Breaking: Lightning and Dotchin reach settlement on terminated contract

The precedent setting case could have ramifications for the entire NHL.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Breaking: Lightning and Dotchin reach settlement on terminated contract

You may recall that last offseason the Tampa Bay Lightning effectively cut ties with defenseman Jake Dotchin when he showed up to training camp out of shape and overweight. Dotchin reportedly had a body fat percentage of 25, much too high for a professional athlete. He was placed on waivers and had his contract terminated by the team. The thing is… you can’t just terminate a contract because a player gets fat… at least that was the argument from Dotchin’s camp.

Well now, the case has been resolved and the potential ramifications of the settlement could affect the rest of the league for years to come.



No details of the settlement yet, but one would assume that Dotchin is receiving significant financial restitution. Dotchin had one year left on a two year contract worth $812,000 per season when the Lightning kiboshed his deal. He subsequently signed a pro-rated, one year contract with the Anaheim Ducks a month later for $800,000. All told, Dotchin likely missed out on somewhere in the neighbourhood of $50,000 as a result of having his contract terminated by the Lightning. 

It’ll be interesting to see the terms of the settlement when they become public. 

Source: Joe Smith