Rumor: Adam Henrique's new contract could result in him being traded.

Trade protection could result in him being traded.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Rumor: Adam Henrique's new contract could result in him being traded.
Peter Joneleit/CSM/Zuma

It is not every day that you see a player in the National Hockey League traded, at least in part, as a result of the contract that he has signed with the team he is currently playing for, but it does happen.

Perhaps one of the most infamous examples in recent memory is the trade that involved star defenseman, and captain, of the Nashville Predators Shea Weber and Montreal Canadiens superstar defenseman P.K. Subban. While it has now become quite clear that there were likely some personal motivations behind the Subban trade you can be sure that one of the main reasons he was traded at the time that he was traded was due to the nature of his contract extension. Subban's extension was set to kick in for the following season and would have come with trade protection, prompting Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin to pull the trigger when he did. 

It now seems like Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray may now find himself in a similar situation with a player that the Ducks reportedly considered trading at the trade deadline for the 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season. Prior to that deadline there were rumors that the Ducks, who are going to finish with one of the worst regular seasons in the young history of their NHL franchise, were looking to trade National Hockey League veteran Adam Henrique. Those rumors came as somewhat of a surprise given the fact that Henrique signed an extension with the Ducks the previous summer and it is an extension that won't even kick in until July 1st. 

Now however that very same extension may also provide a sense of urgency to Murray who may be seeing his window to pull off that aforementioned trade closing quickly. You see, like Subban in the past, Henrique's new contract extension comes with some trade protection that his current contract does not. Although Henrique would not benefit from a full no trade clause he would however be able to submit a list of 10 teams that he does not want to be traded to, something that would severely limit the options for Murray and the Ducks. 

While there may be a desire from Murray to keep Henrique in the fold, that is perhaps after all why he was not moved at the deadline in spite of the rumors, there is also a clear need to make room on the roster for the next generation of players. The Ducks looked and felt old this season and youngsters like Sam Steel, Max Jones, Max Comtois, Troy Terry and Daniel Sprong will be looking to claim full time roster spots as early as next season, something the Ducks will want to facilitate in an effort to get younger. 

Don't be surprised if you hear of a trade involving Henrique before the NHL's free agency kicks off this summer.

Source: