Agent Provocateur with Allan Walsh and Adam Wylde
Oct 8, 2026 · 39 min · 12 segments
On this episode of Agent Provocateur, Allan Walsh and Adam Wylde react to Gary Bettman's comments about NHL players using no-move clauses in ways that are not of the "original intention." Follow us on…
Allan WalshHost
Adam WyldeHost
We were gonna include what we're talking about here in our episode with Renaud Lavoie, which you should definitely check out, but, uh, the interview was long enough and we thought, "That's an episode." But Alan, there's still something that you really wanna talk about, and that starts with the commissioner being on Sportsnet, uh, talking about no-trade clauses.
And obviously we've had Dylan Larkin, we've had Ca- Connor Hellebuych, we've had many others exercise their contractual right to say, "I don't wanna be here, and here are the teams that I would accept a trade to." The commissioner, and I'm paraphrasing, intimated on this particular Sportsnet show, with zero pushback I might add-
... that the no-trade clauses are not being used as they were originally intended.
And that's generated a debate of, well, okay, so should we have no-trade clauses for players, but then they decide to waive them, the team should be able to trade them to five teams or 10 teams, or any team that they want.
You know, once you don't wanna play here anymore, well, you don't have a no-trade.
Uh, there are many different suggestions out there, but Alan, let's get, let's start with this.
No-trade, no-move clauses are there for what reason, and are earned after how much time in the NHL?
So you can only get a no-move or no-trade clause for years where you would be a group three unrestricted free agent.
Okay? So that is age 27, or seven years of service if you played in the NHL before you attained the age of 20 years of age and played, uh, 10 or more games in that season.
Until that time, you are either in entry-level or you're a restricted free agent, and those years cannot be covered with any trade restriction.
So players have to earn significant years of service to even be eligible to receive one of these clauses.
The NHL took away literally every possible means of players to earn, uh, money in creative ways or to have contract flexibility.
So other than entry-level players or over 35 players, or players, very s- uh, limited exception, who were injured and missed almost an entire season, you can negotiate no performance bonuses in your contract.
One of the only sports where you cannot negotiate a performance bonus in your contract, right? Nonsensical why you can't have that, but it's been taken away.
We were gonna include what we're talking about here in our episode with Renaud Lavoie, which you should definitely check out, but, uh, the interview was long enough and we thought, "That's an episode." But Alan, there's still something that you really wanna talk about, and that starts with the commissioner being on Sportsnet, uh, talking about no-trade clauses.
And obviously we've had Dylan Larkin, we've had Ca- Connor Hellebuych, we've had many others exercise their contractual right to say, "I don't wanna be here, and here are the teams that I would accept a trade to." The commissioner, and I'm paraphrasing, intimated on this particular Sportsnet show, with zero pushback I might add-
... that the no-trade clauses are not being used as they were originally intended.
And that's generated a debate of, well, okay, so should we have no-trade clauses for players, but then they decide to waive them, the team should be able to trade them to five teams or 10 teams, or any team that they want.
You know, once you don't wanna play here anymore, well, you don't have a no-trade.
Uh, there are many different suggestions out there, but Alan, let's get, let's start with this.
No-trade, no-move clauses are there for what reason, and are earned after how much time in the NHL?
So you can only get a no-move or no-trade clause for years where you would be a group three unrestricted free agent.
Okay? So that is age 27, or seven years of service if you played in the NHL before you attained the age of 20 years of age and played, uh, 10 or more games in that season.
Until that time, you are either in entry-level or you're a restricted free agent, and those years cannot be covered with any trade restriction.
So players have to earn significant years of service to even be eligible to receive one of these clauses.
The NHL took away literally every possible means of players to earn, uh, money in creative ways or to have contract flexibility.
So other than entry-level players or over 35 players, or players, very s- uh, limited exception, who were injured and missed almost an entire season, you can negotiate no performance bonuses in your contract.
One of the only sports where you cannot negotiate a performance bonus in your contract, right? Nonsensical why you can't have that, but it's been taken away.
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