The first draft pick that Kyle Davidson made as the full-time General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks was Kevin Korchinski, 7th overall in 2022. Since then, his development has had an up-and-down curve.
Before his NHL career started, Korchinski won a Gold Medal with Connor Bedard at the 2023 World Junior Championships. He has big-game experience, and that could come to help him down the line.
Korchinski played his entire rookie pro season in the NHL, where there were some good and bad moments. Over the last two years, however, he spent most of both seasons in the AHL. He was an All-Star both times, including the All-Star Game MVP in 2025.
He is still working on becoming a full-time NHL player again, which is becoming increasingly difficult with all of the young talent around him.
The Blackhawks clearly believe in him, however, as the restricted free agent locked down a two-year extension on Saturday. He is going to carry a cap hit of $1.325 million, starting in 2026-27, and that will go through the 2027-28 season.
If Korchinski wants to become an important NHL player rather than an above-average AHL player, he has two years to put it all together. If he blossoms into his full potential, this will be a great deal for Chicago over two years. At the same time, there isn't much risk if it doesn't work out.
Korchinski has a lot to prove, but the skills are there for him to do so. Now, he must take advantage of this opportunity to get better with an organization that has invested in his long-term success.
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It didn’t take long for San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini to be surpassed for the title of highest-paid player in the NHL. Roughly a month after Celebrini signed his massive contract extension, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche took over the title and changed the landscape of contracts in the NHL, especially for defensemen, as the first player to surpass the $20 million threshold.
On Friday, the Avalanche announced that they had signed Makar to an eight-year contract extension worth just over $163 million, which carries an average annual value of $20.4 million per season. Meanwhile, Celebrini signed his landmark five-year, $94 million contract, which carries an $18.8 million cap hit on July 29th.
Neither Makar nor Celebrini will have their new contract start until the 2027-28 season, which means there’s a chance they drop down the NHL’s highest-paid player rankings before their contracts even begin. A player like Quinn Hughes could now realistically demand the first maximum contract in NHL history, and given the Minnesota Wild’s approach to signing Kirill Kaprizov, it seems that he’d get it.
Sharks General Manager Mike Grier said that the Sharks would’ve given Celebrini a max deal if asked, but he was willing to take a pay cut to remain in the Bay Area and help the team win. While many on social media disregarded the idea that his $18.8 million cap hit was team-friendly, Makar’s new deal truly iterates the fact that Celebrini left money on the table to get business done this summer instead of waiting.
Erik Portillo has done just about everything the Los Angeles Kings could have asked of him at the AHL level.
The 25-year-old Swedish goaltender has steadily developed with the Ontario Reign, shown flashes of NHL-caliber ability, and put together a strong enough body of work to make the Kings believe he can eventually handle a bigger role.
But there’s a difference between being ready for an opportunity and having an opportunity available.
That’s the problem Portillo faces heading into the 2026-27 season.
The Kings already have two goaltenders with legitimate claims to the NHL crease. Darcy Kuemper is coming off a disappointing finish to last season and has plenty to prove as he looks to reestablish himself as Los Angeles’ No. 1. Meanwhile, Anton Forsberg arrived with experience and proceeded to play some of the best hockey of his career when the Kings needed him most.
Portillo may be knocking on the door, but someone has to open it.
The Kings Have A Goaltending Logjam
There’s no question Portillo has the physical tools to play in the NHL.
At 6-foot-6, he has the size teams traditionally covet in a goaltender, and his development with the Reign has given the Kings plenty of reason to remain intrigued. He also has one NHL appearance under his belt, stopping 28 of 29 shots in a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 29, 2024.
That performance showed he wasn’t overwhelmed by the moment.
But one strong NHL appearance doesn’t mean the Kings should simply hand him a roster spot.
That would be especially difficult to justify given what the organization already has in front of him.
Kuemper, a former Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, is entering the final year of his contract and has every reason to come into camp determined to reclaim the starting job. His 2025-26 season ended on a sour note, and there will be plenty of motivation for the veteran goaltender to prove that the struggles late in the year were an aberration rather than a sign of what’s to come.
Then there’s Forsberg.
The veteran goaltender wasn’t merely a placeholder last season. He stepped into a much larger role and played extremely well, posting a .910 save percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average during the regular season. More importantly, when the Kings reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Forsberg was trusted to start all four games of their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche.
Los Angeles ultimately got swept, but it’s difficult to pin that result on its goaltender.
Forsberg gave the Kings a chance.
That matters.
