What Happened
NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey pushed back on Commissioner Gary Bettman's recent comments about no-move clauses. In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic published Monday, Hainsey said the conversation about no-move and no-trade clauses amounts to an attack on players' CBA-negotiated rights, and that the union will treat it as such. Bettman had told Sportsnet's The FAN Hockey Show that no-move clauses were not a good thing amid a rise in targeted trade requests.
Key Details
- Bettman made his no-move clause comments on Sportsnet's The FAN Hockey Show.
- Hainsey's response was published Monday in an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
- Hainsey said the clauses are operating as originally intended.
- Hainsey said a club cannot trade a player to teams on his list without consent, whether 10, 15, or 32 teams.
- Brady Tkachuk's off-season move to the Florida Panthers was cited as an example of a targeted trade request.
- Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck have also limited their teams' potential trade partners, per the report.
What It Means
The exchange highlights tension between the league and the union over movement clauses, which players negotiate individually and have used to steer trades toward preferred destinations. Bettman's suggestion that no-move clauses are a problem drew a firm response from the NHLPA, which frames the clauses as settled bargaining rights rather than a loophole. The dispute could shape the tone of future CBA discussions.