Worrying development for star players on the free agent market

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Julien Trekker
March 15, 2023 (3:01 PM)

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Signing free agents for Canadian teams is already a challenging task, especially for Montreal. Language, taxes, climate, and more recently, the management of health regulations have made life difficult for the GMs of Canadian teams in recent years.

A new obstacle was added on January 1st for them. Since the beginning of the year, the Canadian government has adopted a measure to deny property access to foreigners. While not a significant issue, it does nothing to make the job of the various northern teams any easier.

This measure means that players who have never paid taxes in Canada and have never played in the country will not be able to buy property in the country until 2025. The Canadian government is attempting to stabilize the country's residential market.

There is, however, a caveat, but it remains ambiguous. As reported by Raphael Simard of DLC, "a foreigner may purchase a home if they can prove that the purchase is a prelude to employment or immigration to Canada within the next two years."

It remains to be seen if a free agent who signs in Canada for multiple seasons can prove to the government that their agreement is related to employment in the country. While it seems possible, administrative government rules are not always clear.

Assuming that the government accepts that a player signing as a free agent in Canada can purchase a home, it remains to be seen if a player who is traded here will have the same right. Technically, they are not coming to Canada of their own free will, so they may not have the opportunity to buy a home in the country.

You might say that players can always rent a house. That's true, but many prefer to buy rather than rent. The well-being of the family takes precedence over everything else in a team's decision-making, and this small problem could well tilt a player towards an American team.

Hughes will have to add this aspect to the list of things to consider in the coming months, at least until the end of 2024. This may push the GM to trade with Canadian teams and target players from the country.

Fortunately, Pierre-Luc Dubois is a Canadian player.