A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: The importance of transactional freedom

By Omar L

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 26: Jeff Petry #26 and Karl Alzner #22 of the Montreal Canadiens congratulate goaltender Carey Price #31 for their victory against the Detroit Red Wings during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on March 26, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 26: Jeff Petry #26 and Karl Alzner #22 of the Montreal Canadiens congratulate goaltender Carey Price #31 for their victory against the Detroit Red Wings during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on March 26, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Montreal Canadiens don’t have too many clauses on the books which will make potential dealings in the next few years much easier.

Something that’s starting to become more common on the NHL team’s salary cap breakdowns are the number of clauses on them. All teams have a player with one, including the Montreal Canadiens. There are a total of three types:

  1. No Trade (NTC): Pretty self-explanatory. A player with this clause attached to their contract can’t be traded unless they choose to waive it.
  2. No Movement Clause (NMC): A step above an NTC where on top of not being able to be traded, the player cannot be played on waivers or sent down to the minors. These players can still be bought out though if the team wishes. However, they would just go straight to the contract termination without having to be placed on Unconditional Waivers.
  3. Modified No Trade (M-NTC): Where the player has a certain number of teams on a list they can and can’t be traded to.

Top teams in the NHL tend to have a decent number of players with clauses. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and San Jose Sharks are ‘off the top’ examples.

But it makes sense why they would want to increase the likely hood of keeping their best players on the team. Issues arise when a team who isn’t built to win has a lot of them. Here’s looking at you Detroit.

The Red Wings have missed the playoffs the last two seasons and were thought to be in a building stage of sorts.

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That could very well still be the case. However, they have a total of ten NTCs where only three of them are modified. The players with those clauses are older who Detroit may want to move in exchange for assets, but can’t.

Conversely, the Montreal Canadiens, who are probably in a stage of growth, have three. Carey Price has a full no-movement clause while Karl Alzner has a seven-team no-trade list for the duration of his contract. Jeff Petry had an NMC as well, but it’s now been downgraded to a 15-team no-trade list.

That freedom works well for the Habs this upcoming season. There are a decent number of players who can potentially be traded at the deadline for assets, and having clauses would complicate things.

Additionally, it’s important for the Montreal Canadiens to save those clauses for the players they deem important for the long-term success of the organization. Price is an easy example of that. Once Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling make their debut and hopefully play well, they may be candidates for one down the line.

Another thing to keep in mind is the eventual Expansion Draft to occur for Seattle. It’s already been revealed that the rules will be the same as the one for Vegas meaning those with NMCs will automatically need to be protected. That handcuffed teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks as it forced them to leave some decent talent available.

Next: Seven Defencemen Fighting for a Spot

With the low number of clauses on the books in combination with their cap space, the Montreal Canadiens have a steady length of reigns to work with. Sure it can always keep people guessing as to what Marc Bergevin can and can’t do, but it’s better to stand and stretch then feel cramped.

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