An open letter from Leafs Nation to Rasmus Sandin's agent, Lewis Gross
Dear Lewis,
I'm not an NHL Player, or an agent. I'm simply a fan. A life-long Leafs fan who, for nearly 30 years now, has cheered for the blue and white. I've loved this team since before the days of Curtis Joseph, Mats Sundin and Darcy Tucker and long after. I've seen players come and go, but never before you have I known the name of a Leafs player's agent.
Now, the reason I know your name isn't because of young Rasmus Sandin. It's because of your infamous contract negotiations on behalf of your other Leaf client, William Nylander. As we enter September, your strategy in the Sandin negotiations is looking more and more similar to the one you employed with Nylander. The problem is, had Nylander listened to you, he wouldn't have even gotten the contract he did. It was Willy who picked up the phone, called Kyle Dubas and ended the holdout, not you.
Your approach to the Nylander negotiations turned half of the fanbase against your own client, not to mention what it did to Kyle Dubas' image as a young GM. You also opened the door for Mitch Marner to hold out into training camp. Sure, you and Darren Ferris got your clients every penny you could, but at what cost? I know Willy isn't fazed by the Toronto Media or the fanbase, but we all know Willy is a bird of a different colour when it comes to outside noise. Are you willing to bet that Sandin and his family are?
I understand that agents work on commission. I do as well in my day job as a salesman. What you do not seem to understand, however, is that sometimes it's better to accept a price slightly below what you would have wanted in order to retain a relationship with a valued customer. The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the richest and most storied teams in the NHL and, at the rate you're going, they won't want to do business with any of your clients regardless of their skill or value to the team.
As fans, I can tell you we have absolutely no appetite for yet another drawn out negotiation. We would rather see Sandin traded than deal with this crap a third time. I like Sandin and I think he has the potential to be a top pairing defender one day. His father, Patric, is a delight on Twitter, but I'd rather see him shipped off to another team than put up with another holdout. I can guarantee you that more than half of the fanbase is with me on this.
Now, I'm not saying you should simply cave and sign whatever deal Dubas puts in front of you. It's your job to act in your client's best interests, I get that. My question is, is it really in your client's best interest to negotiate through the media, as you have, to create another hold out situation? Because that's what appears as though you're trying to do. The faction of Leafs Nation that doesn't like Dubas hates holdouts even more. Those that support Dubas have no appetite for it either. We're sick of hearing about it. Sick of player agents trying to be the center of attention. We just want to cheer for the team we love.
The salary cap is a real thing. You have to know there is no long-term deal happening here. So why on earth are you negotiating like it's an 8-year deal for a superstar player? You're going to have to negotiate another deal for Sandin in a few years time. Why are you souring the relationship between Sandin, the organization and the fans? This strategy makes no sense in the long run. It will not benefit Sandin. In fact, at this point, the best way for him to stay in the fans' good graces would be to fire you.
There is a way out of this. Sign a bridge deal and allow your client to earn his minutes, increase his value and win back the adoration of Leafs Nation before his next negotiation. At this point you and I both know that he doesn't have the leverage that Nylander or Marner did. The Leafs don't have the cap space available to pay your asking price and the fans won't stand for this type of negotiation. It may also result in the Leafs trading your other client before he is eligible to begin negotiating his next deal just to avoid doing business with you again. There's no victory to be had here, so make something happen before training camp opens. Otherwise you and your client can kindly kick rocks.
