Thatcher Demko’s recovery remains a question mark in Vancouver, and the latest chatter is enough to make you look twice at the Canucks’ goaltending picture.
Jason Gregor relayed Kevin Woodley’s read on the injured netminder: “He said no timeline. There have been reports he won’t be ready to start training camp. I can’t confirm it, but with the Driedger signing, it makes you wonder if his timeline (to return) has been pushed back.”
In Ottawa, the clock is ticking on Drake Batherson and the Senators. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported that the two sides have until September 15th to land an eight-year deal, since seven years is the maximum after that point. The team and player have both said they want to continue the relationship beyond the final year of his contract, but there is still a gap to close.
Sources cited in the report say Batherson is aiming for eight years. If he were to hit the open market, his number could land somewhere between $10 and $11 million.
If he waits until July 1st, the longest deal he could sign would be six years. And if nothing gets done before Ottawa’s season opener on October 3rd, the expectation would be that he heads to free agency.
Elliotte Friedman also weighed in, saying “there is a path to a deal” as long as both sides are willing to compromise. Money and bonus structure are the sticking points, and the Senators have a track record of not liking signing bonuses.
In Montreal, Sam Montembeault’s name keeps coming up in trade chatter. Karine Hains of The Hockey News reported that Louis Jean said on 98.5 radio in Montreal that he believed Montembeault’s time with the Canadiens was basically done by the end of last season. Jean said GM Kent Hughes tried over the summer to move him, but couldn’t find a team willing to meet the price he wanted.
Jean also said Hughes did get a trade offer for Montembeault, but it wasn’t the right one, since Hughes isn’t interested in losing trades or selling low.
That situation could be worth watching in Edmonton, too. The Oilers have been mentioned as a possible fit for Montembeault after Frederik Andersen’s offseason injury, though it’s not known how long Andersen will be sidelined.
Edmonton does still have Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi, but cap space is tight. The Oilers have just under $2 million available, so they would need to clear money to take on Montembeault’s $3.15 million salary.
In Other News...
Senators Still Have One Big Top Six Question At Camp
Training camp opens Sept. 16 with the Senators already looking a little different up front after Steve Staios spent the summer reshaping the forward group. The expected mix on the top two lines now includes names like Andre Burakovsky, Claude Giroux and Fabian Zetterlund, while Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, William Eklund and Tim Stutzle should all be in the top six conversation as Ottawa tries to settle on a look that has more balance and more finishing than a year ago.
What remains unsettled is the last major piece of that puzzle. Ottawa has explored the idea of adding another proven winger to give the group even more punch, but the market is not exactly offering easy answers and the club still has to decide whether internal options are enough. For a team that wants its top six to carry the offense, camp is less about sorting out the obvious names than figuring out who ultimately earns the final spot and how aggressive the Senators want to be before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Already Proved One Free Agency Narrative Wrong
For years, Ottawa has had to fight the lazy line that it is not a place top NHL free agents want to land. The Senators recent history gives that argument a little less oxygen, though, because the club has still managed to bring in established names who saw enough in the market, the roster and the role to make the move north.
Sergei Gonchar, Vladimir Tarasenko and Claude Giroux all arrived with plenty of reputation attached and, in different ways, gave Ottawa real veteran value. Giroux in particular changed the conversation around what the Senators can sell to outside players, even after his original deal, and the fact that the team keeps getting another look from proven talent suggests the old narrative may be more habit than reality. [Read more 🡒]
Zayne Parekh Is Suddenly Central To A Huge Flames Question
Zayne Parekh spent his first full NHL season learning the hard way what life looks like for a young defenseman trying to stick at the highest level. The ninth-overall pick from the 2024 draft entered 2025-26 at 19, and like so many players that age, he had to navigate the pace, strength and decision-making that come with the jump. Still, the overall arc of his year gave Calgary plenty to think about, because the talent that made him such a high-end draft choice began to show through as the season wore on.
Parekhs best stretch came late, when his confidence and puck-moving started to look more in line with the offensive defender the Flames hoped they were getting. He even capped the year with a memorable goal against the Los Angeles Kings, the kind of moment that can linger when a team is trying to project what comes next. With 2026-27 approaching, the bigger question is no longer whether he has skill, but how quickly he can turn that skill into a real force from the blue line. [Read more 🡒]