The contract status of Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos has some fans and pundits in Toronto speculating over the possibility he’ll sign as a free agent next summer with the hometown Maple Leafs. However, like so many Canadian-born NHL superstars in their prime playing for American teams, it’s unlikely he’ll “come home” via unrestricted free agency.
Stamkos, 25, is a Markham, Ontario native who regularly spends his offseason in the Toronto area. Sportsnet’s Damien Cox believes Stamkos could be “king of it all” by joining the Leafs next summer.
It’s unlikely Steven Stamkos will be donning this jersey next year.
Never mind the Lightning could be a Stanley Cup contender for the next several years. Ignore the fact that the Leafs haven’t won a Cup in nearly fifty years, that they’re undergoing a massive rebuilding program and are likely years away from legitimate Cup contention. No, Cox suggests the Leafs deep-pocketed ownership, their successful wooing of respected hockey men like Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello and promising young players are potential enticements for Stamkos to forsake Tampa Bay for Toronto
Granted, there are issues potentially complicating the Lightning’s efforts to re-sign Stamkos. Lightning bloggers John Fontana and Kyle Alexander over at Raw Charge have them well covered. What interesting is the suggestion that Stamkos wants to leave a successful team to sign with a club that hasn’t seen any real measure of on-ice success in a very long time – and could be years away from seeing any – simply to “come home” to Toronto.
The notion of a Canadian NHL superstar playing in the United States actively pining to return to his hometown, or to skate for his favorite childhood Canadian team, occasionally crops up whenever one of those players is closing in on UFA eligibility. Indeed, the “Stamkos-to-Toronto” speculation isn’t the first time a Canadian NHL superstar approaching UFA status was linked to a hometown team.
Back in June 2007, there was considerable chatter suggesting winger Daniel Briere, coming off a career-high 95-point performance in 2006-07 with the Buffalo Sabres, might sign with the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs were very interested in Briere and reportedly sent him a very lucrative offer. However, on July 1, 2007, he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. That move earned Briere several years of verbal abuse from the Habs faithful whenever the Flyers played in Montreal.
In reality, such players sign with the team that makes them the best offer. It’s also what prompts similar stars on Canadian NHL franchises to re-sign. It isn’t love of country or hometown that keeps them there, but merely the willingness of their team to pay the asking price for their services.
Over the past 20 years, no Canadian-born superstar in his playing prime moved from an American NHL team to a Canadian one via free agency. Not one. In fact, in every instance when a Canadian star “came home,” they were all past their playing prime. From the Vancouver Canucks’ ill-fated signing of Mark Messier in 1997, to the Canadiens inking Doug Gilmour in 2001, to the Leafs signing Gary Roberts, Joe Nieuwendyk, Ed Belfour and Eric Lindros, all were beyond their “best-before” dates.
Why do so many Canadian NHL superstars prefer signing with American teams? Obviously, the higher number of American-based franchises provides a wider market for those players to shop their services, but there’s more to it than that.
For one, there’s the relative anonymity those players enjoy in most American markets. Unlike basketball, baseball and football stars, most NHL players aren’t as recognizable in the American markets they live and work in. That allows them the opportunity to live the dream of a pro athlete with the luxury of being just a regular guy away from the rink. NHL players may be wealthy but, compared to other major pro athletes, most seem to prefer living their lives away from the limelight.
Meanwhile, the level of attention players receive in Canadian NHL cities can feel like living in a fishbowl. It’s easier for those who spent most of their careers with Canadian teams to adjust to it. For others, the pressure of playing in a Canadian market can seem daunting.
Location is another reason. Once Canadian players get a taste of life in warmer climes like California, Arizona or Florida, many prefer staying as long as possible. It certainly beats a half season of dodging slush piles and digging out driveways.
Over the past two decades, financial reasons were the best enticement for staying in American markets. Between 1995 and 2004, the Canadian dollar was very low in value against the American greenback. Only the Leafs could afford to spend big bucks on unrestricted free agents during the period. The other Canadian teams simply watched the exodus of their best players heading south via free agency because they couldn’t afford to re-sign them.
Since 2005, however, the Canadian dollar was considerably stronger, spending several years on par with the American dollar. But while Canadian teams could afford to re-sign their best players now, they still couldn’t win bidding wars for superstars in the UFA market. That’s because lower state and federal taxes in the United States play a significant factor in determining the destinations of NHL free-agent stars.
It’s possible, of course, Stamkos could buck this trend next summer, assuming he hits the open market and is keen to join the Leafs. Maybe they’ll win what could be a major bidding war for his services. Perhaps Stamkos wins a Stanley Cup with the Lightning next June and decides that he’s up to the challenge of leading his hometown Maple Leafs to glory.
The odds, however, are against it. No one will be surprised if, as expected, Stamkos re-signs with the Lightning before next July. That’ll mean we’ll have to wait until 2017 for the pining to start for Mississauga, Ontario native John Tavares of the New York Islanders to “come home.”
