The Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken have the most players in the league with some form of trade protection (14), followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins (13), Detroit Red Wings (12) and Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild (11 each).
In the case of the Wild, the flexibility of being able to make a trade or two could somewhat soften the team’s dire salary-cap situation, but that’s been difficult because of a no-movement clause given to Ryan Hartman, a no-trade clause to Marcus Johansson and a modified no-trade clause to Freddy Gaudreau.
“The guys always say, ‘Well, he’s got it and he’s got it,’” Wild GM Bill Guerin said. “We have quite a few, and I’ve taken some criticism for giving out so many, but they’re players we like, and I don’t foresee trading them. If something goes sour, then we can talk to the player about it. But I believe in the players we’ve given them to.”
At the other end of the spectrum, the Buffalo Sabres have the league’s fewest (two), followed by the Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators (three each).
There are teams and GMs who have reputations of issuing more clauses than others.
## On NMCs
Most of the top players in the game have secured NMCs, accounting for a 72 percent jump, from 46 to 79, in the past six years.
Minnesota has the most in the league with seven, followed by Pittsburgh and Toronto (six each), and Edmonton, Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers (five each).
“There are a whole lot of reasons to give them,” Holland said. “No. 1 might be that all 32 cities aren’t all the same in terms of living. Some teams, it depends where your team is in the standings. I think most of the time it’s going to come down to how important (the player is) to your team. Some teams have policies that they don’t want to do it, but if a player is really important and that’s important to him, you don’t want to lose a negotiation.”
St. Louis is one of five NHL clubs that does not have a player with a no-movement clause, but the Blues have issued the most no-trade clauses in the league (seven).
Armstrong said his stance against NMCs is not written in stone, but in 14 seasons with the club, he’s never signed a contract that included one.
“We’ve offered no-movements in the past,” he said, referencing deals that ultimately didn’t come to fruition. “It’s not like we haven’t done it. (But) my philosophy is you’re giving someone more power than the owner has. That seems difficult.”
In 2020, it became a sticking point between the Blues and former captain Alex Pietrangelo, when the defenseman was in contract negotiations that initially didn’t include a full NMC. The talks broke down, and Pietrangelo eventually signed a seven-year, $61.6 million free-agent deal with Vegas that included a full NMC for the entire term.
“Was it part of it? Yes,” Pietrangelo said. “It’s not the whole story. There’s way more to that story. But that was a small piece of it.”
Why was the NMC so important to Pietrangelo?
“When you get later in your career, you only have so many ways to protect yourselves,” Pietrangelo said. “I’ve seen guys in their late 30s go on waivers and play in the American League, and you don’t want to have that situation. If a team wants a player, the team is going to find a way to make it work, and a (no-movement clause) is one of the things they can do to make it work.”
twick_23
Buffalo is on everyone’s no-trade list. The only way you’ll get someone decent to come here is if they have a local connection or you overpay on a contract. Even more reason to try to retain the talent you already have on the team (ie. Mittlelstadt).
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This is a good read. You can read it here: https://archive.ph/Vmb4C
## On giving protection in contracts:
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken have the most players in the league with some form of trade protection (14), followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins (13), Detroit Red Wings (12) and Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild (11 each).
In the case of the Wild, the flexibility of being able to make a trade or two could somewhat soften the team’s dire salary-cap situation, but that’s been difficult because of a no-movement clause given to Ryan Hartman, a no-trade clause to Marcus Johansson and a modified no-trade clause to Freddy Gaudreau.
“The guys always say, ‘Well, he’s got it and he’s got it,’” Wild GM Bill Guerin said. “We have quite a few, and I’ve taken some criticism for giving out so many, but they’re players we like, and I don’t foresee trading them. If something goes sour, then we can talk to the player about it. But I believe in the players we’ve given them to.”
At the other end of the spectrum, the Buffalo Sabres have the league’s fewest (two), followed by the Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators (three each).
There are teams and GMs who have reputations of issuing more clauses than others.
## On NMCs
Most of the top players in the game have secured NMCs, accounting for a 72 percent jump, from 46 to 79, in the past six years.
Minnesota has the most in the league with seven, followed by Pittsburgh and Toronto (six each), and Edmonton, Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers (five each).
“There are a whole lot of reasons to give them,” Holland said. “No. 1 might be that all 32 cities aren’t all the same in terms of living. Some teams, it depends where your team is in the standings. I think most of the time it’s going to come down to how important (the player is) to your team. Some teams have policies that they don’t want to do it, but if a player is really important and that’s important to him, you don’t want to lose a negotiation.”
St. Louis is one of five NHL clubs that does not have a player with a no-movement clause, but the Blues have issued the most no-trade clauses in the league (seven).
Armstrong said his stance against NMCs is not written in stone, but in 14 seasons with the club, he’s never signed a contract that included one.
“We’ve offered no-movements in the past,” he said, referencing deals that ultimately didn’t come to fruition. “It’s not like we haven’t done it. (But) my philosophy is you’re giving someone more power than the owner has. That seems difficult.”
In 2020, it became a sticking point between the Blues and former captain Alex Pietrangelo, when the defenseman was in contract negotiations that initially didn’t include a full NMC. The talks broke down, and Pietrangelo eventually signed a seven-year, $61.6 million free-agent deal with Vegas that included a full NMC for the entire term.
“Was it part of it? Yes,” Pietrangelo said. “It’s not the whole story. There’s way more to that story. But that was a small piece of it.”
Why was the NMC so important to Pietrangelo?
“When you get later in your career, you only have so many ways to protect yourselves,” Pietrangelo said. “I’ve seen guys in their late 30s go on waivers and play in the American League, and you don’t want to have that situation. If a team wants a player, the team is going to find a way to make it work, and a (no-movement clause) is one of the things they can do to make it work.”
Buffalo is on everyone’s no-trade list. The only way you’ll get someone decent to come here is if they have a local connection or you overpay on a contract. Even more reason to try to retain the talent you already have on the team (ie. Mittlelstadt).