The 2026-27 NHL season opens Tuesday with a growing divide: several prominent American players have sought moves out of Canadian markets, prompting questions about money, tax rates, geopolitics, and respect.
Historical context of US-Canada hockey rivalry
In September 1925, Frederick Wilson, sports editor at the Globe, asked whether Canadian teams could compete for players against new US teams like New York or Boston entering the pro league. “Will it be a matter of money?” he headlined. For about a century, money was the recurrent nexus of Canadian hockey panic, proven by franchise departures and depleted buying power.
Wilson reassured readers that US teams would not furnish players for years. He was right, but now the US has caught up in on-ice talent, and American players want to go home.
Recent player departures from Canadian teams
Quinn Hughes left Vancouver for Minnesota last December after making clear he wouldn’t re-sign. In April, Jim Rutherford, the Canucks’ president of hockey operations, said, “Some people think Quinn left here because the team wasn’t any good. He was leaving anyway. He wanted to go back to the US, and he went.” Rutherford noted Hughes wouldn’t be the last.
Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators, asked to go as the 2025-26 season ended and landed in Florida with his brother Matthew. Senators owner Michael Andlauer said, “Blood is thicker than water, and let’s just say that his father and his brother got in his kitchen. Ultimately, the decision was made to go and play with his brother. It’s a decision that was out of our control to a certain degree.”
Detroit’s now-former captain Dylan Larkin also wants out, and according to TSN, he won’t consider any Canadian team, including Montreal, which has cap space and a young roster.
Hellebuyck's trade request and suspension
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets goaltender, revealed he requested a trade “several months” earlier. After signing a seven-year, $59.5m contract in 2023, he said he was “ready to be a Jet for life and bring a Cup to this city.” But the Jets faltered, and after the Olympics, where Hellebuyck made 41 saves in the US gold-medal win over Canada, Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The White House visit soured some fans and, according to Hellebuyck, led to threats and online abuse aimed at his family.
Hellebuyck is reportedly open to a competitive US team, and talks with Buffalo stalled over Winnipeg’s asking price. He would reportedly accept a move to Edmonton or Montreal, suggesting he may prioritize winning over anti-Canada bias. He has been suspended for failing to report to training camp.
Rights and respect in Canadian hockey
None of these players has publicly decried Canada, and there are legitimate reasons to go, including family ties and better tax rates. Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is staying put for now, likely influenced by management overhaul and offseason additions.
Rutherford’s prediction echoed throughout the summer because it plucked a chord deep in the Canadian psyche. Since the salary cap was introduced in 2005, Canadian teams have been able to compete financially, but they can’t manufacture desire. “You have to want to play for Ottawa,” Andlauer said of Tkachuk’s departure. Lots of players still do want to play in Canada; the worry now is that the best American ones don’t.