Portillo Will Have To Earn It
This is where Portillo’s situation gets interesting.
It isn’t about whether he is talented enough to become an NHL goaltender. He very well might be. It’s about whether he can force the Kings to make a difficult decision.
That starts in training camp.
Portillo probably needs to be outstanding. Not just good. Not just solid. He needs to make the organization seriously consider whether keeping him in the AHL is still the best option.
And even then, it might not be enough.
The reality is that Portillo may need some help from circumstances beyond his control.
An injury to Kuemper or Forsberg would immediately create an opening. A significant decline from either goaltender could do the same. If one of the veterans struggles badly enough, Portillo could suddenly become a much more realistic option.
That’s not necessarily a knock on Portillo. It’s simply the nature of the position.
Goaltending depth is one of those things every NHL team wants to have until it suddenly needs it.
The Kings have that depth right now.
His Chance Is Coming
Portillo shouldn’t be discouraged by the current situation.
If anything, he’s in a position where patience could pay off.
He has already established himself as a legitimate prospect within the organization, and another strong season with Ontario would only strengthen his case. The Kings also know that NHL seasons rarely go according to plan, particularly when it comes to goaltenders.
Injuries happen. Performance fluctuates. Players lose their jobs.
Eventually, something will create an opening.
When that happens, Portillo needs to be ready.
The temptation would be to look at his size, his AHL numbers and his previous NHL appearance and conclude that he should simply be handed the backup role. But that isn’t how this should work.
Portillo has to earn it.
And the good news for him is that he has plenty of time to do exactly that.
The Kings don’t need to rush him into the NHL just because he appears close. They can allow him to continue developing, keep pressure on him to perform, and wait for the right opportunity.
If Portillo plays out of his mind in camp, perhaps he forces the issue.
If Kuemper struggles or gets hurt, perhaps the door opens.
If Forsberg can’t replicate last season’s success, perhaps another opportunity appears.
But if Kuemper returns to form and Forsberg continues playing like the goaltender Los Angeles saw last season, Portillo may simply have to wait.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t ready.
It means the Kings have two goaltenders in front of him who have earned the right to be there.
And eventually, Portillo will get his chance.
When he does, he’ll have to make sure the Kings have no reason to send him back.
As the anticipation for the 2026-27 NHL season grows, TheHockeyNews.com will be taking a look at the top 10 prospects in the St. Louis Blues' system, with skilled and high-energy forward Otto Stenberg coming in at the fourth spot.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all 23 and under. Therefore, players like Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Logan Mailloux, among others, won't feature in this ranking for those reasons.
The order of these rankings reflects a mix of their ceilings and potential, as well as how they've performed over the past year with their respective clubs.
Otto Stenberg might lack size, listed at just 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, but that doesn't affect his determination to win the puck back. Stenberg hounds the puck on the forecheck and doesn't back down from anyone.
In a 32-game stint in the NHL during the 2025-26 season, Stenberg finished with three goals and 10 points while averaging just 13:37 of ice time. In addition to his production, Stenberg fired 31 shots on goal, recorded 49 hits, and blocked 15 shots, showcasing an all-around approach.
According to naturalstattrick.com, the Blues outscored their opponents 11-9 at 5-on-5 with Stenberg on the ice, but were below 50 percent in statistics such as Corsi For, expected goals for, and high-danger chances.
Despite that, his first stint in the NHL showed plenty of positive traits, and although he is facing an uphill battle to make the team out of training camp, it has at least opened the door to give it his best shot.
But more likely than not, Stenberg will begin the season in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds and wait for injuries or poor performances before earning a call-up.
Last season, the 21-year-old posted four goals and 17 points in 36 games. The production was underwhelming for a former 25th overall pick of the 2023 NHL draft, but the Blues coaching staff and front office were confident in the details Stenberg showed.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Stenberg must continue to shine in the small details but find ways to turn it into production. If he can do so, he'll find himself in the NHL rather quickly and will force his way up the line in a permanent role.
Like Theo Lindstein, Maddox Dagenais, and Milton Gastrin, who were previously mentioned in these rankings, Stenberg projects more as a middle-of-the-lineup player. In the middle six, Stenberg can provide scoring depth with defensive capabilities.
Stenberg could develop into a top-line player, but he lacks the necessary skill set to be a play driver on a top line. He could still become a strong complementary piece on a top line, which is why he lands at the fourth spot in these rankings.
For now, a safer projection is a versatile middle-six winger.
