With the 2026-27 NHL season only a week from opening, a few of the league’s biggest storylines are already hanging over the ice. Trade chatter, contract drama, and offseason regret all came up as Kyle Cushman, Sean O'Leary, and Josh Wegman weighed in on theScore’s latest roundtable.
The first debate was a simple one: who gets moved first, Dylan Larkin or Connor Hellebuyck?
Wegman made the case for Larkin, arguing that a top-line center in his prime will always draw more interest than a pricey goalie. He pointed to the Minnesota Wild, which were reportedly one of three teams on Larkin’s list of acceptable destinations, and said they should be more motivated than most clubs to chase a center of Larkin’s caliber than a 33-year-old goaltender coming off a down year.
O'Leary leaned the other way, saying Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff already admitted there isn’t a strong market for Hellebuyck at the moment. Still, he suggested that pressure will build once the regular season begins and the netminder starts giving back salary. With Hellebuyck absent from training camp, O'Leary said it may be in a suitor’s best interest to move quickly so a new No. 1 goalie can get back up to speed.
Cushman also sided with the idea that Hellebuyck needs the faster resolution. He noted that one player is in camp while the other is suspended by his team, and while moving a goaltender is never simple, Larkin is at least cooperating with the Red Wings. He also pointed out that ownership has said Larkin could be in Detroit all season.
Quinn Hughes’ future was next, and the panel split into three different outcomes. Wegman predicted Hughes signs a three-year extension in October, saying the longer he goes without a new deal, the louder the talk gets about him leaving the Wild for the Devils to join his brothers. He added that if Hughes truly wanted out after this season, he would have told Minnesota so it could trade him, and projected an AAV of $19.5 million.
O'Leary went bigger, imagining Hughes gets traded to New Jersey. In his version, the chatter around Hughes becomes a burden for the Wild, who struggle in the Central Division, while new Devils general manager Sunny Mehta uses an in-season move to bring the Hughes brothers together and energize the franchise.
Cushman stayed on the patient side, predicting Hughes signs with the Devils on July 1. He called Minnesota irrelevant for much of its history, then argued the Wild are a Stanley Cup contender with Hughes and should keep him for the season rather than chase a return in trade. In his view, no team would offer enough to justify weakening Minnesota’s Cup odds, and Hughes would eventually leave as a free agent on a three-year, $60-million pact.
When the conversation turned to the worst offseason, the Red Wings, Ducks, and Blue Jackets all got hit hard.
Wegman pointed to Detroit, saying it was inexcusable for the organization to go two months without a head of hockey operations. He questioned whether Chris Ilitch had forgotten the team existed while focusing on the Tigers and Tarik Skubal, and said Shawn Horcoff being named interim GM last week should have happened much sooner after Steve Yzerman stepped down. Wegman also said that delay cost the Red Wings a chance to lock up defenseman Simon Edvinsson to an eight-year deal before last week’s deadline.
O'Leary chose Anaheim, calling the Ducks’ offseason objectively horrible and suggesting their Pacific Division setting might be the only thing softening the blow. He said the Flyers strong-armed the Ducks into paying Leo Carlsson $18 million per season, and added that Anaheim lost four of its six starting defensemen while also having to cut Chris Kreider, who finished fourth on the team in goals last season, because of poor cap management. He also criticized the team’s questionable contracts for bottom-six forwards and said the Ducks are thin behind their young core.
Cushman went with Columbus, where Adam Fantilli remains unsigned, Kirill Marchenko won’t say where he’ll be playing in the future, and Zach Werenski nearly got traded before clarifying that he does not want out, at least for now. Cushman said the Blue Jackets have handled their most important players poorly by taking a passive, overly conservative approach, and added that Marchenko is likely to be gone eventually, which would only increase the pressure around Werenski’s future.
The final topic centered on which newcomer fans should be most excited to watch, and the answers ranged from a fresh start to a familiar face to a big-money gamble.
Wegman picked Bowen Byram, noting that he has played next to Cale Makar and Rasmus Dahlin but has never had the chance to be The Guy. In Chicago, Wegman said, Byram will be the clear No. 1 defenseman and quarterback the top power play. He acknowledged critics who think the 2019 No. 4 pick can’t handle that kind of role and that the Blackhawks paid too much to get him, but said he’s still only 25 and capable of more than he’s shown.
O'Leary chose Patrick Kane, even while acknowledging it may not technically count as a new team. He said the Blackhawks’ decision to bring back the franchise icon was more than nostalgia, because even at 37 Kane remains one of Chicago’s most skilled forwards and should help create chances for Connor Bedard once the new captain is healthy. O'Leary also said Kane is motivated to help the club climb back toward relevance after too many years near the bottom of the standings.
Cushman stayed in Toronto with Darren Raddysh, saying the Maple Leafs finally have a first-pairing right-handed defenseman, or at least they hope they do. He highlighted Raddysh’s breakout in Tampa Bay, where he put up 22 goals and 70 points and showed off his heavy shot.
At the same time, Cushman noted the concerns: Raddysh is 30, has just one NHL season as a No. 1 blue-liner, and was not a regular until 2023. Still, he said the veteran could be a major difference-maker for Toronto, or another free-agent miss.
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