When Radko Gudas signed with the Anaheim Ducks on a three-year contract that could take him to the end of his NHL career, it seemed like an odd fit considering the team’s distance from Stanley Cup contention.
The hard-hitting defenceman’s reasoning became slightly clearer this week when he said he received offers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames but rejected them in part due to the media scrutiny those Canadian markets receive.
Choosing to avoid those teams is the veteran’s prerogative, but his choice — along with Ryan O’Reilly’s comments earlier in the offseason about the stresses of playing in Toronto — feeds a narrative about NHL players preferring quieter markets that the facts simply don’t support.
From a subjective standpoint, it’s easy to understand why a player might want to ply their trade somewhere they can have relative anonymity and less media attention. That’s a totally valid preference, and Gudas probably isn’t alone in seeing the benefit in that kind of environment.
Objectively speaking, though, when given the choice in recent seasons, few players seem to actively shy away from big hockey markets.
There are currently 60 NHL players on contracts they signed as unrestricted free agents with a value of $4 million or more. That sample has some qualifiers, but to evaluate the choices players make we have to ensure they had options.
So, in order to drill down on the landing spots players have sought out in recent years, we’ll look at free agents who commanded large enough salaries to imply a level of desirability that would induce multiple offers.
Not only is $4 million a nice round number, it’s also what Gudas signed for, and he clearly had a choice to make.
It’s tricky to assign a precise value to the intensity of any given hockey market, and we’re not in the business of besmirching individual fanbases — even those on the smaller side.
With that in mind, let’s just present some facts about that pool of 60 free agents.
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18 of them (30%) signed with Canadian teams, a group that accounts for 21.9% of the NHL’s franchises.
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Another nine signed with the four American teams in the Original Six — including Artemi Panarin, who got the biggest deal by AAV ($11.64 million).
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Eight more signed with the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, or Pittsburgh Penguins — hardly Sun Belt locations devoid of hockey fans. It’s tough to gauge where Seattle is as hockey market yet, but the Kraken account for four more deals.
If you’re looking for players who seem to have sought out quieter locales, there are only a few candidates beyond Gudas and O’Reilly.
Johnny Gaudreau wound up in Columbus after spending the first nine years of his career in Calgary, but he showed at least some interest in playing for the Philadelphia Flyers and Devils.
Ryan Strome went to a rebuilding Ducks squad after spending three years with the New York Rangers — but he hasn’t spoken at length about his motives in a public forum, primarily commenting on the team being on the ‘right trajectory’. In a Q&A with The Athletic, he said he “never would have gotten a chance to live in this area” without the offer from a lifestyle perspective, but that’s a broad statement open to interpretation.
Michael Bunting went from Toronto to the Carolina Hurricanes, but Carolina is probably a better competitive situation and Bunting has openly expressed how much he enjoyed playing for his hometown squad. The Maple Leafs-Bunting divorce is not one that can be chalked up to market preference.
Most other guys who ended up in less prominent hockey markets landed contracts at the very high end of their market value, and the financial incentive was probably worth more than any peace and quiet. That list includes Sergei Bobrovsky ($10 million AAV, Florida), Alex Killorn ($6.5 million AAV — and four-year term at age 33 — Anaheim) and Jason Zucker ($5 million AAV, Arizona).
NHL players may make comments about difficulties associated with playing in some of the league’s most intense markets. There are undoubtedly times when being a Toronto Maple Leaf, Edmonton Oiler, or Boston Bruin comes with stressors that playing in other environments does not.
What matters is whether that concretely affects decisions players make, though.
While Gudas seems to have let that play a significant role in his choice this summer, that’s probably not the case for most players. Earning potential and competitive situation seem to be far more important factors — and fans of teams in intense media markets shouldn’t lose sleep about their squads missing out on top free agents.