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NHL history was broken on August 28 when the Colorado Avalanche signed star defenceman Cale Makar to an eight-year, $20.4M AAV contract. This deal now makes him the league’s highest-paid player.
Makar wasn’t the only defenceman to sign a hefty long-term deal this off-season. Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Bowen Byram inked a $12.5M AAV contract that will keep him with Chicago for six years. Turmoil even surrounds ex-Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, who is entering the final year of his $7.85M AAV come 2026–27.
These bulky contracts for high-calibre NHL defencemen, while not on the same scale, serve as a stark reminder for the Canucks of something that they should be mindful of regarding young star Zeev Buium. The 20-year-old defenceman will enter the final year of his entry-level contract in 2026–27 and will become a UFA if not signed by the end of the season.
Observing the trends with players like Makar and Byram, and even Hughes, should encourage the Canucks to not just re-sign him, but lock Buium up long-term sooner rather than later if they can.
Vancouver doesn’t need to look far to see the benefits of a long-term signing.
When Hughes signed his six-year deal with the Canucks in October of 2021, his $7.85M AAV was still notably less than the $9M AAV deal signed by Makar only a couple of months before. In looking at what Hughes has provided in the years since signing this contract (a James Norris Memorial Trophy, three straight 70+ point seasons), and reflecting on other players that have signed much more expensive deals since, it’s clear that Vancouver was right to tack the defenceman down at the number they did — regardless of how things ultimately shook out with their former captain.
There are, of course, a variety of other factors that played into Hughes’ contract signing with Vancouver, which complicates this example a little more.
A better example to look at when it comes to high-term, cost-efficient extensions may be the contract signed by Montréal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson. Hutson signed an eight-year extension before his ELC even concluded, in October of 2025, with his AAV falling to $8.85M. He’ll enter the first year of this deal in 2026–27, at only 22 years old, with 66 and 78-point seasons already respectively under his belt. In comparison, Hutson is making less money per-year than players such as Dougie Hamilton, Darnell Nurse, and even fellow Canadiens defenceman Noah Dobson. All three of these players are a fair bit older than Hutson and have yet to make the same offensive impact that the 22-year-old already has.
That’s a tidy deal for a defenceman that will be a key piece of Montréal’s future.
Where things are different in Buium’s case is the fact that the Canucks defenceman has only played in one NHL season —2025–26. While he’s shown legitimate potential and offensive creativity, at the same time, there’s always going to be a reasonable concern that the defenceman may not match the expectation of the contract he could be signed to. In other words, there’ll always be concern that the Canucks will rush when it comes to signing him.
The thing is, though, that Buium’s first NHL season saw the defenceman get shipped to a league-worst Vancouver team after only 31 total games in the league. Even with the Canucks’ struggles, Buium was still able to gain a foothold on the league and was even named the team’s Most Exciting Player by the end of the year. More time in different situations, such as extended power play usage or top-pairing minutes, will help the defenceman gain the experience he needs to blossom into the player many believe he can be.
Off the ice, Buium is also expected to become a key piece of Vancouver’s leadership core in the long-term future, making it even more imperative that he be locked-up long-term. If the defenceman is on-board when it comes to staying, a long-term move is a no-brainer.
When it comes to contract comparables, Makar and Buium aren’t even remotely close. Realistically, there are no other — if not very few other — defencemen in the NHL that could currently command $20M a year. That said, as the salary cap begins to rise, and players start getting paid more and more, more and more $20M-AAV contracts will likely start to trickle in. A rise in what one player is being paid will impact every other player in the league regardless of how closely comparable they are on the ice.
Makar is getting paid $20.4M per year. Hughes will likely command a similar number. Zach Werenski and Miro Heiskanen are both coming up on contract endings in 2027–28 and 2028–29 respectively. Regardless of calibre level, the price for premium defencemen is only going to get higher. The Canucks need to buy on Buium before his price tag starts rising as well.
Apr 14, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium (24) handles the puck against the Los Angeles Kings in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Stuart Skinner signed with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1 with a pretty clear job waiting for him.
Connor Hellebuyck was the starter, and Skinner was there to be the backup, take some of the workload off a goaltender who plays among the most games in the league, and try to get his own career back on track after a difficult season split between the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Winnipeg signed Skinner for two years at $3.75 million per season, giving him some security and a chance to work with longtime Jets goaltending coach Wade Flaherty.
Two months later, Skinner might be Winnipeg's starting goalie.
Hellebuyck publicly requested a trade Thursday after privately asking the Jets to move him several months ago. The 33-year-old said his position hasn't changed and that leaving Winnipeg is the right path for him and his family. Training camp opens in September, leaving general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff with one of the biggest decisions of his tenure.
