If I were Newport Sports and I were tired of the Sabres tainting the league generally, and specifically reducing flexibility for them (Newport Sports) to conduct their business (trades, UFA contracts), and more specifically impacting the careers of their clients (ie. delaying the most lucrative contracts possible by stunting careers), and, finally, also tired of hearing how unhappy individual clients are, I would plant a rumour just like this with the objectives:
to get KA to actually do something.
to embarrass TP so that he does something.
in the long term to get KA fired hoping that TP will hire someone competent.
to get the attention of the league so that the league may in some league-way intervene behind the scenes about the tire fire in Buffalo.
Using Dahlin for this tactic is easy because Dahlin has his contract.