Fans lit up social media last December when Tate McRae stepped out in New York City with New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes. The pair strolled casually through Manhattan streets, just one day after she cheered at his game following an 18-game injury absence.
Earlier that month, they grabbed dinner in the West Village, adding logs to the rumor fire that started bubbling in November.
McRae’s hockey ties run deep, from past relationships to performances like her 2024 NHL All-Star slot where Hughes played. She grew up in Calgary, a hockey hotbed, and dated Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger from 2021 to 2023, sharing Cabo trips and Fashion Week moments before parting ways.
Those Hughes photos hit different, though, with outlets like People and E! zooming in on their easy chemistry amid her post-breakup glow-up.
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No official words from either side, true to McRae’s private style. She dodged romance talk in a December 2025 Rolling Stone feature, right as tour dates packed her calendar. Speculation peaked anyway, with Instagram reels and Reddit threads debating if the 22-year-old singer found her next muse in the 24-year-old center.
Post-LAROI Heartbreak Tracks
McRae’s split from Australian rapper The Kid LAROI grabbed headlines after 18 months together. They linked up in early 2024 with Mexico getaways and LA dinners, going Instagram official on her 21st birthday that July.
Joint stage moments, like her Madison Square Garden show, and a collab track “I Know Love” from her February 2025 album, So Close to What, sealed their public vibe.
Things cooled by summer 2025. McRae confirmed the June breakup in that Rolling Stone chat, dropping “Tit for Tat” months later as fans connected dots to LAROI’s “A Cold Play.”
She called the scrutiny scary, hating how it painted a messier picture than reality, yet Taylor Swift gave the diss track a shoutout on late-night TV. LAROI chimed in on X that July, saying they’re on good terms amid yacht birthday pics without him.
Her music poured out the raw side. Songs like “Nobody’s Girl” captured 22-year-old isolation amid arena crowds, while “Horseshoe” owned the pop star loneliness.
That deluxe album drop, SO CLOSE TO WHAT???, hit with Grammy nods and VMA spots, proving heartbreak fueled her biggest year. Before LAROI, a brief 2019-2021 link to Calgary’s Quinn Hader stayed super low-key.
Solo Mode Takes Center Stage
Fast-forward to 2026, and McRae sounds all-in on single life. A January Facebook post from music pages quoted her Rolling Stone plans: quality time with “hearty, grounded girls and gays,” no dating apps allowed.
Her Miss Possessive Tour wrapped in late 2025, but fresh covers like Rolling Stone’s January 2026 issue spotlight career wins over a couple of goals.
Hockey whispers linger, especially with Olympic team chatter tying her to the USA’s Hughes squad. Still, no confirmations stick six months past those NYC walks.
McRae thrives on mum matters, letting hits like “Greedy” and F1 soundtrack cuts do the talking. Outlets from Cosmopolitan to ELLE track her history but land on privacy as her power move.
Multiple angles pop up in fan forums. Some ship the athlete-pop star crossover hard, citing her rink history. Others buy the solo narrative, given tour demands and post-split singles.
The business side shines too, with Wallen’s collab “What I Want” topping charts despite backlash. As 2026 rolls in, expect more music than PDA reveals.
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