The Columbus Blue Jackets are still grinding away on a new deal for Adam Fantilli, and the sides are staying in constant contact. According to Mark Scheig, the team and the RFA forward are talking daily, and Columbus remains confident something gets done before training camp opens. Still, this one sounds like it could run right up against the clock.
There’s also a possible wrinkle in Columbus’ crease. Aaron Portzline noted that Elvis Merzlikins is dealing with a shoulder injury, which puts 39-year-old free agent Cam Talbot on the radar.
Talbot spent the past two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and, Portzline said, could be open to a low-salary contract with performance bonuses. Talbot also has a connection to Jet Greaves, since the two played together at the World Campionships last year.
In Vancouver, one offseason question got answered pretty directly. Rick Dhaliwal reported that when Elias Pettersson’s agent, J.P. Barry, was asked whether the Canucks had come close to trading Pettersson or asked him to waive his no-movement clause, the response was simple: “No that didn’t happen.”
The other big contract watch around the league is on the blue line, where Simon Edvinsson and Alexander Nikishin still need new deals. Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that Zeev Buium’s extension in Vancouver has changed the market for defensemen, especially in cases like Edvinsson’s in Detroit and Nikishin’s situation as well. Friedman said Edvinsson’s case is unusual because Detroit does not have a GM right now, and he also suggested that a shorter-term possibility he’d heard about earlier in the summer may no longer be the path if a longer deal is on the table.
Friedman added that Nikishin wanted a big number already, and Buium’s deal has only made the situation more interesting. He also said, “I do think for defensemen, the calculus has been changed. Not even so much by the Makar deal; it changed everything, but by the Buium deal.”
And there may be another team worth watching there. Friedman said he’d heard Nashville was “kicking around” Nikishin, and Kyle Bukauskas agreed that “that would make a lot sense.” Friedman also pointed out that the Predators just picked up a couple of draft picks in the Luke Evangelista deal.
In Other News...
Canucks Prospect Opener Exposed One Early Pipeline Debate
The Canucks prospects opened the 2026 Prospect Showcase with a 7-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken prospects, but the result only told part of the story. Vilmer Alriksson, Adam Novotn and Sawyer Mynio each scored for Vancouver, while Aleksei Medvedev stopped 26 shots and gave the organization at least a few signs to file away as the weekend gets going.
Abbotsford Canucks head coach Ryan Papaioannou pointed to the bright spots after the game, which is the kind of read Vancouver wants from a setting like this. Prospect showcases are as much about sorting through roles and development paths as they are about the scoreboard, and an opener like this can quickly sharpen one of the quieter debates in the pipeline about which young players are ready to push for bigger looks next. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks First Round Pick Is Giving Vancouver A Tough Decision
Adam Novotnys prospect-showcase performance gave the Canucks another reminder that their recent draft pick is not just filling a roster spot and skating around the edges of camp. He scored a goal, drove play in key moments and looked the part of a player trying to force his way into a bigger conversation, which is exactly what Vancouver wants to see from a young forward with limited chances to make an impression before the season starts.
The challenge now is what comes next, because Novotny has already done enough to make the decision a little less straightforward than the club may have expected. He showed confidence, physicality and enough playmaking ability to draw praise from Abbotsford coach Ryan Papaioannou, and with preseason opportunities at a premium, every strong shift only tightens the competition for NHL games this season. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Malhotra Inherits A Canucks Problem That Could Shape The Rebuild
Manny Malhotras arrival behind the Vancouver bench comes with the kind of assignment that can define a coachs first year. He takes over a roster in the middle of a rebuild, and the immediate question is not whether the Canucks can score enough to stay entertaining, but whether the group in front of the net can stop bleeding chances. A recent look at the roster put the defensive core at the bottom of the league, which is a sobering place for a team hoping a new voice can bring order quickly.
The fit matters because Malhotra is expected to lean on structure, and structure only works if the personnel can execute it. Vancouvers forwards and goaltending also come with their own concerns, so this is not a one-unit fix. The bigger storyline now is whether Malhotra can use a tighter system to make the team harder to play against and, in the process, help create value for players who could become part of the Canucks trade conversations down the road. [Read more 🡒]