NHL Free Agency 2012: Is Craig Leipold a Master of the Dark Arts?

One of the storylines is that Wild owner Craig Leipold is a hypocrite, and as our friend Greg Wyshynski put it today, a "master of the dark arts." Is this the case? Let's take a look.

*I have zero idea if this is true.

Is Leipold a Hypocrite?

By definition? Yes, he most definitely is. As Wysh, and now Russo, have reported, Leipold made some comments back in April that the Wild were losing money, that the system was broken, and needed to be fixed. That's paraphrasing. Here is the quote they are using:

This is a quote from April, 2012. As in... three months ago. This is what sets up the belief that Leipold is a hypocrite. He said that salaries are the biggest expense, and that they need to "fix how [they] are spending right now," then he turns around and drops $196 million on two players.

I get it. There is a strong dose of hypocrisy there. Wysh even notes that, sometimes, hypocrisy is needed. I agree with Wysh on this, to a point. Leipold's actions are, most certainly, hypocritical. What they are, to me, are a classic example of how priorities can change when you are presented with the temptation of getting something you want (or need).

A Master of the Dark Arts?

Today, Russo has the explanation given from Leipold at the presser yesterday:

Wysh makes the comment (which I love by the way) that:

This, right here, proves that Wysh gets it. While the truth of the matter is that Leipold's actions and comments don't mesh, they do still make sense. Sometimes in life, we have to be hypocrites. We have to own it and move forward. Smoking a cigarette while telling your kids not to is a prime example. Sometimes, you know things are bad or wrong, and you are stuck doing them anyway.

Leipold cannot pretend the CBA doesn't exist. He also cannot pretend that he can compete in the NHL while other teams "dabble in the dark arts of long term contracts" in order to attract the best talent. You see, in this situation, Leipold may very well believe that the system is broken, and use that system to his advantage at the same time. Does it make him a hypocrite? Sure.

You know what else it makes him? A damn fine businessman and realistic NHL owner.

Leipold, and the Wild, want to be taken seriously. In the hockey world, that means winning. In order to win, you have to combine strong drafting and development with making the right moves at the right time to secure the best talent. That's what Leipold did. He saw an opportunity to better his franchise for more than a decade, and he took it.

If anything, he is a master of the dark arts of conducting proper business practices, even if they are bad for business in the short term.

The Reality

Craig Leipold wants what every owner wants. He wants to win, and he wants to make money in the process. I can't fault him for that. Hypocrite or not, his actions are justified, and completely within the rules. Good on him for not being so rigid in his beliefs that he passed up the opportunity to better his team for his fans.