Fan In Van

What’s Wrong With Contracts

June 27th, 2008 Posted in NHL

The lack of NHL teams in Canada bothers me. The fact that the Detroit Red Wings seem to finish 1st in the Western Conference also ticks me off. The fact that Gary Bettman has such a little head and really big ears also irks me to a great degree. But you want to know what’s really pissing me off? The amount of no movement clauses that are given out in NHL contracts.

That’s right. No movement clauses. Just saying it to myself is making my blood boil. The amount of no movement clauses that have been handed out to players these days are getting ridiculous. I did some quick Googling and here are the players who have this special clause which guarantees that a player cannot be waived, traded, or assigned to the minors without his consent (Buyouts not included):

Jarome Iginla, CGY

Miikka Kiprusoff, CGY

Robyn Regehr, CGY

Scott Hannan, COL

Ryan Smyth, COL

Pavel Datsyuk, DET

Nick Lidstrom, DET

Sheldon Souray, EDM

Tomas Vokoun, FLA

Stephen Weiss, FLA

Michal Handzus, LA

Lubomir Visnovsky, LA

Jason Arnott, NSH

JP Dumont, NSH

Martin Erat, NSH

Patrik Elias, NJ

Chris Drury, NYR

Mike Fisher, OTT

Dany Heatley, OTT

Daniel Briere, PHI

Kimmo Timonen, PHI

Shane Doan, PHX

Paul Kariya, STL

Bryan McCabe, TOR

There are 24 players with no movement clauses, with the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators each carrying three apiece. And while it sounds great to have Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff and Robyn Regehr locked up long term, it also seemed okay for the Leafs when they had Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe as well and look where it has got them.

The Maple Leafs are now facing the wrath of the dreaded no movement clause. At the trade deadline when the team was sagging like Britney Spears’ career, GM Cliff Fletcher should’ve made some moves to deal off his dead weight, overpaid players for young and raw NHL prospects and draft picks. However, the stubborn and country club atmosphere in Toronto stemming from Mats Sundin rubbed off on the other players with no movement and no trade clauses and all Fletcher had to show for at the trade deadline was a measly 2nd round pick (Which was used to select Jimmy Hayes).

Today, general managers are handing out no movement clauses like Bill Gates wipes his ass with one dollar bills. In the case of these clauses, they should be treated only on those special kind of players, and I’m talking the Sidney Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier and Roberto Luongo-types. When the head of a NHL team is offering it to Michal Handzus, though, that’s a real head scratcher.

This summer, I guarantee you there will be one idiot manager who wants to offer a seven-year, bonus-laden no movement clause to this year’s free agent cream of the crop, Marian Hossa. Whether it is rookie GM Mike Gillis or veteran GM Lou Lamoriello, NHL heads should exercise extreme caution when giving out a contract with a clause. As has been shown with the Leafs, it may appear like a great idea at first look, but one, two or three years down the line it may become the difference between making and breaking your club.

I’ll finish by saying that every general manager in this league is one or two no movement clauses away from becoming the next John Ferguson Jr.