Adam Henrique apparently will not waive his no movement clause (NMC) to enable a trade the management team of the Edmonton Oilers are exploring. That's the player's prerogative, and the reason that player agents often bargain hard for that type of condition during contract negotiations. Henrique has been a serviceable player when healthy as an Oiler. His point totals are lower than when he held a top-six role with Anaheim, but his time on ice is also lower.
Truthfully, the player is past his prime, and his points per 60 minutes of ice time (P/60) as well as the other advanced metrics demonstrate that clearly. It's a positive sign that Oilers management is asking themselves, "Is Henrique the best player to have in this roster spot?" But as so often happens in Edmonton, the mistakes of the past limit the options in the present.
Full NMC should not have been on the table
It's an understandable negotiating tactic, Oilers management offering other security in lieu of the highest paycheque to a pending free agent. I could understand a limited No Trade or No Movement clause, so that Henrique could have some say in his future destination. But with T-minus Two years until Connor McDavid very possibly leaves the organization, denying themselves the ability to move assets borders on criminal.
It's simply another blunder in the decade long demonstration on "How not to surround your superstar with talent." From Milan Lucic, through Darnell Nurse, previous Oiler GMs have made unforced contract negotiation errors that have limited or prevented the team from maximizing the ratio of talent to dollars spent. And Jeff Jackson and Stan Bowman already have albatross' of their own. Jackson signed Henrique to this deal, while Bowman's inexplicable love for Trent Frederic seems to have saddled the organization with an average player for a very long time.
A team that makes the Cup Final two years in a row and comes away empty both times isn't missing much. A tiny upgrade here, a better fit there, and all of a sudden it's parade planning time. Each mistake limits a team's opportunity to fill their roster with the right players. Financial realities force GMs to look at smaller cap impacts, and those often translate to smaller on ice impacts.
Given opportunity provided by the discount McDavid gave the team, every player acquired needs to be equally dedicated to winning. Henrique wants to be a part of that eventual victory, let's just hope his health and Father Time don't let him down.