The Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, and Edmonton Oilers all have something in common right now: each is staring at a situation that feels unfinished.
In Ottawa, general manager Steve Staios tried to steady the waters after Brady Tkachuk was dealt to the Florida Panthers for a return built mostly around futures. He didn’t sugarcoat the impact.
Without Tkachuk, the Senators are worse. That part was plain.
But Staios also made clear the work isn’t done, and he said the club still has more moves ahead as it tries to keep building a winner in Ottawa.
One of the names at the center of that next step is Drake Batherson. Staios said talks are ongoing, and Batherson remains a priority.
He also addressed culture, taking a few shots at the Tkachuk situation while saying Ottawa is now a better place to draw players who fit the right character profile. Even if Batherson returns, the Senators are not expected to stop there.
Out in San Jose, Macklin Celebrini is turning a card auction into a full-blown chase. The Sharks’ 2024 first overall pick followed his breakout with a massive second NHL season at age 19, piling up 115 points with 45 goals and 70 assists. That production has only added fuel to the fire around a 2024-25 Upper Deck Young Guns Outburst Gold #451 1/1, which is now hovering around $488,000 on Goldin with the buyer’s premium included.
The auction still has roughly two days left and is set to end Saturday night, Aug. 15, but the climb has already been dramatic. The card opened near $15,000 and kept rising. With Gretzky comparisons now part of the conversation, the big question is whether the final number stalls out soon or keeps charging into territory that will be remembered for a long time.
For Edmonton, Trent Frederic is trying to put a rough stretch behind him and start fresh. The Oilers acquired him at the 2025 deadline, but a high-ankle sprain derailed everything.
He finally made his debut in April 2025, then hurt the ankle again on his first shift. From there, he never really got rolling.
The following season brought more frustration. After a longer recovery, Frederic got back into the lineup but struggled to produce, finishing with four goals and three assists in 74 games.
That’s why his eight-year deal carrying a $3.85 million AAV became such a talking point. Frederic says he didn’t feel close to 100% until after the Olympic break in February 2026, and now he’s heading into a new season with a full summer behind him and a reset under coach Mike Babcock.
He also said he wants more chances on the penalty kill. If Frederic can bring the big, fast, physical game that made him such an intriguing addition in the first place, Edmonton has a real chance to see a very different version of him this time around.
In Other News...
Macklin Celebrinis Rising Card Value Says Something Huge About The Sharks
Macklin Celebrinis arrival in San Jose has already carried the usual weight that comes with a first overall pick, but the market around his memorabilia is starting to tell its own story. A 2024-25 Upper Deck Young Guns Outburst Gold #451 1/1 card featuring the Sharks center has turned into one of the hottest items in hockey collecting, with bidding on Goldin racing far beyond where it started and past prior sales tied to Celebrini cards.
For Sharks fans, the rising value says as much about the players profile as it does about the hobbys appetite for a franchise centerpiece. Celebrini is still at the beginning of his NHL story, yet the kind of attention his rarest cards are drawing has already pushed him into conversations usually reserved for established stars and even historically significant hockey collectibles. [Read more 🡒]