It’s been a rough stretch for Canadian NHL franchises when it comes to holding onto their biggest stars, and MacKenzie Weegar isn’t thrilled about the trend.
Over the past few years, a string of American-born stars have forced their way out of Canadian markets. Matthew Tkachuk forced a trade out of Calgary in 2022 shortly after Johnny Gaudreau left in free agency. Quinn Hughes was dealt from Vancouver to Minnesota last season after telling the team he wouldn’t re-sign. Brady Tkachuk was traded to Florida in July after indicating he wouldn’t re-sign with Ottawa, reuniting him with his brother. Connor Hellebuyck, another US star, made his trade request from Winnipeg public in August, though no move has happened yet.
MacKenzie Weegar on Canada
Weegar, who spent four seasons in Calgary after being traded there in the Tkachuk deal before landing with the Utah Mammoth in March, addressed the pattern on TSN’s Overdrive.
“As a Canadian-born player and to play in Calgary, for me personally, I had a great experience in Canada,” Weegar said. “It’s a bit unfortunate to see players wanting out of Canada, just because I know how passionate the fans are there, the citizens in each city, and how much they love their hockey and their star players.”
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He added that the appeal of certain American markets is part of the equation, even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with the choice to leave.
“You don’t like to see it, but at the same time, there’s a lot of teams out here, Utah … that has to offer a little bit more than you’d say in Canada. But at the end of the day, I think we’re all hockey players, and it doesn’t really matter where you play. You just want to play in the NHL,” he said.
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