Quoting: NHLfan10506
A bidding war on the contract or on the trade?
If they collect 31 extension offers, pick the best and go to Guerin and say they want to go there. Guerin will have hard time creating a bidding war on the trade.
If they say they will sign extension anywhere he is dealt, Guerin will have tons of great offers, but Fiala gets less $$.
It's both. I'm not certain why they have to be separate in your eyes. It's not just an either/or scenario here.
Hypothetically, if Guerin has say 5 teams interested in Fiala, Fiala's agent is going to be talking to 5 different GM's. That's a good situation for Fiala's agent to be in.
If Fiala limits himself to just one destination, that GM has greater leverage in contract negotiations, and Fiala will potentially have to take less on his next deal. Which is less ideal for him.
If 3 out of the 5 teams are within the agent's asking price but differ on the total AAV but meet the agent and Fiala's criteria and are willing to sign with any of them Guerin can still select whichever one of the three that gives the best return.
Fiala ultimately doesn't decide where he gets to go. Guerin does. That hasn't changed. But by that same token, having more teams involved means Fiala is getting the best deal possible on his next contract with his next team even if it might not be the best one on offer. He still wins by getting more than if he limited himself to one team, and one team only.