- Fifteen current Oilers carry a no-move or no-trade clause
- McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins and Ekholm all hold full no-movement protection
- Read below for the full list and what it leaves Stan Bowman heading into the season
Stan Bowman spent the summer clearing room in Edmonton. He still can’t move most of his roster.
Fifteen current Oilers hold either a no-movement clause or some version of a no-trade list, and the group runs deeper than the marquee names. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mattias Ekholm all carry full no-movement protection, which means they decide where they go and when.
McDavid’s two-year, $25 million extension is the cleanest example of it. Check out PuckPedia’s breakdown of the deal when he signed it:
Draisaitl’s protection runs the longest of anyone on the roster. His eight-year extension holds a no-movement clause through the 2032-33 season, which covers every year of the contract.
Here’s Edmonton announcing the deal that locked him in:
Evan Bouchard’s no-movement clause doesn’t kick in until 2027-28. Jake Walman’s covers the first four seasons of his seven-year deal before it drops to a 15-team no-trade list.
Here is where every clause on the roster sits right now:
| Player | Trade protection |
|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | No-movement clause through 2027-28 |
| Leon Draisaitl | No-movement clause through 2032-33 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | No-movement clause through 2028-29 |
| Mattias Ekholm | No-movement clause through 2028-29 |
| Evan Bouchard | No-movement clause beginning 2027-28 |
| Jake Walman | No-movement clause, then a 15-team list |
| Zach Hyman | Eight-team trade list, 10 teams from 2027-28 |
| Jason Dickinson | No-movement clause, then a 16-team list |
| Connor Murphy | No-movement clause, then a 16-team list |
| Trent Frederic | No-move clause through 2028-29, lists after |
| Ryan Shea | Full no-trade clause, then a 10-team list |
| Frederik Andersen | No-movement clause and a 15-team list |
| Tristan Jarry | 12-team no-trade list |
| Mattias Janmark | 10-team no-trade list |
| Vasily Podkolzin | 10-team list beginning 2028-29 |
The bottom half of that table is the awkward part. Dickinson and Murphy both hold full no-movement clauses until June 2029, and Edmonton handed protection to both veteran goalies as well.
Bowman already said he plans to sit on Edmonton’s $4.7 million in cap room rather than spend it this month, banking the flexibility for whatever shakes loose during the year. We covered why he wants that room in his pocket earlier this month.
Money is the easy half. Getting a roster spot back is the part 15 signatures now control.
Mike Babcock inherits a lineup that is close to fixed in place. Whatever he wants changed about it in October, he is very likely still looking at in March.