The decision will have a pretty significant effect on Skinner.
Winnipeg didn't sign him to take Hellebuyck's job. NHL.com still listed Skinner as Hellebuyck's backup at the end of July, and Cheveldayoff said after the signing that Hellebuyck's uncertain future wasn't the reason the Jets pursued Skinner. He was coming off a season in which he went 23-17-9 with an .888 save percentage in 50 games between Edmonton and Pittsburgh.
Skinner's career has also provided plenty of evidence that a backup or tandem role suits him.
He has played 224 NHL games with a .902 career save percentage, reached consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with Edmonton and finished second in the Calder Trophy voting as a rookie. His workload increased quickly with the Oilers because Edmonton needed him to start, and the results became increasingly uneven. His playoff career included some very good stretches and enough difficult ones that Edmonton questioned its crease during long playoff runs.
Skinner was the hometown goalie playing for a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl during years when anything short of a Stanley Cup was treated as a failure. His final season with the Oilers ended with a trade to Pittsburgh, and he finished the 2025-26 season with the lowest save percentage of his NHL career.
Winnipeg keeps him in a Canadian market with plenty of attention on the local team. Jets fans will be much more present in the day-to-day conversation surrounding the club than Skinner would have experienced in many American markets. He knows what comes with playing goal in Canada and acknowledged the pressure himself after signing with Winnipeg, saying his experience in Edmonton gave him an understanding of the environment he was entering.
Doing it as Hellebuyck's backup was a reasonable situation for Skinner to be in. Doing it as the man replacing Hellebuyck would bring an entirely different amount of attention.
Hellebuyck has owned the Winnipeg crease for a decade. He has won three Vezina Trophies, won the Hart Trophy in 2025 and started 615 games since entering the NHL. His departure would leave Winnipeg without the player who has covered up plenty of problems during his 11 seasons with the organization.
There may not be another established starter coming through the door.
It all depends on the return for Hellebuyck. Buffalo has already discussed a Hellebuyck trade with Winnipeg, with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reporting during the NHL Draft that the Sabres and Jets had held talks. Hellebuyck was reportedly willing to waive his no-movement clause for Buffalo. Those discussions stalled, and Buffalo remains an obvious team to watch now that Hellebuyck has made his request public.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would change the picture for Skinner.
Luukkonen has been included in versions of a possible Buffalo package for Hellebuyck, and sending him to Winnipeg would give the Jets another NHL goaltender capable of taking a significant share of the starts. The Jets could enter the season with Luukkonen and Skinner sharing the crease while Flaherty works with both. Reports around the earlier Buffalo discussions linked Luukkonen to a potential deal, although no agreement was reached.
A Hellebuyck trade involving forwards, prospects and draft picks leaves a different depth chart.
Winnipeg's top goaltending prospect, Domenic DiVincentiis, hasn't played an NHL game. He went 13-16-2 with an .896 save percentage in 34 AHL games last season, and there has been little indication that the Jets intend to hand him a substantial role in their organization immediately.
Skinner would be sitting at the top of the depth chart in that situation.
There has already been some thought in Winnipeg that his signing could eventually lead there. The Winnipeg Free Press raised the possibility in July that Skinner could play 50 to 55 games depending on the goalie Winnipeg receives in a Hellebuyck trade, while noting that neither DiVincentiis nor Thomas Milic appeared ready for the backup job.
That would put Skinner back in familiar territory.
He started 50 games last season. He started 57 for Edmonton in 2022-23 and another 57 the following year. His performance over that schedule has been the issue, not whether he could handle the schedule.
Winnipeg also offers Skinner an opportunity to work with Flaherty, one of the reasons he wanted to sign with the Jets. Skinner said he had heard positive reviews from other NHL goalies about Flaherty and was looking forward to working with him.
He may be getting considerably more work with him than anyone expected.
Hellebuyck wants out; everyone knows that, and the trade market has already included Buffalo. There are also several American teams he would be happy with, fitting with the possibility that the Michigan native and United States Olympic gold medallist would prefer the next stage of his career to come south of the border. His no-movement clause gives him substantial control over where Winnipeg can send him.
Skinner's place in all of this depends on what Cheveldayoff brings back.
A goalie such as Luukkonen leaves Winnipeg much less worse off. A trade built around skaters, prospects and picks would leave Skinner as the most experienced goalie in the organization by a wide margin.
