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NHL training camps are getting underway, and it's time to see how all the offseason moves will pan out.

There certainly were plenty, with the U.S. Olympic gold medal team playing center stage. Brady Tkachuk was traded to Florida to join brother Matthew, Columbus' Zach Werenski turned down a trade and Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck both requested trades.

Big money was the other story. Kirill Kaprizov was scheduled to enter the season as the NHL's highest-paid player at a $17 milion cap hit, but he was passed by Anaheim's Leo Carlsson ($18 million offer sheet), Macklin Celebrini ($18.8 million extension) and Cale Makar ($20.4 million extension) during the summer.

Here are grades for all 32 NHL teams on their offseason moves:

Carolina's long-awaited Stanley Cup breakthrough has given Nathan MacKinnon a reason to believe the Colorado Avalanche shouldn't abandon what they've built.

For the better part of two years, the Avalanche have faced difficult questions after disappointing playoff exits, with each loss bringing renewed scrutiny to the direction of the franchise. Following Colorado's first-round elimination by the Dallas Stars in 2025, much of the attention centered on the decision to trade Mikko Rantanen and the consequences that followed, particularly after Rantanen helped Dallas eliminate his former team.

Last season brought a different kind of disappointment. Colorado put together a 121-point regular season, captured the Presidents' Trophy and entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs as heavy favorites. Those hopes disappeared four games into the Western Conference Final, however, when the Vegas Golden Knights swept the Avalanche.

Once again, questions followed, including whether Jared Bednar remained the right coach and whether Colorado needed to change its approach.

MacKinnon offered a different perspective Wednesday during the Avalanche's media day at Ball Arena, pointing toward the team that just finished its own long journey through postseason disappointment.

The Carolina Hurricanes have spent years coming up short under head coach Rod Brind'Amour, reaching the playoffs consistently but failing to get over the final hurdles. There were conference-final appearances, second-round exits and, most recently, a four-game sweep in the conference finals last season.

Carolina didn't respond by abandoning Brind'Amour or dramatically changing its identity. The Hurricanes stayed with their coach, stayed with their system and continued pushing forward.

This time, that patience ended with the second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

“I think that's just a little bit of inspiration, maybe, of our mentality that has to be,” MacKinnon told reporters. “Obviously, we had the Dallas thing last year. I'm not sure we can just make up something. Obviously, getting swept is awful. It sucks, but it doesn't feel like it's the same type of motivation as the Dallas series was.”

MacKinnon isn't dismissing Colorado's loss to Vegas or suggesting the Avalanche shouldn't examine what went wrong. Rather, he appears reluctant to let one disappointing series convince the organization that everything it has built needs to be torn apart.

That belief starts with the people inside Colorado's locker room.

“We have such an amazing group of guys,” MacKinnon said. “It's so fun to come to the rink with each other. Yeah, it's all we can really do. I don't know, I hope we win. I think we can, and we have a good chance, and just, you know, it's a long year.”

Bednar appears to share that belief, although he isn't approaching another season by simply running back the same formula and hoping for a different result.

The longtime Avalanche coach acknowledged Wednesday that he intends to evolve his approach, particularly with a veteran group that has heard many of the same messages over the years. Rather than spending as much time on analytical and opponent-specific preparation, Bednar wants to put greater emphasis on his own players and finding ways to help them continue developing.

“I do have intentions of changing my approach a little bit this year,” Bednar said. “You're always kind of sort of evolving as a coach.”

Bednar said he wants to “dial some of that back” and spend more time focusing on the Avalanche themselves, including individual players and areas where the team can improve.

That distinction is important. Staying the course doesn't have to mean refusing to change, just as making changes doesn't necessarily mean abandoning the identity that has made Colorado one of the NHL's most consistent contenders.

Bednar has spent nearly a decade behind the Avalanche bench, and he understands that coaching a veteran group requires evolution. His players know what he expects, but he also recognizes that a message can lose some of its impact when it has been repeated for years.

His goal is to find new ways to reach the same players and squeeze more out of a team that still believes it can win.

“I try to operate like I'm trying to prove myself every day,” Bednar said. “I don't care if I'm considered one of the top coaches in the league or not. The only thing that I want to make sure is that our players feel like I'm the right coach for this team.”

That may be the clearest connection between MacKinnon's belief in Bednar and Carolina's championship blueprint.

The Hurricanes didn't abandon their foundation after years of postseason frustration. They continued to believe in their coach and their identity while finding ways to improve, eventually turning that persistence into a Stanley Cup.

MacKinnon isn't suggesting Colorado is guaranteed to follow the same path. But after another painful ending, Carolina has provided the Avalanche with something they may need just as much as another tactical adjustment: perspective.

Colorado can acknowledge what went wrong against Vegas without convincing itself that everything is wrong.

It can evolve without starting over.

