02 Mar The Trade Deadline: A Look into the Media World of the NHL

As the NHL trade deadline looms (3pm today), media has an ever-expanding role in the negotiation process. More specifically, social media has completely changed the atmosphere of trade secrecy. (Read: nothing is a secret anymore).

Reporters have latched onto social media as another facet of their job. Disseminating information has never been easier and constant social buzz just feeds the rumor mill. For general managers, it’s a nightmare. For fans, it’s an inside look at the action.

However, social media has a tendency to take the players for granted. How many times have we heard of a player being traded and finding out on Twitter? Answer: countless. What we as fans, the media, organizations and what have you forget is these guys are actual people and a trade causes that player and his family to uproot their lives and move, sometimes, across the country. The media machine doesn’t care it keeps churning out information.

Yet, some use social media to their advantage. Today, GM’s need to be able to leverage social media claims in order to do their jobs. Although they might hate dealing with constant media pressure on a regular basis, smart GM’s start their own rumors to add value to last minute tradees.

Starting rumors via social media drives the asking price for players up and can, in some cases, create a market and bidding war where there was non before. A player worth only a second round conditional draft pick might fetch a second line winger and a first round draft pick with the right amount of media prowess. Social media has entrenched itself within the job roles of each level of the NHL and transcends all sports alike.