Connor Hellebuyck’s holdout has become the latest pressure point in a league that suddenly can’t stop talking about trade drama. According to TSN’s insiders, the Winnipeg goalie is not reporting to training camp, and both sides are waiting and hoping for a trade. The real question now is whether the standoff helps his cause or backfires completely, especially with Canadian media already chewing over the lowball offers tied to the situation.
That tension landed on the same day the NHL’s new CBA rules kicked in at midnight, and the result was a rush of contracts across the league. Some of them were the kind of deals teams make when they want to lock in young talent before the price climbs any higher.
Washington got in under the wire with eight-year contracts for Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif. Elsewhere, the Devils signed Luke Evangelista to a five-year, $36.25 million deal, Jordan Staal agreed to an extension with the Carolina Hurricanes for 2027-28 that could be worth up to $10 million including bonuses, Drake Batherson landed an eight-year, $86 million contract with Ottawa, and Montreal gave Arber Xhekaj a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
The most notable signing in the bunch may have been Cutter Gauthier finally putting pen to paper with Anaheim. ESPN reported the Ducks signed him to a six-year deal with a $13.5 million cap hit, and the contract also includes an $18.5 million signing bonus. The back-and-forth that preceded it had plenty of noise, but the deal itself came together in the end.
There was also a notable comment from Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog, who pushed back on the wave of trade requests around the league. Sportsnet noted that he said sometimes players need to get out of a situation, but right now they are abusing trade demands.
Sportsnet also put together a list of 21 rookies who could crack NHL lineups, and one of them was Penguins prospect Tommy Galvas.
Pittsburgh’s own prospect group had a rougher night at the Prospects Tournament in Detroit. Harrison Brunicke and Bill Zonnon were among the names discussed after a shaky showing, while Tommy Galvas drew praise and Tanner Howe stood out for some of the smaller details. The full breakdown from the Penguins side included blunt admissions about subpar play.
The Penguins also had another noteworthy bit of news away from the tournament. Sidney Crosby was back for the annual season-ticket delivery, where he usually shows up in a backyard setting and gives the family a little press conference.
This time, Shelly Anderson was there to cover Crosby’s contract talk and his thoughts on the very different training camp schedule. In a separate Penguins item, the team did not invite seven prospects to camp, including some high draft picks.
Around the rest of the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers could be part of the next trade chase. Philly Hockey Now reported that St.
Louis took a run and Nashville may have as well, but neither could pry Alexander Nikishin out of Carolina after his trade demand. The piece raised the possibility that Philadelphia could be next in line, with the Flyers or the Penguins described as ideal landing spots for the turbo-skating defenseman.
Boston Hockey Now also had training camp coverage, with Jack Studley continuing to build out the Bruins beat and a look at four pressing points and storylines as camp opens.
And in Vancouver, the trade chatter around J.T. Miller drew another response. NHLtraderumors.me reported that a former teammate defended him on the Cam and Strick Podcast, with Nikita Zadorov strongly suggesting Miller wasn’t the only one at fault in the friction with Elias Pettersson.
In Other News...
Penguins Just Doubled Down On A Very Pittsburgh Identity
The Penguins are leaning even harder into a familiar Pittsburgh theme. United States Steel Corporation will become the clubs official helmet sponsor for the 2026-27 NHL season, with the U.S. Steel logo set to appear on every Penguins helmet, from home and road lids to alternates and practice gear. It is the latest step in a partnership that dates back to 2021, and one that feels especially on-brand for a team that has long embraced the citys industrial identity.
The sponsorship will not be seen in public right away, either. The logo is scheduled to debut when the Penguins take the ice for their preseason game on September 21, 2026, giving the organization a little runway before the change becomes part of the everyday look. For a franchise that has always been tightly tied to its city, the move is another reminder that some team partnerships go well beyond branding and land squarely in the civic DNA of Pittsburgh. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Are Giving A Familiar Defenseman One More Chance To Matter
Training camp season is bringing the usual flurry of low-risk auditions, and for the Penguins, one of the more notable name to land in that mix is goaltender Collin Delia on a professional tryout. PTOs rarely generate much noise on their own, but they can matter for a team sorting through depth, insurance and competition before the preseason settles into a clearer picture. Around the league, the Lightning brought in veteran forward Luke Glendening on the same kind of deal, while Ottawa added goalie Vadim Zherenko.
The most interesting wrinkle for Pittsburghs perspective is how these tryout agreements can open a door without guaranteeing anything beyond a chance to be seen. Delia will get that opportunity in camp and preseason, and Dallas is offering the same sort of shot to defenseman Ben Gleason, a familiar face trying to carve out a place in a crowded field. For teams and players alike, the appeal is simple enough: one more chance to matter, and one more round of evaluation before the roster decisions start to harden. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Face One Left Side Question They Can't Ignore
The left side of the Penguins defense has become a spot worth watching after the team lost Ryan Shea and Parker Wotherspoon, leaving the group thinner than it looked a few weeks ago. Trevor van Riemsdyk and Samuel Girard give the blue line some established NHL experience, while Declan Carlile, Ilya Solovyov and Ryan Graves are part of the mix as the team sorts out how it wants to line up on that side.
Owen Pickering remains a prospect who could force his way into the picture, but Pittsburgh is also weighing another option to add size and depth before the group is fully set. Logan Stanley has come up as a potential professional tryout candidate, though he is generally seen as a third-pairing defenseman at best, which leaves the Penguins with a familiar kind of question: whether they can patch the left side with what they have, or whether they need one more body to feel comfortable. [Read more 🡒]