Elliotte Friedman finds himself in the same spot as thousands of players he’s reported on over the years. The notable broadcaster is a free agent and is looking for a new deal.
It’s unclear why Rogers allowed his contract to expire on August 31, and it’s even less clear why he hasn’t signed anywhere.
There was some talk that Amazon, and its budding NHL coverage service, wanted to pay Friedman whatever he wanted to drop Rogers and sign with them.
That situation, it seems, has fallen. And at the heart of the matter is the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Yes, the Maple Leafs are the NHL’s biggest market, period. As much as Gary Bettman wants to make the NHL’s next TV deal about Houston and Atlanta, it’s the little old Canadian market of Toronto that gets the lion’s share of attention.
Friedman knows it, and that’s why he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Moving to Amazon would have moved Friedman away from the most important spot he has, the spot that has made him a household name: Saturday night Maple Leafs broadcasts.
The problem is that the Maple Leafs don’t need him. In fact, they don’t need anybody, at least on TV. The team sells itself. Fans tune in to watch the team play hockey. And even rival fans perk up whenever it’s time to face the Buds.
Yes, Friedman makes the Sportsnet broadcasts a little more entertaining. But if he left for a rival network today, no one would really notice the difference.
Maple Leafs and Rogers offer something Amazon doesn’t
Friedman would have already signed with Amazon by now, but there’s one thing they can’t offer that Rogers does: The Maple Leafs on prime time.
Amazon will be carrying the national telecasts on Wednesday nights this season. And that includes a handful of Maple Leafs games.
But let’s face it, prime-time NHL TV is Saturday night. That’s Hockey Night in Canada, and the hottest ticket in sports TV during the fall and winter.
While the NBA also plays on Saturday night, the NHL has no other competition. The MLB playoffs and World Series only stretch into October. The NFL plays on Sunday and Monday nights.
That’s why the major clubs like the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Oilers, Canucks, Rangers, and Bruins all offer Friedman an opportunity to shine.
If he moved to Amazon, well, he wouldn’t get the same exposure.
Unless Amazon can wrestle away exclusive broadcasting rights, which it won’t, for teams like the Leafs and Canadiens, it won’t be a major competitor in the NHL TV market.
So, it seems like it’s only going to be a matter of time before Friedman inks a deal to stay with Rogers. And it will all be because he needs the Maple Leafs more than we would like to admit.
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