Three very different NHL storylines landed on the same day, and each one says something about where those teams stand right now. In Edmonton, a rumor that goalie prospect Samuel Jonsson wanted out turned out to be empty.
In Winnipeg, Connor Hellebuyck’s trade situation is starting to look worse by the day. And in Montreal, Martin St.
Louis just cashed in on the kind of turnaround that looked like a gamble when it began.
Jonsson is not going anywhere.
The Oilers prospect shut down the talk that he was unhappy and might head back to Sweden, saying he had no idea where the rumors came from. He said he was at home when management texted him to ask what was happening, and his answer was simple: he had already planned to come over and start the season.
Now he’s at rookie camp, and he sounds energized by what he sees in Edmonton’s goalie room. Jonsson said the competition makes him sharper every day.
He also said he’s enjoying the move to North American hockey, noting how much faster the game is and how many more shots he’s seeing than he did in Sweden. He’s listed as the third-string goalie on the roster, and he’ll get his next look Monday night when Edmonton’s rookies face Calgary.
Winnipeg’s Hellebuyck situation, meanwhile, is headed in the opposite direction.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Jets are getting calls, but the trade offers for Connor Hellebuyck have been poor. That’s the ugly part of a public request: once everyone knows a star wants out, the leverage starts to disappear. The longer this drags on, the harder it gets for Winnipeg to squeeze out real value.
That leaves the Jets with an unappealing choice. They can wait and hope a better offer eventually shows up, or they can settle for less and try to put the issue to bed before the season begins. Either way, this one doesn’t look close to resolution.
Montreal’s news was the cleanest of the bunch.
The Canadiens gave Martin St. Louis a multi-year extension, rewarding a coach who has steadily turned the franchise around since taking over in 2022 with no pro coaching experience.
What started as a bold hire has become one of hockey’s better success stories. Montreal’s point total has climbed every season under him, from 68 to 106 last year, and that jump came with a run to the Eastern Conference Final.
St. Louis has built his reputation as a communicator and teacher rather than a hard-driving disciplinarian, and that approach has fit a young roster that needed exactly that.
Now the bar is changing. Montreal is no longer just trying to be relevant in the playoff race.
The next step is becoming a real contender, and that means St. Louis will be judged on playoff results and on whether he can turn this group into a championship-calibre team.
In Other News...
Canadiens Rookies Left Habs Fans With One Early Depth Concern
The Canadiens rookie group got its first real test in the prospects challenge against Winnipeg, and the result offered an early glimpse at a possible depth issue. Montreal was outplayed in a 3-1 loss, with Alexander Legkov providing the lone goal for the Canadiens while the Jets young talent carried much of the push in a game that served as an important measuring stick for the organizations prospects.
For a team hoping to sort out which young players can handle bigger roles, the outing was useful even if the scoreboard was not kind. Montreal will get another chance to reset quickly when it faces Ottawa next in the prospects challenge, but the opening game already left fans watching closely for how the club handles the details in its own end and whether its young lineup can generate more consistent offense. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Just Got A Wild New Look At Hughes Deadline Push
Newly released footage from Season 3 of The Rebuild gives Canadiens fans another look at how aggressive Kent Hughes was prepared to be at the 2026 deadline. The clip shows Montreals executive putting together a major trade framework built around two first-round picks, a sign of just how seriously the organization was chasing help as the deadline pressure mounted.
The scene also adds a frustrating twist to the story, because the move never made it across the finish line. The offer was submitted after the NHLs clock had already expired, turning what looked like a significant deadline push into a failed attempt, with the player Montreal had targeted still officially unconfirmed. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Still Have One Arber Xhekaj Question Hanging Over Camp
Arber Xhekaj remains the last notable contract item hanging over Canadiens camp, even as the sides continue to move toward an agreement. The restricted free agent defenseman had been the lone Montreal player left without a deal after Zachary Bolduc signed, and the expectation around the organization is that Xhekaj will be taken care of in time to join the group when training camp opens.
What has made these talks worth watching is less about a simple salary number and more about how much ice time Xhekaj is set to have going forward. Montreal has a clear interest in getting him locked in, but until the paperwork is done, the question around his role lingers as one of the quieter storylines at camp. [Read more 🡒]