Trading players for cash is nothing new in Junior Hockey. It happens all the time and is a commonly accepted practice. If a team has extra players and they have spent money scouting and recruiting all summer, there is nothing wrong with them trading a player to another team that needs the player for a cash payment.
What would you pay for a player in such a scenario if you were a Tier III team in need of players?
Often times cash for player trades between teams that have developed working relationships can range in cost of $250.00 to $500.00. This is a more than fair price for any team to pay to another.
If you’re a team that is gaining a player paying a tuition of $6000.00 or more for the season, $500.00 is a small price to pay. Ask any business person if they will spend $500.00 to make $6000.00 and they will do that every time.
The problem with this model now is that because of the player shortage at the Tier III level, some teams are looking to gouge other teams in these transactions.
TJHN has received several emails from coaches who need players to compete. These coaches are in some cases being told that a cash trade will now cost them $1000.00 or $1500.00 for the player. This is not an exceptional player, but simply a player that last year and in most cases this year would cost $500.00.
Because of the Tier III player shortage, teams are now trying to take advantage of teams who do not have enough players. So these teams are compounding the issue that the short rostered teams already have.
While a free market economy should always set a fair market value in such dealings, one team simply went way over the line yesterday in their request for financial compensation.
This is a team that already has two import players at the Tier III level. They are at their maximum allowed. This same team has a player not on the active roster that is also an import. While trading the player for another player or cash makes perfect sense, the cash amount requested for a player that will not even be on the ice is ridiculous.
$2,500.00 is the requested amount!
This team has already received a month of tuition from the player that isn’t playing, and they want $2,500.00 on top of it even though they player is still not going to be on the ice. Crazy as it may seem, TJHN has the email to prove it.
Would you want such a high price being put on your player if it meant keeping him off of the ice?
This is the perfect example of a team being more concerned with their check book than they are about player development. This is the perfect example of what is wrong with Tier III hockey and the greed that has permeated some teams.
