The NHL sent out a memo to all 32 clubs on Tuesday morning, stating that the league will be 'closely scrutinizing' certain trades that would constitute circumvention of the collective bargaining agreement.
Specifically, the memo highlights trades involving players with long-term injured reserve eligibility, which has to do with teams stashing these players on the LTIR list until playoffs.
Full thread from NHL Insider Chris Johnston:
The NHL released a memo to teams this morning saying that it will "closely scrutinize" trades where injured players are acquired with the intent of keeping them on LTIR until the playoffs.
This could impact the market for players like Nyquist, Monahan, Henrique, etc.— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 28, 2023
Johnston also reports that some teams are upset because such trades have been permitted in the past. One such example is the Toronto Maple Leafs' trade for Riley Nash in 2021, who was nursing an ankle sprain but returned for the playoffs.
As noted by Johnston, trades involving players like Gustav Nyquist and Adam Henrique - both tending to long-ish term injuries - could become difficult-to-impossible to facilitate.
The LTIR process has received criticism ever since the 'flat-cap' era started in 2020 and could probably be revised in the next round of CBA negotiations in 2026.
Should teams be able to stash acquired players on LTIR until the playoffs?
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