October 18, 2026, brought three very different NHL stories, but they all carried the same theme: early-season numbers are already forcing a few uncomfortable truths. Winnipeg is finding a way to keep moving without Connor Hellebuyck.
A pair of Canadian goalies are stacking up strong starts. And Connor McDavid is on a pace that has the sport blinking twice.
Start with Winnipeg, where Hellebuyck’s trade request and holdout were supposed to put the Jets in a bind. Instead, the situation has not cracked open the way he likely expected.
Elliotte Friedman has been working through the details as well, with chatter that Hellebuyck wants to head back to the U.S. after the Olympics and may have lost some belief in Winnipeg’s Cup chances. But the Jets are holding together without him, and that matters.
Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson are not Hellebuyck, but they have given Winnipeg enough in goal to keep the pressure from building the way it might have in a more chaotic situation. That leaves Hellebuyck in a tricky spot.
Winnipeg can still trade him, and he can still return, but time is not automatically swinging the leverage his way. He may want a change, and that part is understandable.
The risk is that standing firm does not always produce the result a player wants.
The early goalie leaderboard has also turned into a very Canadian affair. Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark is sitting near the top of the Goals Saved Above Expected chart at +6.8.
Winnipeg’s Stuart Skinner is right there as well at +2.3. Vancouver has its own interesting case in Leevi Meriläinen, the waiver pickup from Ottawa in September, who is just outside the top 15 at +2.5 while Thatcher Demko remains out with a hip injury.
Meriläinen’s night against Florida on October 16 tells the story pretty well. He made 36 saves, but the Canucks still came away with a 3-2 overtime loss.
That’s the kind of performance that reminds you a goalie’s numbers and a team’s result can point in different directions. The sample is still small, and these standings will shift, but Vancouver has to like getting this kind of start from a waiver claim.
Then there is McDavid, who has launched himself into territory that has not been seen in more than three decades. He scored twice and added three assists in Edmonton’s 6-2 win over Utah, giving him 23 points in eight games. The last player to reach 20 points that quickly was Mario Lemieux, 31 years ago.
The pace is outrageous on its own. Over 84 games, it would project to 242 points, which is the kind of number that immediately puts Gretzky’s record of 215 into the conversation.
Mike Babcock was impressed not just by the production, but by the way McDavid is getting there. He played under 20 minutes, is a plus-19, and, in Babcock’s words, “seems to enjoy it.”
Edmonton got more than just McDavid’s brilliance in the win. Zach Hyman scored in his return, Trent Frederic won a fight, and the Oilers moved to 6-1-1. They are also perfect on the road, with Nugent-Hopkins, Dickinson and Savoie still to come back.
In Other News...
Oilers Finally Get Help Back As One Lineup Question Looms
The Oilers are finally getting some reinforcements back into the fold, with Zach Hyman, Colton Dach and Jake Walman all set to rejoin the lineup for the upcoming game against Utah. Its a welcome development for a team that has been juggling injuries and trying to keep the roster afloat while key pieces were missing.
Edmonton is still not close to being fully healthy, but the next stretch could bring even more relief. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is nearing his season debut, and Jason Dickinson is expected back soon after, giving the club a chance to steady its lines and sort out a lineup picture that has been in flux for weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Trade Radar Just Raised One Big Penguins Deadline Question
The Penguins have made it clear they are willing to move veteran pieces if it helps open the door for younger players, and that has put a familiar deadline name back on Edmontons radar. Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Erik Karlsson and even Evgeni Malkin have all been mentioned as possible trade candidates, but from the Oilers side the fit question is really about which of those players best complements a contender already built around elite center depth.
Rust is the name drawing the most interest for a reason, with his pace and puck pursuit making him a natural fit in a top-six role alongside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. Any serious pursuit would almost certainly have to come with meaningful futures attached, though, and the frameworks floating around center on draft picks and prospects rather than a simple rental-style swap. No deal is done yet, but the line between speculative deadline chatter and real trade pressure is starting to look thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Tristan Jarry Is Giving The Oilers A Goalie Decision To Make
Tristan Jarry has already forced his way into the early-season conversation for the Oilers after getting two starts in 2026-27. He opened with a 19-save effort against the San Jose Sharks, then followed it up with another solid outing against the Utah Mammoth as Edmonton continues to sort through a position that has too often been a problem area for this team.
The latest start only added to the sense that the Oilers have options now, which is a very different place for this group to be. Jarry did allow two goals against Utah, but he still came up with timely stops and helped Edmonton come away with the win, leaving the coaching staff with a real decision to make as multiple goalies are performing well. [Read more 🡒]