The Edmonton Oilers may have to make a call on their penalty kill before camp even gets rolling.
Bob Stauffer said forwards Matthew Savoie and Mattias Janmark will miss training camp, and both were expected to factor into the team’s PK work. Edmonton does have some salary cap space, so a UFA with penalty-killing experience could be on the table. Stauffer also noted that goaltender Frederik Andersen and defenseman Alec Regula will be missing camp.
In Montreal, Adam Engstrom’s name is circulating.
Arpon Basu of The Athletic said in a mailbag that the Canadiens prospect defenseman has been mentioned in trade talks, and Montreal has been willing to listen. Basu added that Engstrom still carries value for the organization, which believes he could help the blue line. The concern, as Basu put it, is that Engstrom and most of the Canadiens’ defense group are not physical.
Basu also made clear there is no conversation about Montreal landing Connor McDavid right now. If McDavid reaches free agency after his contract expires next season, Basu said there would be no doubt the Canadiens would have interest.
Out in Vancouver, the teardown appears to be underway.
Travis Yost of TSN reported that the Canucks have begun to dismantle parts of the roster, with Elias Pettersson’s $11.6 million cap hit entering the discussion. Jake DeBrusk has also surfaced in the chatter, and Yost suggested he could become a deadline move.
Brock Boeser is another name being kicked around. The 29-year-old has a no-movement clause, and while he may be entering the later stage of his career, he still scored 40 goals two years ago. Yost said there will be teams interested, leaving Vancouver with a decision: keep Boeser around a bit longer or turn him into future assets as part of the rebuild.
In Other News...
Canadiens Prospect Aatos Koivu Is Drawing Bigger NHL Buzz Than Expected
Aatos Koivu is starting to attract more attention than most Canadiens prospects usually do at this stage, and it is easy to see why. The son of a franchise icon has the kind of profile that naturally invites extra scrutiny, but the buzz around him is not only about the name on the back of the sweater. Koivu has shown enough skill to get people around the team talking about a player who could eventually offer far more than the depth-role path many young forwards end up taking.
Still, there is a long way between promising flashes and a real NHL projection, especially with Koivu still developing in Finlands Liiga. His timeline remains fuzzy, which is why the near-term conversation is just as important as the long-term one for Montreal. For now, the more realistic question may be when he becomes useful enough to help the Laval Rocket, even as the more ambitious upside keeps the speculation rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Hutson May Be Adding The One Thing Canadiens Fans Wanted
Lane Hutson already looks like one of the Canadiens most dynamic young defensemen, but the buzz around him this summer is about something a little more practical than flash. After piling up 78 points in 82 games last season and adding 16 more in 19 playoff games, he was already producing at a level that changed Montreals blue line conversation. Now, footage from a recent Brossard practice has sparked new intrigue because it suggests there may be another layer to his game.
For a player whose puck-moving and offensive instincts have never been in question, the possibility of a stronger shot is easy to understand as a meaningful step forward. If that development holds once the games count, it would give the Canadiens even more reason to lean on him in bigger moments and could make him harder to game-plan against. It also leaves one lingering question hanging over training camp: whether this is just practice-season optimism, or the start of a real shift in how he can impact Montreals attack. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face One Huge Problem In Dylan Larkin Trade Buzz
Dylan Larkins name immediately jumps out for Montreal because the Canadiens still have cap room and a clear need down the middle, two ingredients that usually keep them in the conversation when a star center becomes available. The fit is obvious on paper, and that alone is enough to make this one worth watching from the Canadiens side, especially with a player of Larkins caliber suddenly at the center of trade chatter.
The problem is the route to actually getting there. Larkin reportedly asked out in Detroit and has control over where he would be willing to go, and Montreal is not on that list at the moment, which makes any pursuit far more complicated than a simple need-based match. Even if that changes, the Red Wings would be in position to drive a steep price, one that could force the Canadiens to weigh whether a deal built around major future assets and roster help is worth the cost. [Read more 🡒]