Jets Lead NHL Player's No-Trade Lists

The Winnipeg Jets might be the NHL's top team, but they still have to fight for players to want to play with them.

Feb 4, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets forward Nino Niederreiter (62) is congratulated by his team mates on his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: Terrence Lee-Imagn Images / Terrence Lee-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets may be the top team in the NHL with a 38-14-3 record, but that isn’t making it an attractive place to play. According to an anonymous player poll in the Athletic, the Jets would top most player’s no-trade lists.

In the category of “If you have a no-trade list, what’s the first time on it?” the Jets led by a wide margin of 48.78% of 82 responses. The Buffalo Sabres finished second with 19.51% of the vote.

Judging by most of the responses from players, the decision to avoid the Jets has nothing to do with the team or the top-notch atmosphere at the Canadian Life Centre. Most of the responses centered around the City of Winnipeg.

Most players commented on Winnipeg’s weather which is notorious for being bitter cold for what seems like the entire year.

“There’s not much to do out there,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “It’s f—ing cold. I haven’t heard a guy go to Winnipeg and be like, 'This is going to be my forever home.’”

Winnipeg being based in Canada also means the tax situation is a bit different for players. With the current political climate, there’s no guarantee how much or how little the Canadian dollar will be worth.

The Athletic noted that a few players would reject all seven of the Canadian NHL teams, citing taxes, weather, and scrutiny from fans and media.

Canada is the center of the hockey world and the fans take the game very seriously. For each team there is a die-hard group of fans that eat, breathe, and sleep their favorite team. If a player isn’t doing well, they hear about it non-stop.

Winnipeg may be one of the best teams in the NHL and have some of the best odds to win the Stanley Cup, but there is still quite a bit of hesitation from players to want to play in Winnipeg.

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