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Toronto Maple Leafs: 20 Best NHL Players Without a No-Trade Clause

By Jeff Borsuk

Deputy commissioner and chief legal officer of the NHL Bill Daly speaks at the podium during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7 at Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
Deputy commissioner and chief legal officer of the NHL Bill Daly speaks at the podium during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7 at Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are always looking to swing a big trade and find a player who can instantly transform their lineup.

Unfortunately for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it becomes extremely difficult to do once players negotiate certain clauses into their contracts that allow them veto power over being traded to a new team.

Most of the stars in the NHL have earned the right to dictate their own playing destiny. Their agents ensure it by writing in language into the contract that doesn’t allow their respective franchise to send them elsewhere without their pre-approval. This takes form in two ways, a no-move clause and a no-trade clause.

The difference between the two clauses is simple. A no-move prohibits the club placing the player on waivers, being assigned to the minors, or being traded without approval. The no-trade only protects the player from being traded without signing off on it.

Toronto Maple Leafs: 20 Best NHL Players Without a No-Trade Clause

The Toronto Maple Leafs have an astonishing number of players with some kind of restrictive clause in their respective contracts. They have 14 players who have no-move, no-trade, or a modified no-trade, which means the player submits an agreed upon number of team names to his club where they cannot trade him.

When searching for new players the Toronto Maple Leafs know that some of the athletes under contract with other franchises won’t be attainable.

While some may choose to waive their right to refuse a trade, it is tricky for a team to try and trade someone without knowing in the end if they’ll even agree to go. The last thing a team wants to do is work out an exchange with an opponent and then ask a player if he’s willing to go and that player refuses. It just serves to upset the individual.

There are excellent players in the NHL who don’t currently have restricted clauses in their contracts. These are the 20 best.

Note: All statistics are from Hockey Reference and all contract information is from Cap Friendly.

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