The Edmonton Oilers may have to make a call on their penalty kill before camp even gets rolling.
Bob Stauffer said forwards Matthew Savoie and Mattias Janmark will miss training camp, and both were expected to factor into the team’s PK work. Edmonton does have some salary cap space, so a UFA with penalty-killing experience could be on the table. Stauffer also noted that goaltender Frederik Andersen and defenseman Alec Regula will be missing camp.
In Montreal, Adam Engstrom’s name is circulating.
Arpon Basu of The Athletic said in a mailbag that the Canadiens prospect defenseman has been mentioned in trade talks, and Montreal has been willing to listen. Basu added that Engstrom still carries value for the organization, which believes he could help the blue line. The concern, as Basu put it, is that Engstrom and most of the Canadiens’ defense group are not physical.
Basu also made clear there is no conversation about Montreal landing Connor McDavid right now. If McDavid reaches free agency after his contract expires next season, Basu said there would be no doubt the Canadiens would have interest.
Out in Vancouver, the teardown appears to be underway.
Travis Yost of TSN reported that the Canucks have begun to dismantle parts of the roster, with Elias Pettersson’s $11.6 million cap hit entering the discussion. Jake DeBrusk has also surfaced in the chatter, and Yost suggested he could become a deadline move.
Brock Boeser is another name being kicked around. The 29-year-old has a no-movement clause, and while he may be entering the later stage of his career, he still scored 40 goals two years ago. Yost said there will be teams interested, leaving Vancouver with a decision: keep Boeser around a bit longer or turn him into future assets as part of the rebuild.
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Kings Prospect Now Has A Clearer Development Path After Latest Move
Brock Boesers latest season gave the Canucks another reminder of what they have in a veteran scorer who still produces, even as the club moves deeper into a rebuilding phase. He finished with 22 goals and 26 assists in 75 games, a step down from his previous peak, but still the kind of offense that keeps him on the radar for teams trying to add proven finishing.
For Vancouver, the harder question is less about what Boeser can still provide and more about when the front office decides to align its roster with the longer-term reset. Travis Yost has pointed out that moving Boeser could make sense given the Canucks outlook and his steady scoring track record, though a deal before the upcoming season still does not sound likely. That leaves him in an awkward but familiar spot: productive enough to matter, expensive enough to force a conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Have A Few Early Contract Wins Fans Should Notice
With the 2026-27 NHL season in view, there are already a few Canucks contracts that look like they could help shape the roster in a meaningful way. Marco Rossis $5 million annual deal stands out as a useful value piece because of what he has already shown as a producer at a young age, while Jamie Oleksiaks two-year, $10 million agreement gives Vancouver a chance to add some steadiness on the back end without committing long term.
Filip Hroneks situation is the one that really jumps out, though, because his $7.25 million annual salary looks modest relative to the level he has been performing at. For a team that needs to squeeze value out of every part of the lineup, those kinds of deals matter, and the early returns suggest Vancouver has at least a few contracts on the books that could age well if the underlying play holds up. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Rebuild Hinges On A Risk Manny Malhotra Has To Take
The Canucks rebuild is already forcing some uncomfortable choices on the blue line, and Filip Hronek sits right at the center of it. He has been the most reliable defenseman on the roster, the kind of player a coaching staff leans on in every tense stretch of a game, but that safety net comes with a cost when a team is trying to learn what it really has. For Vancouver, the point of this season is not just to survive the nightly grind, but to find out whether younger pieces can handle real NHL responsibility.
That is where Manny Malhotras balancing act gets tricky. Players like Zeev Buium and Tom Willander need meaningful ice time to show what they can become, even if giving it to them means pulling back on Hroneks workload and accepting a few more growing pains along the way. It is the kind of risk rebuilding teams have to take, and one that could shape how quickly the Canucks defense moves from merely functional to something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]