How Henrik Sedin can limit Canucks
He's one of many with a no-trade or no-movement clause, which can hinder contenders
It should come as no surprise that franchise players such as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have no-trade clauses written into their multimillion-dollar contracts -- but what many might be surprised to discover is that Matt Cooke, Olli Jokinen, Jaroslav Spacek, Mike Commodore and Kris Draper also are among the more than 130 players who have them.
They are far from franchise players but evidence no-trade and no-movement clauses have become increasingly common as general managers look to gain the upper hand in the wildly competitive free-agent market.
Those same GMs might end up wishing they also had escape clauses, because these irrevocable guarantees can limit a team's flexibility when it comes to staying under the salary cap.
Take the Calgary Flames, who unofficially lead the NHL with 11 no-trade clauses in 2011-12. With a cap payroll that stands at $55.8 million and just 17 players signed, the Flames will have to deal with a lot of headaches if they decide to reshape their roster.
More immediately, the Boston Bruins will need to clear upward of $4 million from their cap once Marc Savard and Marco Sturm come off long-term injured reserve.
Savard, who makes just more than $4 million, would be an ideal candidate to be moved -- if he didn't have a full no-trade clause in 2010-11. Since Savard can veto any deal, the Bruins will be forced to clear space from another area or possibly bury a veteran in the minors.
Here's a look at the NHL teams with the most known current no-trade and no-movement clauses, according to CapGeek.com sources; you can visit CapGeek at any time for a fully navigable list of all no-trade and no-movement clauses.
For the full analysis on teams restricted by their contractual clauses, you need to be an ESPN Insider.
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