to give players an opportunity to play or get more ice time, so they can flourish or have a fresh start.

They make trades based on loyalty to the player and their service with the organization, matching them up with a potential winner. You see everyone tries to win during the Trade Period! Trading assets, it’s all win-win right?

What about the personal side of the deal?

That’s the most devastating aspect of all of this. Billet families lose their adopted son. Young fans lose their hero, while organizations lose their cornerstone player or players in hopes of building towards the future for another chance to capture a championship.

You see it’s all part of the process, all part of major junior hockey. The business side and the personal side always collide at some point.

The traded player says goodbye to their best friends, and their second home, is that where the trade story ends or just begins?

For some it might be the final time they play in the league, for others the trade changes the course of their career for the better. A few years back from a media perspective the speculation and inside track on trades was always ramping up around this time of year and with the recent NCAA rule change more and more organizations are landing key pieces to their group. This aspect has undoubtedly added more intrigue for the league. Nevertheless, in the media business everyone wants to be first out  who wouldn’t want to be, that’s what it’s all about, getting the scoop right?

Should the entire process be more transparent?

Writers, write. Reporters, report and GM’s make trades and the players no matter what age have to be prepared for the harsh reality of the business side of the game, but what about the personal side of all of this? One can only imagine what some players and their families must be going through right now with all the rumours, speculation and the anxiety and uncertainty they feel.

On the other hand is it really speculative or wrong to outline a team’s top prospects or depth chart? Is it really speculative or wrong to outline who other organizations might be targeting to make their teams better? Is it really speculative or wrong to outline an organizations best possible trade assets to garner the highest return? You see this is where it all becomes murky and extremely complex.

What if speculation turns into fact?

Do you tread lightly because of the personal side or go all in? Do you write the story or do you sit on it and let others be the first to break the trade? Over the past few years, I made the decision to sit on several stories, for a number of different reasons. Sometimes it wasn’t my story to tell, sometimes it was far too personal, sometimes peeling back the layers of the trade or reporting on it might have revealed a source or multiple sources which is never what you want to do or intend to do.

Every story is unique, every trade has several layers, some work, some don’t, some leave a lasting legacy on a city, franchise, player  and that’s why this time of year is so intriguing, but what about the personal side of a trade, who tells that story?