NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has expressed concerns that no-trade clauses are being misused, shifting from their original purpose to become a tool for players to dictate their own transfers. According to Bettman, these clauses are increasingly being leveraged by players to demand moves to particular teams after initiating trade requests. The shift raises questions about how the league’s trade policies are being applied in practice. The comments highlight growing tensions between player agency and traditional team management in the NHL.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman believes that no-trade clauses are no longer being used as "originally intended," and instead, players are using them to force moves to specific teams after requesting a trade.