NHL Insider “Blown Away” by What NHL Players Are Saying About Trade Requests

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Elliotte Friedman says a recent run of private conversations with NHL players caught him off guard. Given that players are likely the first to stand up for their right to control their future and chart their own paths in the NHL, hearing that some feel they should lose that right when asking for a trade is surprising.

Speaking on Real Kyper & Bourne, the veteran insider said he has been surprised by what he’s heard over the past couple of weeks. By his count, three or four players have raised the same question in casual chats: should teams have more options when a player asks for a trade?

Friedman said he was “blown away” that players were willing to bring it up, and he admitted he couldn’t believe a couple of them said it to him directly.

The comments suggest the conversation about player-driven trade demands isn’t happening exclusively among fans, media, and front offices. Players are talking about it too, which makes sense given what’s gone on with names like Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin. According to Friedman, chatter is circulating in NHL dressing rooms, with players weighing how much flexibility clubs should have when a request lands on a general manager’s desk.

For example, Larkin started with a three-team no-trade list. Nothing happened. He expanded it to six. Still nothing. Now, he’s got 10 teams he’s willing to go to and there’s still no trade. Some players like Brad Marchand have fought against the idea that players shouldn’t get to utilize their no-move and no-trade clauses to the fullest.

Not everyone agrees with Marchand.

Friedman did not name the players involved, and he didn’t say what additional options they have in mind. But what stood out to him was that several players raised it unprompted, and in such a short window.

The NHL May Look at No-Trade Clauses

Whether the idea gains traction or stays a locker-room talking point remains to be seen. It’s a topic worth watching as the season unfolds. Gary Bettman noted in a recent interview that the NHL might have to talk with the NHLPA about it if this summer’s trend continues. Players have not been using their no-trade protection as intended. They were meant to protect players from being dealt by a team that suddenly wanted to trade someone who had signed long-term and offered a team-friendly deal to stick around. They were not put in place so that player could negotiate a no-trade just to handpick a new team after getting big money and deciding they didn’t want to play there any longer.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Canadiens, Devils, Jets, Oilers & Huge Trade