Training camp is nearly here, and three situations around the NHL are already drawing plenty of attention: Montreal trying to find a place for Arber Xhekaj, Vancouver making a big commitment to Zeev Buium, and Toronto waiting on Chris Tanev’s body to cooperate.
In Montreal, the question is whether Xhekaj could stay with the Canadiens by changing positions. The 6-foot-4 defender remains unsigned, and with no obvious opening for him on the blue line, moving him to forward has become a real possibility.
He has done it before, including in junior with Kitchener, and he even got a one-game try at forward for Montreal last season. By all accounts, he handled the role well enough, bringing size, toughness and a simple game around the net.
There is also some history behind the idea. Defensemen have made successful switches before, with Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Burns among the examples.
Still, Xhekaj’s former junior coach has said the change is not as straightforward as it sounds and that he always saw Xhekaj as a defenseman first, with forward minutes mostly serving as a way to keep him involved as a depth option. For Montreal, this looks less like a clean solution and more like a creative attempt to keep him in the picture.
If a role still can’t be found, a trade may end up being the more practical answer.
Vancouver, meanwhile, made a major long-term move by giving 20-year-old Zeev Buium an eight-year, $9.38 million extension. That is a big investment in a player who has just 76 career NHL games and 26 points. But the contract says plenty about what the Canucks think he can become.
Buium was the key piece coming back in the Quinn Hughes trade, and there’s a sharp irony in how things have played out. Vancouver has already locked up its new young centerpiece, while Minnesota still cannot get Hughes signed long term. The team that is supposed to be rebuilding may have come out of the deal with more certainty than the club that landed the proven star.
The belief in Buium is rooted in what he has already done. He was a standout at Denver, helped win a national championship, and brings a decorated Team USA résumé that includes multiple golds.
Vancouver is clearly banking on that track record carrying over to the NHL over time. And with the Canucks expected to struggle this season, the extension at least gives them something concrete to build on for the future.
As one analyst put it, it’s about turning lemons into lemonade.
Toronto’s concern centers on Chris Tanev, who says he expects to be ready for the first day of training camp even though he has not yet been medically cleared about six months after core muscle surgery. The 36-year-old has been through a rough stretch, dealing with a concussion, a hit from behind that left him injured, a spinal issue and now the groin/core problem all in the same season.
He has spent the summer working with Gary Roberts and skating with players like McDavid and Draisaitl, and he sounds confident about where he stands. But the timeline is still enough to make Leafs fans uneasy.
Tanev played only 11 games last season, a career low, and Toronto clearly felt his absence. He was pencilled in again as a top-four defenseman this year, and none of the team’s other blue-line additions bring the same shutdown style.
With all 50 contracts already signed, Toronto does not have an easy fallback if Tanev is not ready. That makes his status one of the biggest camp storylines for the Leafs as they wait to see whether he can answer the one question that matters most: will his body hold up?
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Still Have One Big Blue Line Worry Before Camp
Torontos offseason overhaul touched nearly every corner of the roster, but the blue line remains the area worth watching as camp approaches. The Maple Leafs brought in Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade deal to help stabilize the defense, part of a wider reset that also included a new general manager, a new coaching staff and several personnel changes around the club.
Chris Tanev is still the question mark hanging over that plan. After dealing with multiple injuries last season, the defenseman is waiting on medical clearance before he can join team activities, and his availability for the start of training camp is still uncertain. For a group trying to reset its identity on the back end, the Leafs can only do so much planning until they know whether one of their most important veteran defenders will be ready on time. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Already Have A Cap Squeeze With Another Problem Looming
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Complicating matters is the contract situation around Gavin McKenna, whose deal carries potential bonuses that could drive his cap hit much higher if he hits certain performance milestones. For Toronto, it means the margin for error is thin, and every roster decision has to account not just for the present squeeze but for a possible extra hit later on. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Knies Could Spark Torontos Biggest Lineup Debate
Matthew Knies has given the Leafs a legitimate reason to reconsider how they arrange their forward group. His most productive stretches have come alongside Auston Matthews, and the underlying numbers have backed up what the eye test suggests, with a stronger goals-for rate there than in combinations with William Nylander or John Tavares. For a team always trying to balance its top-end talent, that kind of fit matters, especially when Knies brings a mix of physical play and a growing ability to make plays rather than simply finish them.
The real debate is whether his game is best served in the top six or as the driver of a deeper line where he can tilt the ice in a different way. Knies showed more of that playmaking side when Matthews was injured, which only adds another wrinkle to the discussion about where he belongs once the lineup is fully healthy. Jim Hiller will ultimately decide how aggressive he wants to be with the forward combinations, and the answer could shape one of Toronto's most important depth questions. [Read more 🡒]