Elliotte Friedman set to sign new deal after offseason of Amazon rumors

For days the hockey world buzzed with talk that Elliotte Friedman could be leaving Sportsnet for Amazon Prime Video, and that Prime had put a massive offer on the table Rogers simply couldn't match.

Turns out that version of the story doesn't hold up.

According to Jonah Sigel of yyzsportsmedia, Friedman is vacationing overseas right now while most of the terms on a new Sportsnet contract have already been agreed to.

Sigel says the idea that Amazon made anything close to a serious or significant offer is complete fiction, though there may have been some early discussions.

The reasoning makes sense too, since Amazon wasn't going to blow up its entire payroll for one insider, no matter how respected he is around the league.

That lines up with what's been trickling out all week.

Friedman has become the most trusted name in hockey media, the reason so many fans tune into Headlines and 32 Thoughts, and losing him would have been a brutal blow for Sportsnet heading into a new season under its 12 year national rights deal.

Not long after that report, another insider chimed in with what feels like the final word on the situation.

NHL Trade Alert posted that it sounds like Friedman is back with Sportsnet, essentially closing the book on weeks of speculation about a jump to Amazon.

For Sportsnet, keeping Friedman means keeping the face of its insider coverage intact right as the new season approaches.

Sportsnet has already made several changes to its lineup this offseason, and holding onto Friedman gives the network some much needed stability.

Fans invested in the Amazon storyline will likely want official word once ink hits paper, but it looks like business as usual heading into the 2026-27 season.

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