Business wise, the National Hockey League is in as good, if not a better spot than they ever have been, and with Elliotte Friedman’s recent revelation about the continued salary cap rise heading into 2028/29, it’s only going to get better from here.
Sure, there’s plenty of frustration about the lack of marketing, growing player power, potential expansion beyond 32 teams and other things, but from a business perspective, Commissioner Gary Bettman has been doing a fantastic job. However, a growing issue in the league has become no-trade clauses, and with the situation involving Dylan Larkin with the Detroit Red Wings and Connor Hellebuyck with the Winnipeg Jets, the Commissioner has opened up on how he may need to handle things.
Gary Bettman May Take a Closer Look at No-Trade Clauses
Originally, no-trade clauses were put in to protect players from being traded by their teams on a whim over a long-term deal, and like in other leagues such as the NBA, they started out as something only given to the most important players.
However, in recent times, they’ve become much more commonplace, and with the salary cap being limited compared to other leagues, it was a way to give a player value in a potential contract extension or free agency deal. Now, they’ve become an issue for teams, as players like Larkin and Hellebuyck are using their NTC’s to dictate to the front office where they want to go, and according to Bettman on the latest The Fan Hockey Show, it’s against the spirit of the NTC’s purpose, and it’s something he may want to look at.
“I think we’ve gotten past the way no-trade clauses were originally intended,” said Bettman.
Bettman says they were intended to protect players signing long-term in a place they wanted to stay, not allow them to demand a trade AND dictate where they’re willing to go.
He says
Should the NHL Change the Rules Around No-Trade Clauses?
Unfortunately for the NHL and their potential desire to change the way NTC’s are implemented, they only recently signed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, so as of right now, there’s likely no way for him to officially change how these are handled.
While giving players power isn’t a bad thing in of itself, giving them too much power to dictate to teams where they go is a slippery slope, and if it’s not handled by Bettman, things could get out of control. Right now, the main culprits have been players from the 2026 USA Olympics squad, with both Larkin and Hellebuyck stating they want to follow Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers to join up with several of their teammates.
The issue is, both have several years remaining on long-term deals, and if they continue attempting to dictate where they want to go and limiting potential destinations, it’s going to hurt both the player and their current teams in the long run. Ultimately, it’s unclear where things end up in this situation, but with NTC’s being handed out so often, it’s safe to say that the league are willing to look into how things should be handled moving forward.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Addresses Growing Concern With NTC’s