NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is monitoring how players are utilizing their no-movement clauses after a drama-filled offseason in which stars requested to leave their teams.
"As I look what happened, or is happening now, I don't think that's a good thing," Bettman said Thursday on Sportsnet radio. "I don't think it's good for the player, I don't think it's good for the club, and I don't think it's good for fans watching and their connection to the game."
Despite full trade protection, former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk orchestrated a move to the Florida Panthers in June. Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin have also requested trades in recent months, even though they have NMCs and multiple years left on their contracts.
Larkin initially gave the Red Wings a four-team list he'd accept a deal to, while Hellebuyck is reportedly more flexible about his next destination.
"The no-trade clause was originally put in place for the following situation: you're going to sign a long-term contract to be in a place you want to be," Bettman said. "Maybe you're giving a hometown discount, and you want to make sure you can be where you wanted to be and where you signed up to be. This notion now, where A) you can select where you want to go to, and B) you can demand a trade, that was never the original intention."
Bettman added, "If this becomes a problem, it's something we're going to have to discuss with the players' association."
The NHL's new collective bargaining agreement took effect in September with no rule changes to players' trade clauses. Any player who meets the eligibility requirements for unrestricted free agency can have a full or modified no-trade clause in their contract, according to PuckPedia.