He came to Winnipeg expecting to back up one of the best goaltenders of his generation.
There is a very real chance he arrives at training camp with Hellebuyck gone and the net sitting there for him.
If there was any doubt about Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck's intentions heading into next season, the Hart and Vezina Trophy winner made it clear late last week when he confirmed through his agent that he has requested a trade. The 33-year-old had knee surgery, and a career-worst .895 save % with the Jets last season, but still played 57 games (23-23-11) and was the key to Team USA’s gold medal victory at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina.
The Buffalo Sabres were connected to Hellebuyck around the NHL Draft in late June, but Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could not find common ground on a deal. The conventional wisdom is that now that Hellebuyck has made his trade request public, that Cheveldayoff is not in as strong a negotiating position to get the best deal for the netminder, but he reportedly is open to going to a wide swath of teams.
Unless Hellebuyck is prepared to hold out, Winnipeg could wait into the season for the right return for such a valuable commodity.
The Sabres could be in the mix for Hellebuyck, but deals that had previously been offered that included goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen might be off the table, since he has a five-team no-trade clause that could block a trade to Winnipeg. It is expected that any deal involving Buffalo would include one of their young centers (Noah Ostlund or Konsta Helenius), one of their top prospect defenseman (Daxon Rudolph or Radim Mrtka) and/or an established NHL forward (Jack Quinn or Ryan McLeod).
Other teams could be in the mix for the veteran netminder, either to get them into the playoff mix, or to elevate them from a consistent postseason entrant to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Where will Connor Hellebuyck end up?
New Jersey Devils
Team Status: The Devils let go of Lindy Ruff in 2024 in favor of Sheldon Keefe, and the former Leafs coach succeeded in making the postseason in 2025, but last season missed the playoffs again with a 42-37-3 record (87 points), due in part to center Jack Hughes missing over 20 games with a hand injury and getting subpar goaltending from veteran Jacob Markstrom.
Current Goalie Situation: Markstrom was traded to Florida in June, leaving the Devils with a three-headed monster between the pipes (similar to the Sabres) of veterans Jake Allen, David Rittich, and youngster Nico Daws, who had subpar numbers with AHL Utica the last three seasons.
Assets To Trade: Reportedly, Cheveldayoff is looking for a young goaltender as part of any trade, but the main focus would be getting help up the middle. GM Sunny Mehta could put Daws as part of a Hellebuyck trade, and 24-year-old pivot Dawson Mercer would be an attractive get, but there is some indicators that Mehta is keeping his powder dry in case Quinn Hughes does not agree to an extension with Minnesota.
If the Hughes contract situation is resolved with a deal with the Wild, the possibility of the Devils engaging on Hellebuyck increases exponentially.
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
The Sabres' failed acquisition of Michael Kesselring led Kekalainen to send the right-handed defenseman to the San Jose Sharks in a swap of their 27th overall pick to move up seven slots in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. After selecting blueliner Daxon Rudolph with the fourth overall pick, Buffalo chose center Ilia Morozov at #20.
Where will Connor Hellebuyck get traded to?
The 18-year-old is a physical specimen at 6’3”, 200 lb., and that size is likely a large part of what will make him an effective pro. The Moscow native came to North America at 15 years old to play youth hockey, played with Tri-City in the USHL at 16, where he scored 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 59 games, and played in the NCAA with Miami (OH) at 17, where he scored 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) in 36 games as a freshman.
Morozov’s strength is at the defensive end of the ice. According to Elite Prospects, he is a “true defensive stalwart, who angles rushes to the outside and emphatically runs over the puck carrier.” He does not lack for energy, and offensively uses his physicality to be a menace in front of the net.
Most believe that Morozov will be an NHL checking center, but his maturation over the next two or three years in college could result in something more than that.
For almost 20 years, Trevor Timmins was the directing mind behind the Montreal Canadiens’ draft picks, but when Geoff Molson decided to clean house in 2021, he got his marching orders along with Marc Bergevin and Paul Wilson. It didn’t take long for him to find a new job, however, and in 2022, he was hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets as an assistant to the director of amateur scouting, Ville Sirén.
On Thursday, Columbus announced that Sirén had been reassigned as director of European scouting and that Timmins would now be the director of amateur scouting. It’s been a few years since the Jackets hit a home run at the draft, and while Adam Fantilli was a nice selection in 2023, the decision to draft Cayden Lindstrom fourth overall in 2024, just before Ivan Demidov, was a grave mistake. Back then, there were doubts about Lindstrom’s health and more specifically about back issues, and since then, he has played four playoff games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2024-25 and 31 games in the Big 10 with the University of Michigan last season, where he could only muster 10 points.
