Utah Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar is disappointed by the growing trend of NHL players seeking to leave Canadian cities.
"As a Canadian-born player and to play in Calgary, for me personally, I had a great experience in Canada," Weegar said Wednesday on TSN's "Overdrive". "Calgary was an absolute blast to play in that city. ... 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.
"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."
The Ontario-born Weegar began his NHL career with the Florida Panthers and was traded to the Calgary Flames in 2022 in the blockbuster Matthew Tkachuk deal. He spent four seasons in Calgary before being shipped to Utah by the rebuilding Flames in March.
Tkachuk forced his way out of Calgary shortly after Johnny Gaudreau left in free agency for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Tkachuk went on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups with Florida in 2024 and 2025.
Last season, the Vancouver Canucks dealt star defenseman and captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild after he told the team he wouldn't re-sign.
Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in July, joining his older brother Matthew, after similarly indicating that he didn't plan to re-sign with the Ottawa Senators. He had captained the team for five seasons.
Winnipeg Jets star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck publicized his trade request in August.
All five players are American. Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin also requested a trade this offseason but has yet to move.
