Prime Video is set to take on a bigger role in NHL local coverage in the United States, with six teams moving their regional streaming home there starting in the 2026-27 season. The list includes the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes, along with the Ducks, Blue Jackets, Stars, Wild and one more team that was cut off in the announcement.
The shift comes as Victory+ dissolves, or at least that appears to be part of the chain of events, and it has triggered movement across multiple leagues. The WHL has already found its landing spot for the time being, announcing that regular-season games will move to YouTube for the start of the 2026-27 season.
That setup still leaves a lot of room for confusion, so it helps to separate the U.S. and Canadian versions of Prime. Prime in the USA is not the same service as Prime in Canada, or in any other country. That means Canadian Prime subscribers will not get these U.S. games, and American Prime subscribers will not get the Canadian teams that Prime carries north of the border.
It works the same way as other cross-border broadcast splits, with Sportsnet or TSN handling games in one country while ESPN and NHL Network carry them in the other. The difference here is that Prime games in Canada are exclusive to Prime, while the U.S. games are being carried under local streaming rights, which means the same game could still be available on television in another form.
There were also some updates on the Leafs side, where the team website has been getting daily changes, including a lot of tiny formatting tweaks and some staffing movement. The Marlies are seeing a reshuffle, too.
Denver Manderson is listed as an assistant coach for the Marlies in addition to his job as Director of Minor League Development, giving Steve Sullivan three assistants. That may have already been announced earlier.
One of the more notable promotions is Chris Bourque, who has moved up from scout to Assistant General Manager of the Marlies. Bourque came to the organization in 2022, and his hire drew strong reaction from people who cover the minor leagues.
Colin McBride is also no longer listed as head of media relations. It is not clear whether he still has a role at MLSE in the same area through the MLSE Partnerships side of the business.
The overall management picture looks different from the previous big turnover under Brendan Shanahan, and also different from the breakup that followed Kyle Dubas’s departure. There have been plenty of changes, but not the kind of sweeping one-day purge that happened before.
Elsewhere, longtime Leafs scouting executive Dave Morrison has taken a job with a new NHL club for the first time in 23 years.
And then there was the NBA’s punishment of the Clippers for circumventing the salary cap with Kawhi Leonard: a five first-round pick forfeiture from 2029 through 2033, a $30 million fine, a one-year suspension for the owner and president of business operations, and a $700,000 fine for Leonard.
Finally, there is one more item that is sad, but still carries hope with it.
In Other News...
Leafs Roster Reset Could Put Familiar Faces On The Way Out
The Maple Leafs skid has stretched into another rough patch, with the team stuck without a win since March 30 and coming off a previous season that ended in seven straight losses. Then came the biggest jolt of all: Toronto won the NHL Draft Lottery and selected Gavin McKenna, a move that instantly changed the conversation around what the roster could look like next.
A reset of that size tends to force hard choices, especially when a team starts weighing the value of newer talent against familiar names who have been around longer. Max Domi, Anthony Stolarz and Morgan Rielly have all surfaced in speculation about who could be moved or be gone by the end of the year, but nothing has happened yet, leaving the Leafs in that uncomfortable space where a future-facing decision is looming without the first real move to go with it. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Could Face One Tough Decision With Reilly Smith
The Maple Leafs are weighing a low-risk look at veteran forward Reilly Smith, with a professional tryout on the table as they try to gauge how he might fit into their lineup. Smith brings a long track record in the NHL, along with the kind of depth and versatility that can matter over a full season, especially for a team that is always trying to balance top-end skill with reliable support pieces.
The catch is roster math. Toronto already has a full contract roster, so any move from a PTO to a signed deal would force the club to clear space first. That makes Smith an interesting possibility for the Leafs, but also a potentially tricky one, because a simple evaluation could quickly turn into a decision with ripple effects elsewhere on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Could Face A Brutal Trade Price For Dylan Larkin
The Dylan Larkin conversation is the kind of trade chatter that naturally grabs the attention of a Maple Leafs front office always looking for a jolt down the middle. But the more you dig into it, the more it sounds like any path to prying him out of Detroit would come with a steep, immediate cost. The Red Wings are said to be looking for NHL-ready players, not a package built around prospects or draft picks, and that narrows Torontos options fast.
For the Leafs, that creates the real issue. Larkin would bring a sizable contract with him, and even before debating his fit, Toronto would have to sort through the ripple effects on the salary cap and the rest of the roster. It is the sort of move that can look appealing in theory, but the price could force the Leafs into giving up pieces they would rather keep, which is why this pursuit feels as much about restraint as ambition. [Read more 🡒]