The Penguins kick off training camp tomorrow, and it’s pretty wild how they have many of the same questions as last year – albeit in slightly different circumstances. Let’s see how much the more things have changed that they’ve also remained the same.

How does the defense sort out?

To put it charitably, there’s a lot of question marks. To put it less diplomatically, this group is looking like an outright weakness at the NHL level based on talent level no matter how it sorts out. There are way too many right shot defenders and while there are plenty of warm left handed bodies, there are more questions than sure things.

Almost every word written last year applies again in the same way. Of course, last year at this time it couldn’t have been known just how well Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea would do to step in and play serviceably on the left side. Where will the answers come from this time with those two off the team? Declan Carlile figures to be in the mix. A right hand shot like Trevor van Riemsdyk might be too. Otherwise there’s various hangers around like Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov and Owen Pickering to stand out and grab a spot. It’s there for the taking, even though right now it looks like the Pens have more suspects than legitimate prospects for decent left shot defenders to fill out the lineup.

One big area sure to be a focus is who gets the first chance with Erik Karlsson? Last year it was Wotherspoon and the duo basically never looked back from that point. That would be a nice instance of history repeating itself, should it come to pass.

Young player watch in full effect

Harrison Brunicke went from no where to the final cut last training camp, but where he fits on a crowded right side will be a real question he could impress upon the decision makers with a great showing.

Brunicke has had two spectacular camps in a row, he’ll need a third this year or it makes the decision easy to start him out in the AHL and get some more experience. Both Liam and Markus Ruck will be in NHL camp, and though it would seem they are very outside shots – so too was Ben Kindel before he forced his way into the picture.

Other somewhat youngish or new players will be fighting to prove themselves and stand out in the way that creates tough decisions. Smart money at this point is probably all of the Rucks, Pickering, Bill Zonnon and Tomas Galvas are starting on the outside looking in, but camp can be the time where unexpected young players stand out and earn a look.

New faces slotting in

There’s a new winger named Anthony looking to revive his career on a one-year deal, Mantha replaces Beauvillier as the main add up front. Mantha’s addition is perhaps complicated by his return from ACL surgery last November. 

There’s no shortage of new faces, with potentially as many as six players from outside the organization contenders to make the NHL roster and their Pittsburgh debuts soon. Andrei Kuzmenko slides in as the new veteran winger in the Mantha mold. Nick Robertson represents the possibility for something close to a Chinakhov-esque glow-up on a new team. Hendrix Lapierre was acquired, presumably for a reason. Carlile, van Riemsdyk and Kaeden Korczak are the newest members of the blueline revamp. How all of these players are placed within the lineup and in certain roles will be a key to watch for as September moves along.

Questions in net

What will the Pens get out of Tristan Jarry? Is he going to be the guy who played his way off the team early last season? Or the capable starter? Somewhere in between?

There’s no more Jarry in Pittsburgh, but the goaltender issue shifts to other types of questions. Joel Blomqvist has had a decent run but Sergei Murashov has surpassed him via better play. One of the two figures to make the opening night roster. This question will be answered by how ready Murashov looks to take the next step. So far, so good to this point.

Something old, something new

You could easily build a Penguin opening night lineup and not include all of Kevin Hayes, Noel Acciari and Danton Heinen. All these players are in their 30’s and either slowing down mightily or not coming off great seasons, but all of them also make at least $2 million against the cap

…

The Pens have plenty of cap space to keep 30 players if they could, but the roster limit of 23 healthy players is in effect. That speaks to the broader splits of roster construction means keeping eight defensemen might make sense, which only opens up room for 13 healthy forwards.

Those three players named have all departed, but the situation is virtually the same this year with new names crowding the lineup. It also could be relevant to note that of the above, one started the regular season on IR (Hayes), another on the fourth line (Acciari) and one got waived and sent to the AHL (Heinen). Graves also joined Heinen as a preseason camp cut. Keeping veterans with big salaries on the NHL roster just because they are vets with big salaries hasn’t been a guarantee. Is that going to apply this year to Graves, Hendrix, Justin Brazeau and Ville Koivunen?

Once again this year, the 23-player roster figures to be a bigger impediment than the salary cap. Pittsburgh probably could and would keep about 30 players, if only they were allowed. But they’re not, so unless injuries pop up to provide their own answers, some tough decisions are coming up with too many decent players for too few spots. Unlike last year, it makes more sense to consider 14 forwards and seven defensemen to build the initial roster and potentially keep players like Brazeau and Koivunen around.

–

All in all, the 2026 camp starts a lot like the 2025 one did. Some of the names have changed but surprisingly enough a lot of the same concerns and questions that will have to be answered are in a very similar spot to last year. Everything worked out well last time around, with the combination of coaching and management decisions helping the Pens get off to a 10-2-2 start that set them off on the course to exceed expectations and get on a path towards the playoffs. The team will certainly be hoping that those parallels continue as they gear up for another season.

