Three NHL storylines stood out on July 23, 2026, and each one carries a different kind of weight: a goalie staying put in Columbus, another round of Mitch Marner discourse in Toronto, and Patrick Kane heading back to Chicago.
The Blue Jackets got one of their key pieces settled when Jet Greaves agreed to a three-year deal reportedly worth $5 million AAV. That takes him out of arbitration and keeps him in Columbus after a filing gap that ran from his $7.5 million ask to the team’s $2.8 million offer.
With the deal done, the goalie picture in Columbus looks a lot cleaner. Greaves is expected to move into the starter role alongside Elvis Merzlikins, giving the Blue Jackets more stability in net.
The next items on the list are Adam Fantilli, who could still become an offer-sheet target, and Cole Sillinger, who is set for his arbitration hearing next Monday.
Toronto, meanwhile, found itself back in familiar territory. Darren Ferris stepped in to defend Mitch Marner, but the reaction from a lot of Maple Leafs fans was basically exhaustion.
The issue wasn’t contract specifics so much as the fact that the same Marner conversation keeps resurfacing. For plenty of fans, it felt like another spin through a storyline they’ve already heard too many times.
The more it gets dragged back into the open, the harder it seems to be for anyone to move on.
And in Chicago, the headline is the return of Patrick Kane. He signed a two-year deal worth $16 million, or about $8 million AAV, to rejoin the Blackhawks.
Kane is coming off a strong season with the Detroit Red Wings, where he had 57 points in 67 games. The pairing everyone wants to see will have to wait, though, because Connor Bedard is recovering from shoulder surgery.
Once Bedard is healthy, the Kane-Bedard combination becomes one of the most intriguing stories in the league: a future Hall of Famer back in Chicago alongside the player expected to lead the next chapter.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Have A Veteran Winger Gamble Worth Watching
The Maple Leafs have spent the offseason adding pieces and reworking the edges of their roster, and the forward group still looks like an area where another veteran could make sense. With new faces already in the mix, Toronto has at least considered whether a low-risk addition might help round out the depth chart and give the coaching staff another experienced option to sort through in camp.
One name that fits that kind of conversation is a winger with a long NHL track record and a championship on his rsum, even if his recent scoring has not matched earlier peaks. The appeal for Toronto is obvious: a player like that could be worth a look on a professional tryout or a short-term deal, especially if the Leafs want more proven depth without committing much term or money. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Fans Just Got A New Reason To Watch Erik Karlsson
Erik Karlssons future in Pittsburgh is already drawing attention, and for Maple Leafs fans, it comes with a familiar subplot. Josh Yohe of The Athletic laid out a scenario in which the Penguins could become sellers if they are not in the mix by midseason, with Karlsson emerging as one of the biggest names to watch. If Pittsburgh stays competitive, the club could simply ride out the season with him and then decide not to bring him back, a possibility that reflects both his age and the size of the contract still attached to him.
For Toronto, the intrigue is obvious because the Leafs have been linked in speculation around high-end blue-line help before, and Karlssons name naturally fits that conversation. Ottawa has also surfaced as another possible landing spot, which only adds to the sense that this could become one of the more closely watched storylines if the Penguins season goes sideways. For now, it is just a watch item, but one that could get louder quickly depending on how Pittsburgh looks as the calendar turns. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Just Hit A Familiar Wall In Fantilli Pursuit
Adam Fantillis name has been circling the Maple Leafs for a while now, and the appeal is obvious. The 21-year-old has put together a strong recent stretch, he remains unsigned, and he fits the kind of talent Toronto would love to add if the opportunity ever lined up. The problem is that this is exactly the sort of move that sounds cleaner on paper than it does in the cap era, especially when offer-sheet rules and draft-pick compensation enter the picture.
Toronto is already operating well above the cap, and making a real run at Fantilli would require more than just interest. The Leafs would need to create major room, then sort out the draft-pick side of the equation before they could even think about putting a competitive number on the table. In practical terms, that means moving money out and rebuilding the kind of flexibility that has been hard for this front office to find, which is why the pursuit feels more like a familiar frustration than a realistic path right now. [Read more 🡒]