A pair of hockey business moves this week landed with a familiar sting for fans: more fragmentation, more subscriptions, and less of the easy access that used to define the sport. At the same time, Edmonton has its own hockey storylines bubbling along, from Connor McDavid’s place in the franchise record book to questions around Mike Babcock, Mat Savoie and the Oilers’ goalie depth.
Start with the biggest one for Edmonton history watchers. Barring injury, McDavid should pass Jari Kurri for second all-time in franchise history for even strength goals sometime this coming season.
McDavid enters 2026-27 with 300. Kurri had 336, while Wayne Gretzky’s leading pace sits 103 goals ahead of McDavid.
There was also some good personal news around the organization this week. Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry and his wife Hannah are expecting a baby.
This column usually avoids too much focus on players’ private lives, but this one is worth noting simply as a reminder that the people wearing the sweaters are people too. Wishing them well.
On the prospect front, Tommy Lafreniere is spending his summer in a much different setting than most. He is with Team Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase this week in Windsor, Ontario, getting his first taste of “International” hockey.
Edmonton drafted Lafreniere in 2025, 83rd overall. Last season in Kamloops, the Hornby Island, B.C. native posted 41-36-77 in 67 games.
He shoots right.
Nathaniel Day is in a tougher spot. A recent Cult of Hockey Prospects profile noted that he has become something of a forgotten man in an organization that is suddenly loaded with goaltenders.
Day followed an excellent junior career with a strong start in the ECHL, but the next step in his development really requires AHL minutes. The problem is obvious: there are three goalies at both the AHL and NHL levels, which leaves Day blocked for now.
The conversation around Mat Savoie is heating up too. A segment of the fan base wants him extended right away, but there’s a case for patience.
Savoie finished last season with 18-19-37 in 82 games, though he managed just one assist in six playoff games. The offence only tells part of the story; he is already ahead of schedule defensively.
With one year left on his ELC, the prudent move may be to wait and see how he fits under the new coaching staff. The cap is going up, and if Savoie keeps developing, giving up a few dollars for more certainty on his future could make sense.
Still, there’s also a line where waiting too long becomes a risk, and Christmas feels like that line.
Then there’s Babcock. Leon Draisaitl finally offered his thoughts on the new Oilers head coach, and his comments carried real weight given his place in the leadership group that met with Babcock.
Draisaitl said, “I think he’s the right guy to get us to where we want to get to. Obviously, it’s a different look, a change in personality, but very excited to learn from him, work with him”.
For anyone who likes to paint NHL stars as pampered and resistant to being pushed, that kind of response tells a different story.
The most obvious on-ice question for Babcock is whether he can tighten Edmonton’s defensive commitment, especially on the penalty kill. The Oilers’ PK was 77.8% last season, which was below league average.
Babcock’s track record in Toronto was mixed at best. The Maple Leafs’ penalty kill finished at 81.6% in 2015-16, 82.5% in 2016-17, 81.4% in 2017-18, 79.9% in 2018-19 and 77.7% in 2019-20, when he was fired on November 20.
Different teams, different eras, different contexts - but the bottom line is that his PK results in Toronto were not strong enough to inspire automatic confidence. That number has to improve in Edmonton.
The league-wide media picture is changing in ways fans will feel quickly. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they will simulcast their televised games on radio after radio play-by-play voice Bob McElligot did not have his contract renewed.
From a broadcasting standpoint, there are really only two reasons to do that: improve the product or save money. In this case, it’s the latter.
And fans are the ones who lose, because television play-by-play is built around visuals, while radio play-by-play has to create the game in the listener’s mind with detail and emotion. Put the TV on mute sometime and the difference becomes obvious.
That leads to the biggest fan-impacting news of the week: Prime Video has signed a twelve-year sub-licensing agreement with Rogers Communications to carry Wednesday Night Hockey in English and French. Prime will also carry two first-round playoff series and one second-round series.
There is an economic upside for the broadcasters, but for fans the result is plain enough - getting all the games now requires two subscriptions instead of one. That matters even more with CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada no longer in the picture.
For all its flaws, HNIC was free and easy to access. Rogers Sportsnet has also raised its annual fee again.
Streaming is clearly the direction live sports are going, and that reality isn’t going away. The issue is what it means for fans.
The NHL has effectively created two classes of hockey viewers: those who can afford to watch everything and those who cannot. The league likes to dress that up as a “premium product”.
In plain English, it means you’re going to pay more for it.
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans Know One Jersey Debate Should Already Be Over
The Canadiens have never exactly lacked for sweater options, which is part of why a recent list from The Athletic left Montreal out of the nostalgia conversation altogether. With so many iconic looks already in the clubs history, and with the current classic design still carrying so much weight, there is a strong case that the most recognizable Canadiens jersey is also the one fans already want to see most often.
Montreal has tried its share of alternates over the years, from centennial and Winter Classic specials to other one-off throwbacks, with reception that has ranged from enthusiastic to lukewarm. The one design many supporters would rather forget is the powder blue reverse retro, a tribute to the long-gone Expos that became tied as much to ugly results as to the cross-sport nod. For a franchise built on tradition, the debate may already be settled. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Still Face A Blue Line Question After Latest Rumors
The latest chatter around Arber Xhekaj has kept Montreal in the middle of one of those summer conversations that can linger far longer than anyone expects. Calgary has shown interest in the defenseman, but the Flames have also added Jake Middleton, which gives the situation a different feel than a simple need-based pursuit. From the Canadiens side, Xhekaj remains the kind of player that draws attention because of his mix of edge and mobility, and any talk about moving him immediately turns into a bigger discussion about how Montreal values its blue line.
What makes the story more interesting is the price tag the Canadiens would be looking for if they ever decided to seriously entertain a deal. Montreal is not treating Xhekaj like a spare part, and that matters in a market where rumors can outrun reality pretty quickly. For a team trying to keep building a sturdier defense, the question is not just who wants him, but whether the return would be worth changing the makeup of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Suddenly Have A Larkin Question Fans Can't Ignore
Around the league, the Canadiens keep surfacing in conversations tied to possible trade targets, and the latest chatter centers on a Columbus forward whose name has started to come up for Montreal if the Blue Jackets ever seriously entertain moving him. The fit is easy to see from a Canadiens perspective, but so is the catch: speculation is one thing, matching the asking price is another, especially with the market for restricted free agents changing the way teams value young talent.
Dylan Larkin has added another layer to the noise, with reports suggesting he would accept a move to certain clubs, but the salary cap and the cost in assets still make any deal complicated. For Montreal, that keeps the discussion in the realm of rumor and possibility rather than momentum, and it leaves the real question hanging in the background of all this buzz: whether the Canadiens can put together the kind of package Columbus would actually want. [Read more 🡒]