Mailbag: The "fallout" for no-trade clauses after the Trouba/Rangers saga

Some thoughts on your questions plus a thank you to readers.

Let’s start with a quick programing note: I’m taking a vacation this week.

For the first time since I left my full-time role at my prior employer, I’m able to take a real vacation with the family and turn my phone/computer off for most of the day.

That’s a huge thanks to the subscribers of this site, who over the past couple years have supported my work.

As a thank you and recognition of what readers of this site mean, there will still be stories posted at Shap Shots this week, including another feature later this week on Victory+ and the state of regional sports networks after I spoke to the CEO of A Parent Media Company before traveling.

I’m turning off social media and taking time off from other gigs, but still keeping myself open for business at Shap Shots this week.

So, again, thank you for reading and supporting this venture, it means the world to me.

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Ok, let’s get into some mailbag questions after I posted in the thread calling for submissions on Saturday night.

Is the NYR stuff the start of NTCs being respected less or do you think it's still something players will value? — from Tyler King

The Jacob Trouba saga with the New York Rangers doesn’t feel great, but ultimately no one really did anything wrong. Trouba signed a contract that had a 15-team no-trade clause, he was willing to use that, he didn’t have a full no-move clause and the Rangers used that to their advantage.

If Trouba wanted a full no-move clause of the entirety of his contract, he likely could have gotten it in exchange for less money. I had an agent point this out to me, who said looking at a no-trade clause as the equivalent to a no-move clause is like saying a $1 million salary is the same as a $2 million salary.

So maybe the Rangers/Trouba showdown will lead to more players pushing for a no-movement clause, but I would expect teams would also then counter that in negotiations salary wise.

The other thing that was a popular narrative/question after the Rangers/Trouba saga was whether his unceremonious exit would lead to less players wanting to sign with the Rangers, and in reality it’s going to have no impact.

Just like the Vegas Golden Knights have had a history of dumping players at the end, the Golden Knights have yet to struggle to attract players. The Rangers, like Vegas, are known across the league for going above and beyond for the players while they are part of the organization, and that day-to-day treatment and reputation is always going to outweigh one, albeit bad-looking, exit.

With all the talk about NYR and "the memo," it got me thinking: how does such a memo go out? These GMs in a Facebook group? Does NHL have a set system (like when we log in to pay our rent through a portal) that they are all connected through? I realize this is a very loaded question with layers and layers to it, but this sent me into a rabbit hole of thought 😂 — From Ronnie Hughes

So there is an NHL league-wide general managers text group. I’m not privy to who started it or how it officially runs, but I’ve heard some stories of GMs putting out the call for a position or putting a player on the block through that mass text.

One NHL insider once told me a story about how they found out their name was coming up in the GM chat because too much was being leaked from a certain team in the view of another GM.

Knowing that group message exists, I have my own wormhole/hypothetical I wonder about: What happens when a GM gets fired? Do they have to remove themselves from the group chat? Does someone else remove them?

On a silly, but semi-similar note, I do know there is a Facebook group for all the NHL mascots. They message and interact through that, talk league-wide mascot issues through that channel.

So, what’s the deal with Jason Robertson? His production has fallen off a cliff, from a consistent (2 years) 40 goal scorer, including a 109 point season, to a guy who is on pace for not even 20 goals and barely 50-60 points. Is his off-season foot surgery causing him issues? Was Pavelski that important to his previous production? Or has the league finally got a book on how to defend and neutralize him? Is the team concerned or do they think it’s just a slump he needs to work through? — From DrewL

I went deep on this topic earlier this week with Bob Sturm, I encourage everyone to read that piece here:

What is Going On With Jason Robertson?

To add a little bit more to Robertson, and some feedback I got recently: I’ve been told the off-season foot surgery is certainly having an impact. It’s not that the foot injury is what’s limiting Roberson, but rather the lack of a full offseason to train where his skating doesn’t have the same impact it had before.

Robertson was never a fast skater before and will never be considered fleet of foot, but having less offseason work to attack the season could make him even slower.

If Dallas makes a move to take replace Seguin, who would be on your list? — From Jay Beerley.

The Stars more pressing issue is on defense and finding a Chris Tanev-type deal to help the defense, but to stick with the forwards, I can’t help but wonder about the Stars and a potential reunion with Reilly Smith.

To be clear, this isn’t me reporting anything, but just me looking at player I think could help the Stars as a reliable depth piece that acts like a Swiss Army knife and can play anywhere in the lineup.

Smith is a pending unrestricted free agent and if the Rangers are serious about that memo we talked about earlier, moving a player making $5 million could be something worthwhile for both franchises.

The key problem right now with potential Seguin replacements is the fact that so many teams are still in the playoff picture, especially with the Eastern Conference being rather weak.

Just some food for thought on a Saturday night.