We are now just days away from the NHL Trade Deadline. Given where the Flames sit in the standings, there are lots of rumours surrounding their players. Which players might the Flames move? Well, in some circumstances, the Flames might have a deal presented but are unable to pull the trigger, given it is a team on their no-trade list. Players negotiate trade protection as part of signing contracts as a safety net when committed to a team. The Flames have had several players with trade protection who moved freely because they were going to a team not on their trade list, like Rasmus Andersson to Vegas. They’ve also had to ask players to waive their no-move clause, like Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey. Like those players, trade protection is going to be in play for some of the veteran players who are in trade rumours now. What are the different types of trade protection?
The different types of trade protection are:
- No-Move Clause (NMC) – prohibits a team from trading or waiving a player without their permission. They are also automatically protected in an expansion draft, unless they agree to waive their NMC.
- No-Trade Clause (NTC) – prohibits a team from trading a player to any team without their permission.
- Modified No-Trade Clause (M-NTC) – a set number of teams that a player sends their management on a specific date (usually July 1st) that the player cannot be traded to without their permission. The set number of teams is negotiated with the club.
With that in mind, let’s look at the Flames players and their current trade protection.
A refresher on Flames players with trade protection
| Jonathan Huberdeau | Full NMC until July 1, 2029, where it converts to a 12-team trade list |
| Mikael Backlund | Full NMC until January 1, 2028, where it converts to a 10-team no-trade list |
| MacKenzie Weegar | Full NTC until July 1, 2027, where it converts to a 10-team no-trade list |
| Blake Coleman | 10-team trade list |
| Nazem Kadri | 13-team no-trade list |
| Yegor Sharangovich | 10-team no-trade list |
Here’s a list of future trade protection for Flames players:
| Morgan Frost | Starting July 1, 2026, 8-team no-trade list |
| Kevin Bahl | Starting July 1, 2027, 8-team no-trade list |
| Dustin Wolf | Starting July 1, 2028, 10-team no-trade list |
| Matt Coronato | Starting July 1, 2030, 10-team no-trade list |
How might this affect the Flames’ deadline plans?
We’ve heard a lot of talk about Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri. The Flames will have 10 teams to talk to regarding Coleman, but they can always present him a team that isn’t on his trade list. With Kadri, you’ll have a much larger net you can cast, with 18 teams being available to deal him to. We’ve heard a little bit on Weegar, but with a full NTC, he would have to waive for a move to any team. Aside from Coleman, Kadri and Weegar, we’ve heard a few other names in rumours: Joel Hanley, Ryan Lomberg, and Brayden Pachal, who don’t have trade protection, which means that the Flames can move them as desired.