The Canadian teams are doing badly. For now, it looks like the Stanley Cup, which hasn’t made it home since the Canadiens won in 1993, won’t want to leave the United States.

For what? Because the phenomenon we saw during the pandemic (Americans want to play in the United States) seems to continue in a revised and corrected version: the stars want to leave certain Canadian clubs.

When we look at what’s happening in Calgary and Winnipeg, we see how sad it is. The Flames, who lost Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk last year, are dealing with a similar surge this year.

Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Mikael Backlund and Tyler Toffoli are currently looking to leave the club.

In Calgary, it looks like Jonathan Huberdeau is the only top skater who will stay.

However, I wonder if he would leave if he didn’t have eight years left on his contract…but if he did, he’s the architect of his own unhappiness at that level, given that he made the decision to sign in Calgary on his own.

But the Flames are not alone. As you know, the Winnipeg Jets are in a similar situation with Pierre-Luc Dubois, Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele looking to leave. These are two franchises that are currently in trouble.

In Canada, they’re not the only ones struggling. The Vancouver Canucks are in limbo and there doesn’t appear to be a clear direction for the club at this time.

The Maple Leafs? We’re really wondering if Auston Matthews wants to stay long-term. We’ll believe it when we see it.

The senators? Alex DeBrincat doesn’t want to stay in town and there’s a rumor about Brady Tkachuk. I’m not saying that whoever was unsure about staying two years ago will actually end up leaving, but he doesn’t seem, shall we say, rooted in Ottawa.

There’s the Oilers, who don’t seem to have a stubborn player right now.

On the other hand, it’s easy to recruit forwards to play with Connor McDavid, but top-notch defenders and goalies aren’t common in this part of Alberta.

That brings me to Canadian. When he took office Kent Hughes traded with the files of Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling, two players who wanted to return to Uncle Sam’s country. But since that time? Nothing publicly indicates that another player wants to leave.

And me, it fascinates me. For what? Of all Canadian teams, CH performed the worst in 2022–2023. But unlike most other teams in the country, the boys want to be here.

Cole Caufield, an American, did not hesitate to put ink on paper for a long time. Chris Wideman and Jake Allen take on a smaller role as mentors for the youth. Sean Monahan chose to stay. Josh Anderson or Joel Edmundson, often associated with rumors, claim loud and clear that they don’t want to go.

Pierre-Luc Dubois is dying to come and play here.

Is it the Martin-St-Louis effect? Yes, that is definitely part of the process. The fact that the city of Montreal is still attractive (especially in the summer, as the boys are discovering) has to help.

But most of all, I believe that the players accept the management’s plan, which puts itself in a good position for the rest of things.

That’s the feeling I have because CH is actually subject to the same restrictions as the other clubs in the country: cold, taxes, pressure, how to deal with the pandemic, etc.

And in Montreal you have to add language.

I’m fascinated that the club, while not doing very well at the moment, seems to be building a culture strong enough to be a magnet for the players that are there.

Imagine what it will be like when the club is good, the young players have progressed and the GM has an easy salary cap. On paper, Montreal’s future looks bright, even if it’s a Canadian club.

Much

– It is finished.

– Speaking of QMJHL.

– Interesting.

– Bonb Hartley pays tribute to Pierre Lacroix. [BPM Sports]

– It’s still being talked about.

The NHL’s decision to ban players from wearing specialty jerseys during pregame warm-ups makes no sense. Pride night, military appreciation, hockey fights cancer, black history. 99% of the players had no problem wearing a special jersey. Typical NHL race at 60 mph in reverse.

– Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) June 22, 2023