Gary Bettman Might Need To Drop A Nuke On No-Trade Clauses In The NHL
It was a pretty chaotic NHL offseason with so many players making some very public trade requests. Guys like Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Larkin, and Connor Hellebuyck all wanted out. Which really shouldn't be that much of an issue for their organization considering all 3 of them are players that a solid handful of teams around the league would love to have. The only issue is that they all have No-Trade Clauses in their contracts. Brady had a full No-Movement Clause. Larkin has a full No-Trade Clause. And Hellebuyck has a full NMC this season, which then drops down to a 10-team modified NTC next year.
So not only do these guys want to get traded, but they also hold all the power in dictating which teams they'd accept a trade to. Obviously it worked out great for Brady when he gave Ottawa a list of teams he'd be willing to get traded to, and the Florida deal just happened to work out. But that's not the case for Larkin and Hellebuyck right now. I'm sure Detroit or Winnipeg could get a great return for those guys from a team like Seattle that has multiple picks in the first round of next year's draft. But they aren't going to waive their NTC/NMC to go to Seattle. So they are demanding a trade, but holding the team hostage until a deal to one of their preferred locations is made.
And now Gary Bettman is saying this is something the league is going to have to look into because it feels a little ridiculous.
SBJ -- Whether or not no-trade protection is something that has been abused is something that we’re going to have to monitor over the term of this collective-bargaining agreement and determine whether or not there needs to be an adjustment. The no-trade provisions started in the context of somebody signing long term to be in a particular place, and in some cases giving a hometown discount. You can understand the desire to have a no-trade under that circumstance. Whether or not that should have morphed into something that gives you a determination as to where you can go and where you can’t go up front, or whether or not when you go to another team you should still be afforded the protection of your no-trade clause, is something that we’re going to have to keep an eye on.
You can’t judge on the basis of one summer, and so we’re going to have to keep an eye on it and see whether or not it’s presenting issues that impact the game and the league and the clubs and the players.
Now here's the thing--the players have every right to use the NTC and NMC to their advantage. They earned those clauses to be worked into their contracts. But the original purpose behind the NTC and NMC was to make sure guys had the security to stay with a team long term. That a 25-year-old free agent could sign for a team and have the peace of mind knowing he can start his family in that city for the next 8 years without worrying about getting traded. It was a way to make sure the players weren't getting dicked over by GMs, or even just having to deal with a GM getting fired and the new guy wanting to clean house a bit.
But now the players are using it as a way to take all the power. The way it's structured right now, I don't blame Dylan Larkin or Connor Hellebuyck at all for manipulating these clauses this way. But in the future, it does seem like you should lose your NTC protection the moment you publicly demand a trade. You signed that deal, and now you are going back on it. So you shouldn't get to benefit from the protections that were a part of that contract, especially when teams know they can throw lowball offers out there because your trade list is so small. Why would a team like Vegas ever offer a fair deal for Dylan Larkin when they know they only have to compete against like 2 or 3 other teams?
It's tough because you want to root for the players against billionaire owners. But at the same time, these guys are going to force their way into making a few superteams if you give them the opportunity. And if your favorite team isn't on that list, then you're shit out of luck unless the league steps in and puts an end to this.