Timmins will find himself in a role he knows very well, having worn the director of amateur scouting hat with the Canadiens, and it will be interesting to see if he does better in Ohio than he did in Montreal. Back in 2006, he was behind the Habs’ decision to draft David Fischer 20th overall while the Philadelphia Flyers claimed Claude Giroux 22nd overall. Then, in 2018, he orchestrated the selection of Jesperi Kotkaniemi third overall, leaving Brady Tkachuk on the board for the Ottawa Senators to take.
That’s not to say he only made bad moves; under his reign, the Canadiens did select Carey Price, Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, Arturri Lehkonen, P.K. Subban, Cole Caufield, Jakub Dobes, Kaiden Guhle and Oliver Kapanen to name a few, but he also selected a great defenseman who never played for the Habs, Ryan McDonagh. He was selected 12th overall in 2007, but GM Bob Gainey then famously traded him to the New York Rangers to get Scott Gomez, a trade which the Canadiens definitely lost.
Brett Peterson's name has once again circulated among NHL GM vacancies, as trusted insider Elliotte Friedman revealed on his podcast, 32 Thoughts, that the Detroit Red Wings have potentially engaged in discussions with the Florida Panthers' assistant GM.
Peterson was in the running for several job openings this summer, highlighted by the Toronto Maple Leafs job, which was eventually taken by John Chayka, and the Nashville Predators job, which Chris MacFarland took.
Peterson has worked with the Panthers since the 2020-21 season as their assistant GM. During this time, Peterson has served as a GM for Team USA at the World Championship twice.
The Red Wings GM job became available when Steve Yzerman stepped down as GM and moved into a senior advisor role. The Red Wings now own the longest active playoff drought in the NHL, and their captain, Dylan Larkin, requested a trade this off-season.
The team has consistently failed to meet expectations under Yzerman, and the fans in Detroit have grown restless. The direction of the team has become unclear, and whether the team is entering a rebuild or attempting to compete is unknown.
Alongside Peterson, Friedman mentioned Jeff Keatly, a San Jose Sharks assistant GM, as an option for the Panthers GM job. Keatly has worked in the NHL since the 2001-02 season, holding multiple roles with the Predators, including amateur scout, director of amateur scouting, director of scouting, and assistant GM.
While Keatly has superior NHL experience to Peterson, Peterson has had plenty of success in his short time in the NHL.
Jeff Greenberg, the current GM of the Detroit Tigers in MLB, has also been named a potential suitor. Greenberg worked as an assistant GM of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23.
The GM search for the Red Wings has been ongoing since Yzerman stepped down on July 15. The Red Wings are undergoing a thorough process as they enter a critical, fragile era for their storied franchise.
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At the trade deadline, the Detroit Red Wings looked to make a couple of moves that could help keep them in the playoff picture, headlined by the addition of offensive defenseman Justin Faulk, along with a smaller pickup that saw them give up a conditional fourth-round pick to bring back veteran forward David Perron.
The now 38-year-old arrived with the idea of being a steady veteran presence who could slot into Detroit's bottom six and provide the kind of depth scoring the roster needed. That didn't materialize the way the team hoped.
The near 20-year NHL veteran battled injuries down the stretch, appearing in just 16 games with Detroit and finishing with three goals, no assists and a minus-nine rating, a noticeable cooldown after posting 10 goals and 25 points in 49 games with Ottawa earlier in the season.
Perron is now a free agent, and with training camp fast approaching, he still doesn't have a team lined up. The Sherbrooke, Quebec native has said he intends to keep playing, but his options appear to be narrowing as he gets deeper into his 30s.
Detroit itself was reportedly still in talks with Perron about a new deal as free agency opened, but nothing came together, and the Red Wings don't currently appear to be circling back for another season.
It's the kind of quiet ending that plenty of longtime NHL veterans eventually face. Perron could still look for opportunities in the AHL, as a depth option elsewhere, or overseas, but it's fair to wonder whether it might be time for the 2019 Stanley Cup champion to call it a career.
He leaves the game, if this is indeed the end, with an underrated résumé: 332 goals and 480 assists for 812 points in 1,239 career games, a run that started with the St. Louis Blues, who drafted him 26th overall in 2007, and carried him through stops with the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, Ottawa Senators and two stints in Detroit.
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Victor Hedman has spent most of his 17-year NHL career looking nearly indestructible.