And that won’t happen either. There’s no way the Isles don’t resign Tavares before the end of his current contract.
hope this helps:
joke
jōk/
noun
1.
a thing that someone says to cause amusement or laughter, especially a story with a funny punchline.
“she was in a mood to tell jokes”
synonyms: funny story, jest, witticism, quip;
The dude can not take a joke.I know he was on lye’s message boards.
“Location is another reason. Once Canadian players get a taste of life in warmer climes like California, Arizona or Florida, many prefer staying as long as possible. It certainly beats a half season of dodging slush piles and digging out driveways.”
bohoo,man up men and live in a cold Canadian city.if not you are not canadian.
You’re forgetting that the families are always considered in these scenartios. Many players who begin their careers in sunnier climes have wives who come from those areas and, if any children, they were born there. Remember Pronger and the public wish of his wife to get the hell out of Edmonton?
Ahh so their kagoma can not take care of the cold bhoo.
Learn to man up and stop being inyuasha.
We know about that but prongers wife is from st.louis and it not the warm.i think she could have stayed in st.louis or live somewhere close like most nhl players families do.
Heh. Pronger was just one example. I’d love to see you go face to face with him and offer your “boo-hoo” crapola.
I would tell sit boy and he will sit jut like inyuasha.
Pronger is just one example. How about Ryan Smyth asking to be traded from the Los Angeles Kings back to the Oilers?
I don’t think they give a rat’s butt about your definition of “Canadian” so the shaming won’t work. I do think this is why McDavid will eventually leave Edmonton, there are a thousand better places to live on this continent… Hope he picks Voorhees!
Mcdavid will not leave anytime soon.jerk
I doubt he will ever leave.all our young players have commited to the team.if the team is awful then he might.
I didn’t say he would leave soon, moron.
Well i doubt he will anyway.but u made it sound like it. And no u are the moron.
Guessing BadcowboyDan is a flames fan?
I’ve been to Edmonton, not much of a place (no offense meant).
It doesn’t compare on any level to any NHL city in the US or southern Canada. That’s why he will eventually leave.
Voorhees is in Southern NJ, not Calgary…
So if southern canada (I think that means Vancouver) is such an attraction for NHL players, name the last 3 big name free agents that have signed there. While you’re at it, name the last 3 big names that have signed in Toronto as well. The bottom line is players will go to where they think they have the best chance of winning and secondly will often choose US markets for a lot of the reasons mentioned in this article (tax breaks, anonymity etc.) It’s a problem all canadian teams face, but somehow the media and people like you think it’s something that only Edmonton is up against.
Sam – Voorhees is the headquarters for the Flyers, not the Devils. I didn’t say he would go to Voorhees, just that I hope one day he will… you should slow down and read more accurately. Sorry you’re taking offense, but it is a fact that most NHLers stay south and live their lives in the land of lower taxes and more opportunity. It’s not just about winning, you can win anywhere. These guys have families to raise and lives to live and none of them really would choose Edmonton if the choice was theirs…
When
When did an 18 year old have a family?
Sam – You need to stop it with the Monster Drinks and look for a way to get out of your moms basement? Trailer? Whatever it is… The conversation is not about the Flyers GM it’s about the fact that Edmonton has little to offer for a guy raising a family. Try to stay on topic and stop the juvenile insults. Great you know a few Nip words from all that Anime you watch when hockey’s not in season. You think your aggressive comments make you right. You are a dumb ass!
As someone mentioned,ryan smyth asked to be trade back to edmonton from sunny LA because his wife wanted him to come home.
Yes his own family wanted him to come back to a place that according to someone is nothing much.
And he was born in banffs and not edmonton.
to say nothing of the punishing tax jurisdiction in bc, on, and qc–only california is worse
It’s all about drafting and developing, not signing free agents. Develop your own players, get them to play your system and sign the occasional UFA to compliment your team.
No you need Fa to come oilers try draft an delvopment and it did not work.
I think ufa is still a big part of being good teams.canadian teams need to tell them if they do not play for their team they will not play for team canada.
I know it is probably not intended and I am not saying Stamkos is coming home or Giroux will be returning to the Ottawa area any ti e soon but sometimes I think we as Canadians put to much thought in to this and articles like this one tho not intended I ams sure almost come off as a weird kind of penis envy of the States…Subban could have tried to sign for less term and jettison himself to the sunny south as a UFA same as Karlsson Hall or any number of others, Clarkson was doomed from the get go but many seem to ignore the fact that the year he was a UFA he was 1 of the big fish if not the biggest. He chose Toronto over a few 8thers who would have paid him more…Its a personal preference nothing more nothing less all the talk 8f climate and taxes play a backseat to winning…they are professional athletes all whowant to win a cup if Canada had more teams that were closer then they are there would be more UFAs willing to come home.
And Joseph and Befour both UFA and had the best years of their careers as Leafs Statically not sure how that equates to they signed after their best before dates?