Gary Bettman And The NHL Have Made Their Final Decision On One Team's Active Tampering Case

The NHL did an investigation on an alleged tampering incident with the Chicago Blackhawks signing forward Tyler Bertuzzi to a four-year deal worth $22 million over the offseason.

Questions did come up as Tyler Bertuzzi mentioned that he discussed the interest from Chicago with teammate Nick Foligno before the opening of free agency.

However, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported there are no current tampering investigations in the league, meaning there should be no discipline doled out in regards to Bertuzzi and Nick Foligno's discussion.

Friedman added the NHL is paying closer attention to casual discussions that happen during free agency, with the league trying to determine what constitutes a casual conversation and what is actually improper negotiation.

These discussions between Bertuzzi and Foligno did not factor into contract negotiations in this case, nor did it give the Blackhawks an unfair negotiating advantage.

The hard language for tampering in the NHL involves clear evidence of a team acting improperly for leverage, and this simply did not meet that threshold.

The NHL has gotten more vigorous in trying to crack down on charges of tampering as more and more leaked discussions raise concern.

It was this past week Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer accused the New York Rangers of tampering with the reporting of their interest in Sens star Brady Tkachuk.

The Sens should know better after losing a first-round draft pick in 2022 due to the botched trade of Evgenii Dadonov due to incomplete no-trade information.

With the league and its teams on higher alert, the NHL attempts to be an open book in hopes of avoiding any free agency missteps and subsequent penalties.

That's all part of a bigger play toward fair competition in an era where leaks and informal discussions are more common than ever.