The 6-foot-7, 244-pound Tampa Bay Lightning captain has won two Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Norris Trophy while establishing himself as one of the best defencemen of his generation.
But incredible talent, success and physical strength don't make anyone immune to mental health issues.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy dlscuss whether Travis Green faces extra pressure this season.
In an interview with NHL.com’s Dan Rosen this week, Hedman went into greater detail about his mental health struggles last season. It's a health situation that remains misunderstood and carries stigma, especially in a sport where players still feel pressure to suck it up and play through the pain.
The 35-year-old described experiencing performance anxiety and pressure in his chest as soon as game days arrived. Mistakes he would normally shake off began staying with him.
“It kind of locks you up,” Hedman told NHL.com. “You make a mistake and in the past you’d be able to shake it off, but I couldn’t do that.”
Hedman had already endured a difficult season physically. An undisclosed injury cost him 12 games in November before elbow surgery sidelined him for another 22. He returned for three games before the Olympic break and represented Sweden in Milan, but an injury during warmups kept him out of their quarter-final elimination loss to Team USA.
After returning to Tampa Bay, Hedman played 12 more games. His final appearance came March 19 against Vancouver, when he logged less than five minutes of ice time before leaving the game.
He then stepped away from the Lightning to focus on his physical and mental health. Hedman continued skating during the playoffs and believes he might have returned had Tampa Bay advanced to round 2, but the Lightning fell in 7 games to Montreal.
Hedman finished with one goal and 17 points in 33 games, easily the lowest offensive output of his NHL career.
His decision to speak publicly about his issues immediately brought back memories of Linus Ullmark's leave of absence in Ottawa.
The Senators' starting goalie also stepped away from hockey last season after experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. His leave began after he was pulled from a Dec. 27 game in Toronto and lasted about a month.
Shortly before returning, Ullmark sat down for an emotional interview with TSN’s Claire Hanna and revealed that Hedman had become one of his biggest sources of support through his battle.
“He really helped me sort out things and things that I was going through and that I’m still going through,” Ullmark said of Hedman. “So I’ve got huge love. My respect for him went even further up.”
For most Sens fans who heard that interview, it probably didn’t dawn on them at the time that Hedman may have been actively battling the same issues of his own down in Tampa.
Hedman still reached out and offered the benefit of his own experience working with a therapist and supporting mental health initiatives. When Hedman subsequently needed to step away himself, he followed the same advice he had helped provide to Ullmark.
Ullmark’s leave of absence didn't instantly solve everything. But after his leave and then the Olympic break, he was a much better goalie.
He had a 14-8-5 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage when his leave began.
However, he returned to the crease Jan. 31 and went 14-4-3 over the remainder of the regular season, improving his save percentage to .904 during that stretch. He finished 28-12-8 and helped Ottawa reach the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
Although the Senators were swept by Carolina in the opening round, Ullmark was dynamite in goal. He posted a 2.03 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage in four games while Ottawa managed only five goals in the series.
Now it’s almost time for Hedman’s comeback. He’s now preparing for his 18th NHL season and says he is healthy, motivated and confident. And Ullmark was probably right there in his corner, helping him get to this point and returning the favour.
Not only did the two men step away and get the help they needed, but they’ve made it easier for the next person to feel it's okay to do the same.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the latest headlines below:
The Winnipeg Jets are under pressure. Their Vezina-winning goaltender wants out, and he’s had enough of waiting for a trade to materialize, so he went public with the trade request. That won’t make things easier for the Jets, far from it. They won’t be trading from a position of strength, and parting with Hellebuyck could force them to either rebuild or retool. It could cause some of their top players to want out.
Take Mark Scheifele, for instance. The 33-year-old right-shot center is 33 now and must be getting eager to win. At his age, you could expect him to be declining, but in the last four seasons, he’s been on an upward trend. In 2022-23, he had 68 points. The following year, he had 72; then he went up to 87 points, and last season he reached a career high with 103 points. That’s not a guy who’s started to decline. In fact, his last two seasons were the two best campaigns of his career.
Should the Jets decide to hit the reset button, there’s no doubt that the Montreal Canadiens would have plenty of futures to dangle in front of Kevin Cheveldayoff, but would it make sense for the Habs? It’s no secret that Montreal needs another top-six center, and Scheifele certainly fits that bill. Furthermore, he’s under contract for a very reasonable $8.5 million AAV, which wouldn’t unsettle the Habs’ salary structure and wouldn’t create friction. Not that bringing in a big earner would definitely create friction, but a reasonable contract eliminates any potential risk, no matter how small.
