The NHL rumor mill is spinning fast, and three names are sitting right in the middle of it: Connor Hellebuyck, Alexander Nikishin and Kirill Marchenko.
The biggest swing here is a potential three-way deal involving Hellebuyck and Nikishin. Hellebuyck, a superstar goaltender, has requested a trade and is refusing to report while he waits for a new deal. Nikishin is in a different spot but brings his own complications, since he has also asked for a trade and is not under contract.
The Carolina Hurricanes are interested in landing Hellebuyck, and it sounds like he would be open to going there. The challenge is simply finding the right structure for a deal.
Nikishin has been given permission to talk with other teams about a new contract, though the Jets are reportedly not a team he would sign with. If Winnipeg were to move Hellebuyck to Carolina, Nikishin would not be part of the return, even though that setup would have made plenty of sense on paper.
The Nashville Predators have also entered the picture. They’ve shown interest in Nikishin, and according to Elliotte Friedman, he would be willing to sign there.
With the assets the Predators picked up in the Luke Evangelista trade, they now have some extra draft capital to play with. That leaves the door open for a three-team arrangement in which Hellebuyck goes to the Hurricanes, Nikishin ends up with the Predators, and the Jets collect picks and other assets.
In Vancouver, Filip Chytil is dealing with another setback. His career has already included multiple concussions and facial injuries, and this latest scare came during preseason action against the Edmonton Oilers. In a freak collision, Chytil and referee Riley Brace bumped into each other as they headed toward the corner, and Chytil then went shoulder-first into the boards.
The Canucks have placed Chytil on injured reserve, and while the exact injury hasn’t been announced, general manager Ryan Johnson said, “As nasty as that looked, he came down on the shoulder, and it’s more of a muscular strain”
There’s no timetable yet, but Chytil has been listed as week-to-week. The encouraging part for Vancouver is that this does not appear to be another concussion scare, even though there was concern about the way his head jolted sideways on contact.
Then there’s Kirill Marchenko, where the chatter is starting to tilt toward Boston. The Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Oilers have all been mentioned in the mix, but the Bruins are now looking like the team to watch.
On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Friedman said several clubs are interested in Marchenko and noted that Boston had an offer for him. There are a couple of extra breadcrumbs too: Marchenko’s agent, Dan Milstein, posted a short video of a bear on X, and Bruins star David Pastrnak recently followed Marchenko on Instagram.
That could all be coincidence. But with those signals stacking up, the Bruins are beginning to look like the front-runner.
In Other News...
Canucks Fans Have A New Rogers Arena Drink Price Frustration
The price of a night out at Rogers Arena has crept up again this season, and Canucks fans are already noticing the details in the concessions stand. Beer and non-alcoholic drinks are both a little more expensive than they were before, with the change on the 24-ounce beer coming down to a one-cent bump from rounding, while the 12-ounce option has gone up by 25 cents.
The bigger shift may be behind the soda counter, where the team has moved from Pepsi to Coca-Cola products. That switch has brought new drink choices for fans, but it has also pushed some soft drink prices higher, adding another small irritation to the cost of catching a game in person. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks May Have A Sleeper Prospect Fans Need To Watch
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He also got his first taste of the organization at rookie camp, a small but meaningful step for a prospect still early in his path. Bryzgalov is expected to go back to the WHL for another season before heading to Merrimack College in 2027-28, so the Canucks will have to be patient, but his combination of skill and physicality makes him the kind of sleeper worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Face A Goalie Decision That Could Cost Them Depth
Ryan Johnson spent part of his recent comments on a problem the Canucks would rather not have this close to the season: too many goalies and not enough easy answers. Vancouver currently has four netminders on the NHL roster, and every one of them would have to clear waivers to be sent down to the AHL, which makes trimming the group a delicate exercise instead of a simple roster move.
Thatcher Demko is set to begin the season on injured reserve, and the club is weighing whether exposing Nikita Tolopilo to waivers is the cleanest way to get down to two goalies. The catch is obvious for Vancouver, because any waiver decision carries the risk of losing a player for nothing, leaving the Canucks to balance short-term roster flexibility against the long-term value of their depth. [Read more 🡒]