NHL Trade Deadline Week: Why Trade Protection is Changing the Deadline

The NHL trade deadline is upon us. Teams have until 3 p.m. ET on March 7 to complete any remaining moves before the final stretch of the season.

As we move closer to the deadline, let’s take a look at one of the most important factors a general manager must consider as they put together any transactions: no-trade and no movement clauses.

A no-trade clause “prevents a team from being able to trade a player without the player’s approval.”[1] If a player has a no trade clause in their contract, they must waive it before they can be traded to another team.[2] A no-movement clause works in a similar way, but “also prevents teams from placing the player on waivers or assigning them to the minor leagues.”[3]

“The major difference between a NMC and a NTC is that a plyer with an NMC cannot be traded, waived, or sent to the minor-leagues without his consent. In contrast, an NTC only prevents trades, meaning teams can still place a “player on waivers, send them to the minors, or buy out their contract” without requiring approval.”[4]

NHL CBA Article 11.8 provides that the standard player contract of any player who is a “Group 3 Unrestricted Free Agent under Article 10.1(a) may contain a no-trade or a no move clause.”[5]

“A no-trade clause or a no-move clause that is negotiated as part of an extension of a [Standard Player Contract] entered into pursuant to Section 50.5(f) may become effective immediately upon respiration of, but prior to the effective date of, such SPC extension.”[6] In order to qualify for a no-move or no-trade clause, a player must “be at least 27 or have a minimum of seven NHL seasons under their belt.”[7]

For many players, “[w]hat was once a perk has become a staple.”[8] No-trade/no-movement clauses are no longer added benefits, they are persistently becoming necessary protections that many players want in their new deals. NHL contracts with trade protection have “surged by 480 per cent since 2013-14 when there were only 46.”[9]

Out of the 861 players who have appeared in the NHL this season, 260 of them have either a no-move or no-trade clause.[10] When you think about it, this matches the trend of more power and more protection for players that we have seen throughout recent CBA negotiations.

Multiple veteran NHL’ers have explained why no-move clauses are so popular:

Brad Marchand: “When guys sign a long-term contract with the team, it’s because they want to be there. They don’t want to go anywhere else.”[11]
Jonathan Huberdeau: “Signing a long-term contract . . . you can kind of start a new life, you can buy a house, and you can try to feel comfortable.

Allan Walsh, who represents about 30 active NHL’ers has said that “[t]ypically the best players in the NHL are locked into seven- or eight-year deals and they’ve wanted security.”[12]

No trade and no movement clauses offer another level of insight into what goes on during both contract negotiations and possible team transactions. Players want more than just money. They want security and they want control. Players want the power to dictate where their life goes and where they are open to moving. As the frenzy begins, keep an eye on who stays, who goes, and if no-move clauses had anything to do with it.

[1] https://www.wkrg.com/sports/sports-illustrated/92e28cd7/when-is-the-nhl-trade-deadline-everything-to-know/

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] https://ublawsportsforum.com/2025/03/04/tackling-no-trade-and-no-movement-clauses-in-the-nhl/

[5] https://sports-entertainment.brooklaw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NHL-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement-2012-2022-reduced.pdf

[6] Id.

[7] https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/nhl-no-trade-clauses-surged-480-per-cent-in-just-over-a-decade-one-leafs/article_7801a916-f54e-11ef-bea7-071919c22653.html

[8] Id.

[9] Id.

[10] Id.

[11] Id.

[12] Id.