Trade requests were the flavour of this off-season.
It started when Dylan Larkin went public with desire to be traded away from the Detroit Red Wings, despite having four years remaining on his contract.
Then former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was dealt to the Florida Panthers after requesting a trade out of Canada's capital following the team's first-round exit.
Now, it's culminated in the standoff between the Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck, who has five years remaining on an eight-year deal but has made it clear he wants out.
In all cases, the players had full no-movement clauses on their contracts and thus have the power to veto a trade to any team.
"As I look at what's happened or is happening now, I don't think that's a good thing," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday on the FAN Hockey Show. "I don't think it's good for the player, I don't think it's good for the club, I don't think it's good for fans watching and their connection to the game."
The NHL has an unprecedented number of players with trade protections built into their contracts in comparison to other major North American sports, and Bettman said that those clauses came to exist so players could ensure they would remain where they signed for the duration of their contract.
"This notion now where, a) you can select where you want to go to and b) you can demand a trade. ... That was never the original intention," Bettman added. "If this becomes a problem — I don't think one off-season a problem makes — but if this becomes a problem, it's something we're going to have to discuss with the players' association.
"While it may be good for a player in a particular case, though based on what we're seeing now, I'm not so sure it's good for the player either, but we have to look at what's good for the game, good for the players overall, good for the league, and so it's something we're going to keep an eye on."
In Tkachuk's case, the Senators were able to facilitate a trade to the Panthers so Brady could join older brother Matthew.
In Larkin's case, he's agreed to play until the Red Wings find a suitable trade, though he's indicated he will only accept a trade to eight teams.
But in Hellebuyck's case, the goalie did not report to camp, has not seen any game action during the pre-season, and has almost certainly played his last game as a Jet. Winnipeg has made clear that it will not trade the all-star goalie until it's offered what it believes is an adequate return.
