NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made news this week when he discussed no-trade and no-move clauses being something the NHL is keeping an eye on. But Bettman should focus his frustration not on the NHL players who have no-trades and no-moves, but rather, on the 32 GMs who hand them out like candy.
After an off-season in which multiple NHL star players made trade requests – and did their best to try to orchestrate trades to specific teams by using their no-trade or no-move clause – NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made news this week by expressing his concerns about the proliferation of no-trades and no-moves.
“As I look at what's happening now, I don't think that's a good thing,” Bettman said in an interview on Sportsnet's The FAN Hockey Show, adding, “I don't think it's good for the player, the club or the fans' connection to the game.
"While it might be good for a player in a particular case – although based on what we're witnessing now, I'm not sure it's good for the player either – we have to look at what's good for the game, the players overall and the league," Bettman added. "It's something (the league is) going to keep an eye on. I think we've gotten past the way no-trade clauses were originally intended."
While you can make an argument that Bettman is absolutely correct to address what is clearly an issue for teams and their fans, the reality is he should focus his frustration on the people responsible for no-trades and no-moves being handed out like candy – and that’s the NHL’s 32 GMs.
Check PuckPedia.com or CapWages.com to see how many NTCs and NMCs there are, and you’ll be stunned. According to PuckPedia.com, 279 NHL players have some sort of NMC or NTC.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have the most NTCs and NMCs. The Leafs have an astonishing 17 players with some form of trade protection. That means only nine Leafs players don’t have an NTC or NMC. And nobody held a gun to Toronto management's head. They gave those out of their own volition.
That’s what it comes down to. NMCs and NTCs were created under a labor system fairly bargained between the league and the NHL Players Association. Again, nobody forced teams to hand them out. The responsibility ultimately falls on the GMs, and until the next collective bargaining agreement is up for renewal in 2030, this is the system owners and players have agreed upon.
In the NBA, there are – wait for it – just 11 players in the entire league with some sort of no-trade clause. In the NFL, eight players have a full no-trade clause, and in MLB, about 70 players also have some sort of no-trade clause.
Compare those numbers to the NHL, and you’ll see a clear difference. So NHL GMs need to show much more discipline with no-trades and no-moves.
With due respect to Leafs veterans, when third- and fourth-line players, including Brandon Duhaime, Dakota Joshua and Max Domi, are given an NMC or NTC, something is problematic with the system.
But the blame for that falls squarely on the GMs who gave them those clauses. And that’s where Bettman has to focus his frustration.
Any player has the right to demand the moon and stars in a contract negotiation. However, only GMs have the power to change how often NMCs and NTCs are given to players.
The NHL can address this a few years from now when the next labor deal is on the table, but as it stands, this is a monster the league made. And it’s on teams and their GMs to show more restraint and figure out how to acquire players without tying their hands and clogging up the system with slews of NMCs and NTCs.
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