The Vancouver Canucks are getting back into the swing of things. Vancouver’s training camp is set to open tomorrow, September 17, in Penticton, with pre-season starting on September 19. 

Ahead of the season’s start, the Canucks’ management team held their opening press conference. Here are five things to know from the press conference heading into training camp and the pre-season. 

No Timeline On Thatcher Demko, Jack Thompson Out 

At their season-opening press conference this morning, the Canucks brass didn’t quite commit to an answer for Thatcher Demko, who has had yet to skate with the team during their informal summer skates. Abbotsford Canucks defenceman Jack Thompson will also miss some time due to taking a puck to the face. Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson also noted that some of Vancouver’s prospects “had some nicks or bruises” before and after the Prospects Showcase. 

In Thompson’s absence, Vancouver will be bringing another defenceman to training camp on a PTO, though Johnson didn’t share who exactly it was. 

The Canucks Aren’t Rushing To Name A Captain 

The last time the Canucks began an NHL season without a captain was in 2018–19, the season after former captain Henrik Sedin retired and a year before now New York Islanders captain Bo Horvat was given the ‘C’. 

Just like how they’re planning on approaching other facets of the rebuild, Vancouver isn’t in a rush to name their next captain. Rather, they’re happy to play the waiting game to see which players gravitate towards that position most. 

“We’ve talked about it earlier in the summer that the leaders of this group will emerge when the time is right. That’s going to play out over the next few weeks, to see who takes hold of that type of role, and we see who the guys want to follow,” Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra said. 

One player whose hat has been thrown in the ring for the ‘C’ often is longest-tenured Canucks skater Brock Boeser. The winger has seen Vancouver throughout a variety of contention windows and played under three different captains. Malhotra also discussed the forward’s significance to the team from a leadership perspective. 

“He has the understanding of what the organization has gone through, and with that comes the awareness of the passion of the fanbase and how much they want things to turn around. So, with that knowledge for him, he’s seen what unproductive teams look like, and he has the ability to correct those things and learn from them.” 

Brendan Gallagher’s Role As A Veteran 

Gallagher, one of a few notable off-season acquisitions by the Canucks, heads into Vancouver’s training camp as a now 15-year NHL veteran. The winger was brought into the organization to help re-set the team’s culture, but his impact will also extend to on-ice play. 

Malhotra didn’t commit to placing the forward in a particular spot in the lineup, but said the following of his ex-Montrèal Canadiens teammate. 

“When you look at Gally, the thing that stands out for us is his presence in terms of the way he competes and the tenacity that he plays with and the passion that he has for the game. So for me, the importance of a guy like him in our room in terms of teaching what the game’s supposed to look like from an intensity standpoint, from a competitive standpoint, that’s going to be a big part of his role. We’ve talked about it over and over, the way we practice is going to dictate a lot of how we play. So his energy and his excitement when he comes to the rink, and the way he competes in practice, having seen it firsthand, is something that we’re looking forward to for this group.” 

Expectations For Elias Pettersson 

Elias Pettersson is entering the 2026–27 season with plenty of outside expectations surrounding him and his play. Within the organization, Johnson’s expectations are a bit different — he wants the player to find his love of hockey again. 

“I think Petey knows he’s in a safe place here as far as people that have his back, that are going to give an environment to not be anything other than who he is, and we think with the environment that we’re going to surround him with, the players, that we expect him to be a really happy hockey player coming into the rink to practice, to work on his game.” 

The Canucks GM emphasized that, for Pettersson, sticking to who he is will optimistically result in his on-ice play trending in a positive direction. 

“I don’t expect him to be the loudest guy in the room. I don’t expect him to overnight turn into an alpha. I just expect him to be exactly who he is. And I think as we allow him to do that within some structure and in the environment that we want him to be able to come to the rink and work on his game every day, that we’re going to see a happier hockey player, which usually translates into some form of success or improvement.” 

A Practice Facility Update

During the team’s season-opening press conference, Canucks co-President of Hockey Operations Daniel Sedin also gave an update on the status of the team’s potential practice facility. The last piece of news had been that the team had signed an MOU with the City of Vancouver to build at Britannia Rink. However, following this announcement, the Vancouver Angels, Vancouver Thunderbirds, and Vancouver Minor Hockey Association released a joint statement sharing their concerns regarding the potential project. 

Sedin shared that good things came from a meeting between the organization and the minor hockey associations regarding how they see the rink serving both the Canucks and the community best. 

“[We had a] very good meeting with the minor hockey administration and good discussions. I think we’re on the same page. We’re working hard with the city to get something done [...] we would love to give something back to the community and add rinks, and that’s, I think, something we would be a dream of ours as an organization to do,” he said. “It’s a lot of hard work with the city to get something done, and I think we’re on a good path.” 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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