In a vacuum, Scheifele would be a great target for the Habs, but then there’s the small matter of the fact that he was the player who obliterated Jake Evans with a high elbow in the 2021 playoffs, sending him down to the ice unconscious. That made for very uncomfortable viewing for fans, and it could have had disastrous results for Evans’ career. Ever since then, Scheifele has been booed copiously in Montreal, understandably. Only five players remain on the Habs from those playoffs: Evans himself, Nick Suzuki, Josh Anderson, Phillip Danault and Cole Caufield. Would they be ok with acquiring Scheifele? Kent Hughes would certainly need to have that conversation with the players.
Furthermore, Hughes has said repeatedly that he won’t sign or acquire players who would prevent his young players from progressing. If the Canadiens are as high as they seem to be on Michael Hage, would it make sense to acquire a 33-year-old pivot who’s still under contract for five years? Initially, it wouldn’t be a bad thing; Hage would likely need some time to adapt to the NHL, and it’s doubtful that he will come in and be the Canadiens’ second center right away. That’s a huge step. For the first two seasons, having Scheifele would make sense, but after that? If Hage is ready to take the next step, does Scheifele accept being overtaken in the lineup? Will he react like Mike Matheson did when he was pushed down the depth chart? That’s another question Hughes needs to ponder. Would he be a good teammate if it came to that, or would that create trouble in the room? For the Canadiens, culture matters as much as talent; they would have to check whether he ticks that box.
Right now, Scheifele has a full no-move clause, which wouldn’t matter if he were to ask out of course, although that could mean he, too, would put the Jets in a precarious position by trying to pick where he’s going. From the 2027-28 season, however, he has only a modified no-trade clause, which requires him to provide a list of 10 teams he could be traded to. That’s a much bigger list than what we’ve seen players on a full no-movement clause give their team so far.
At this stage, it is all speculation, and it hinges on the Jets deciding to go ahead with a rebuild, which is far from certain. Winnipeg being the market that it is, it’s far from a given that ownership would embrace a rebuild. The Jets don’t always play in front of a packed building anymore; can they afford to bite the bullet and be bad for a while? That’s far from a given.
There will be no in-season international tournament this season, but the NHL All-Star Game will return for the first time since 2024 and feature an international theme.
Here is when the NHL regular season begins and the key dates for the 2026-27 season:
When does the NHL regular season begin?
The 2026-27 NHL season starts on Sept. 29 with the following five games. There will be an ESPN tripleheader in the United States and a Sportsnet doubleheader in Canada.
All times Eastern
Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m. (ESPN): A meeting of the last three Stanley Cup winners. Carolina will raise a Stanley Cup banner for the first time in 20 years. Both teams lost their longtime goalies (Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky, Carolina's Frederik Andersen) to free agency.
All 32 teams will be in action on Oct. 13 and April 10.
When does Brady Tkachuk return to Ottawa?
The former Ottawa Senators captain will return on Oct. 21. He was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he's joining brother Matthew.
When does Quinn Hughes return to Vancouver?
He never did last season after his blockbuster trade to the Minnesota Wild. He will this season on Oct. 25.
When is the Heritage Classic game?
The Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens will play in the outdoor Heritage Classic on Oct. 25 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
When is the Hockey Hall of Fame induction?
Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Cindy Curley, Keith Tkachuk and Brian Burke will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 9. The Hall of Fame game will feature the New Jersey Devils playing at the Maple Leafs on Nov. 7 in Toronto.
When is the NHL Global Series?
The Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken will play in Helsinki, Finland on Nov. 12 and 14.
The Golden Knights host the Hurricanes on Dec. 20. Carolina will host Vegas on Jan. 17.
When is the Winter Classic?
The Winter Classic will be on New Year's Eve at University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche, starting at 6 p.m. ET.
When is the NHL All-Star Game?
The NHL All-Star weekend will be Feb. 5-6, at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The skills competition is on the 5th and the All-Star Game will be on the 6th. There are new formats this season.
When is the Stadium Series game?
The Dallas Stars and Golden Knights play in the outdoor Stadium Series game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Feb. 20.
When does Sergei Bobrovsky return to Florida?
The two-time Stanley Cup winner, who signed with Toronto in the offseason, will return on March 6.
When does John Carlson return to Washington?
The Capitals' all-time top-scoring defenseman was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks last season and will return with the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 15.
When the 2026-27 NHL season end?
It will end on April 10 with all 32 teams in action.
