Finland and Norway just dropped a bombshell that hit the NHL hard, announcing plans to block Russian athletes from entering their countries. The timing? It landed the very same day our Seattle Kraken were battling the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki, Thursday, November 12, 2026.
The Blowback Hits Home in Helsinki
The Emerald City’s own Kraken were out on the ice, playing the first of two regular-season games in the Finnish capital. The score, a tough 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes, felt secondary once the news broke. Finland’s new restrictions aren’t kicking in until Monday, November 16, so the Kraken’s second game on Saturday isn’t directly impacted. But the message is loud and clear: the NHL needs to pay attention.
When the league was asked if these new restrictions would be a problem for future games in Finland, they said it plainly: “We are aware of the government’s position and we’ll have to take that into account.” Finland’s foreign ministry isn’t messing around either, stating that Russia “uses sports as a propaganda tool” and that Russians would only be allowed to work on “tasks that are essential to Finland’s national interests.” This isn’t just about national teams, it applies to club teams and neutral athletes too.
It’s a stark reminder for the league, which has played Global Series games in Finland before, back in 2022 and 2024. They haven’t confirmed any future games there, and after this week, you gotta wonder if they ever will. Even Carolina’s Russian wing Andrei Svechnikov got an assist against us on Thursday, with Pyotr Kochetkov backing up in net for them. The implications for player movement and global events are massive.
The Bigger Picture: NHL’s Roster Reality
This isn’t some small deal for the league. As of the start of this 2026-27 season in September, there were 53 Russians on NHL rosters. That’s a huge chunk, making up 7.3% of the league and the fourth-largest contingent of players from any country. Imagine trying to stage international games when a significant portion of your talent pool can’t even get into the country.
This whole situation stems from Finland’s backlash to Russia getting reinstated for the ice hockey world championships, which isn’t an NHL event, but it definitely shows how sensitive the issue is. And it’s not just hockey, either. The International Skating Union is already warning about a “possible consequential impact” for their figure skating world championships in Finland next March. Estonia, our neighbors across the Baltic, also wrote to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation saying Russian and Belarusian athletes wouldn’t be allowed for their world junior championships in January. This is a growing trend, and the NHL can’t ignore it.
Our boys have another game against Carolina in Finland on Saturday, trying to split the series. But honestly, the ice they’re playing on might be getting a whole lot thinner for future Global Series trips. This ain’t about one game, Kraken fans. This is about the future of the NHL playing abroad, and our Kraken were right there when the whole thing blew up. What happens next? We’re all watching to see if the league can navigate these choppy international waters.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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