I'd totally give Drury credit if the two guys traded had been willing participants, Aaron Ward said it best - guys like Goodrow ant Trouba reached points in their NHL careers to earn the money and NTC in their contracts, Drury shitting on that will definitely have influence on the decision of future FAs signing in NY. I agree there will be moves the sooner the better, getting late in the season to be changing on the fly.
I agree, and it's something I knock Drury for, in addition to many other things, his communication skills are clearly sh*t., you saw it in both cases. It's part of why Drury is in over his head and sucks at his job(s). While Drury should have done better communicating, at days end he had to make these moves though, whether he got Goodrow and Trouba on board or not, they had to be made for the better of the team.
And BTW, Ward's comments are one-sided from a player's POV, because last I checked just like Goodrow and Trouba "earned" their contracts and clauses, Drury also has the right to play by the rules of those contracts, which he did 10000000000%. If they didn't want that risk, both should have negotiated contracts with full NMC's, not limited NTC's. So, Ward is not being fair and is telling only one side of the story.
As for future FA's, I don't worry about that. Money will talk just like it always does, as will playing in NYC, as will playing for an Original 6 franchise. If a certain player says I won't play there because of how Drury abided by the rules of Trouba's/Goodrow's contract to move them, so be it, that's not a player I'd want anyway.
As for clauses, say whatever you want, they are a reality of the modern NHL. Igor got a clause, Lafreniere got a clause, Fox got a clause, on and on. If you want it to stop, the NHL GM's as a whole need to stop it. One team doing it will only cost that team players when they sign elsewhere for a clause that makes them feel more secure and gives them more control/say in where they'll be long term.