With the NHL pre-season having kicked off, there are already a number of big-name young players stuck in limbo. The New Jersey Devils [http://thn.com/newjersey]’ Luke Hughes, Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks]’ Mason McTavish and Nashville Predators [http://thn.com/nashville]’ Luke Evangelista are the three notable restricted free agents left without an NHL deal as training camp is well underway, with former first rounders Alexander Holtz and Rasmus Kupari being the other two. Many fans and pundits have questioned the cost-benefit analysis of teams dragging out negotiations past training camp, as it feels as though a trend has formed over the past number of years where players would miss camp and even at times part of the season due to negotiations, only to underperform that season after they’ve signed. How difficult will the rising cap make it for GMs to work out player contracts? Before the 2004-05 lockout and subsequently the sweeping changes to the NHL’s handling of player salaries and rights, unrestricted free agency wasn’t really a thing for most players, as they were mostly bound to their teams. As such, many players had longstanding holdouts. Furthermore, teams were seemingly much more willing to play ‘hard-ball’ when facing tough negotiations. CHRIS KONTOS Chris Kontos wasn’t a star, per se, but it wasn’t because he lacked the skill. Once taken 15th overall in the 1982 draft by the New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers], Kontos would bounce around, playing here, there and just about everywhere. “I'd get called up, do my best, if the numbers or the politics weren't right, I'd get sent down,” he said in an article for The Score in 2018 [https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/1301994-1992-93-revisited-chris-kontos-recalls-his-historic-night-in-lightning-opener]. “If the contract wasn't right, I'd go to Europe and play, and then come back because somebody else was giving me a shot. After stints in Finland, Switzerland, Italy and even with the Canadian national team [https://thehockeynews.com/international], he would eventually sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thn.com/tampabay] for 1992-93. Finally given a legitimate opportunity, he would thrive, scoring a career high 27 goals and 51 points for third on the team. However, it was hardly a perfect season as an MCL injury cut his campaign short to just 66 games [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1729967/2020/04/08/one-hit-wonder-or-one-of-a-kind-the-wild-career-of-lightnings-chris-kontos/]. Between the injury and his contract situation, negotiations were dire, especially with Kontos’ eyes still set on being an Olympian [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1729967/2020/04/08/one-hit-wonder-or-one-of-a-kind-the-wild-career-of-lightnings-chris-kontos/]. He would make Team Canada’s 1994 Olympic team and end up helping them win silver, but ultimately would never ice in an NHL game again. ALEXEI YASHIN Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators]’ then captain Alexei Yashin missed a full season thanks to a contract dispute after what would be a career-high 94-point campaign in 1998-99. He would hardly miss a step, scoring 40 goals once again and notching 88 points in 2000-01, however, the damage was done, and the team ended up flipping him to the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders] for the second-overall pick, which would become Jason Spezza, Zdeno Chara and NHL depth player Bill Muckalt. Yashin remained a prolific producer, but struggled to maintain the production he had in Ottawa with the Islanders. However, Yashin’s case study serves as a deafening reminder that even when things eventually pan out between team and player, these hold-outs burn bridges that continue to burn well after the ink dries on the dotted line. Alexei Yashin (Lou Capozzola-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/88a2a584-fa2c-4a35-9686-462b9ccdf6f6.jpeg] Alexei Yashin (Lou Capozzola-Imagn Images) NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN Nikolai Khabibulin’s tale was even messier on the team's side. ‘The Bulin wall’ dominated in 1998-99, posting a .923 save percentage through 63 games with the then Phoenix Coyotes before the dispute. He then proceeded to miss nearly two full seasons due to a rift between himself and the Coyotes. In 1999-00, Khabibulin was able to sign in the IHL, a minor league at the time, where he won goaltender of the year, but he ended up sitting out the 2000-01 season until his rights were dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ahead of the dispute, Khabibulin was coming off a breakthrough season, fully legitimizing himself as an elite goalie talent, and after that, the results speak for themselves. He added two All-Star game appearances, won best goaltender at the 2002 Olympics, and in 2004, he backstopped the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship. MICHAEL PECA Michael Peca’s restricted free agency story is yet another that ends with an eventual trade after missing a full season, however there remain a few notable details. The Sabres’ captain was fresh off finishing fifth in votes for the Frank J. Selke trophy at the time, with a 41-point season for the fourth highest on the team. The tensions would eventually hit a breaking point [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/15/sports/hockey-peca-still-a-sabre-alleges-collusion-by-the-league.html] with Peca lobbing accusations at the NHL and the Buffalo Sabres of collusion to make an example out of him to other star players looking to get paid – accusations that both the team and league denied. After plenty of posturing from the Sabres, they’d eventually trade him to the New York Islanders, who would win big as Peca would hit an all-time high in points with the team, with 60 in his return to the ice in 2001-02, winning his second Selke and even finishing tenth in Hart voting. He marks one of the few cases of players having a better season after missing plenty of time due to holdouts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apart from Kontos, all of these players would get a full training camp to get back into shape for the next season. While missing a full season of hockey would be a tough hurdle to overcome for anyone, these players had the runway to get themselves acclimated to the league again. Compared to players now, who tend to only hold out until mid-season, thanks to the Dec. 1 deadline, they aren’t afforded that luxury. In the next piece of this two-part series, we’ll take a look at more contemporary examples and whether they were able to thrive after missing the start of their seasons.
