4 NHL Players' Trade Tactics Draw Bettman's Scrutiny

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday he believes no-trade and no-movement clauses are no longer serving the purpose for which they were written, telling Toronto, Canada-based Sportsnet 590 that players are now using the provisions to request a trade and then dictate their own destination, according to ESPN.

"As I look at what's happening now, I don't think that's a good thing," Bettman said. "I don't think it's good for the player, the club or the fans' connection to the game."

What Did Gary Bettman Say About No-Trade Clauses?

Bettman told Sportsnet 590 that the current pattern — players requesting a trade while simultaneously using a no-movement or no-trade clause to limit the list of acceptable destinations — departs from how the provisions were meant to function, ESPN reported. He stopped short of calling it a crisis. "I don't think one offseason a problem makes," he said, "but if it becomes a problem, it's something we are going to have to discuss with the players' association."

That last line points to the National Hockey League Players' Association as the body Bettman would need to negotiate with if the league sought to alter how the clauses are structured in a future collective bargaining agreement.

Why Were No-Trade Clauses Originally Created?

According to Bettman, the clauses were designed to shield players who sign long-term contracts — often at a discount — from being traded against their wishes by the team that signed them. "Maybe you're giving a hometown discount, and you wanted to make sure you can be where you wanted to be, and where you're signing up to be," Bettman said, per ESPN. In that framing, the clause was a defensive tool: it stopped a club from moving a player who had committed years of his career, and sometimes money, to stay there.

Which NHL Players Have Used No-Trade Clauses to Force Moves?

ESPN's report lists four recent cases that illustrate the shift Bettman described:

• Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk used his no-movement clause last summer to force a trade to the Florida Panthers, where his brother Matthew plays, the Senators said.
• Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski told the team he would not sign a new contract when his current deal expires in 2028, then blocked a trade to the Dallas Stars, according to the report.
• Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade but narrowed his list of acceptable destinations to three teams, ESPN reported.
• Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who holds a no-movement clause, was suspended by the team after not reporting to training camp following his own trade request.

By the Numbers

• 4 — NHL players cited by ESPN as recent examples of trade requests paired with destination control.
• 3 — teams Dylan Larkin reportedly named as his only acceptable trade partners.
• 2028 — the year Zach Werenski's current contract with Columbus is set to expire.

Could the NHL Change No-Trade Clause Rules?

Bettman's comments did not announce a policy change. Any alteration to how no-trade or no-movement clauses operate would require agreement with the NHLPA, since the clauses are a product of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players. Bettman's own language — "it's something we are going to have to discuss with the players' association" — signals that any formal move is conditional on the pattern continuing rather than being treated as a one-year anomaly.

What Happens Next for the NHLPA and Owners?

No timeline for talks was given in Bettman's remarks as reported by ESPN, and the NHLPA was not quoted in the story addressing the commissioner's concerns directly. The cases of Tkachuk, Werenski, Larkin and Hellebuyck all took place within the same offseason cycle, which is part of why Bettman characterized the trend cautiously rather than declaring it an established problem. Whether the league raises the issue formally with the players' association will likely depend on how many additional players use their clauses the same way in subsequent seasons.

For now, the clauses remain in force as written, and players retain the contractual right to block trades or limit destinations exactly as Tkachuk, Werenski, Larkin and Hellebuyck did. Bettman's remarks mark the clearest public signal yet that the league office is watching the pattern, even without a specific proposal attached to it.