A pair of hockey business moves this week landed with a familiar sting for fans: more fragmentation, more subscriptions, and less of the easy access that used to define the sport. At the same time, Edmonton has its own hockey storylines bubbling along, from Connor McDavid’s place in the franchise record book to questions around Mike Babcock, Mat Savoie and the Oilers’ goalie depth.
Start with the biggest one for Edmonton history watchers. Barring injury, McDavid should pass Jari Kurri for second all-time in franchise history for even strength goals sometime this coming season.
McDavid enters 2026-27 with 300. Kurri had 336, while Wayne Gretzky’s leading pace sits 103 goals ahead of McDavid.
There was also some good personal news around the organization this week. Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry and his wife Hannah are expecting a baby.
This column usually avoids too much focus on players’ private lives, but this one is worth noting simply as a reminder that the people wearing the sweaters are people too. Wishing them well.
On the prospect front, Tommy Lafreniere is spending his summer in a much different setting than most. He is with Team Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase this week in Windsor, Ontario, getting his first taste of “International” hockey.
Edmonton drafted Lafreniere in 2025, 83rd overall. Last season in Kamloops, the Hornby Island, B.C. native posted 41-36-77 in 67 games.
He shoots right.
Nathaniel Day is in a tougher spot. A recent Cult of Hockey Prospects profile noted that he has become something of a forgotten man in an organization that is suddenly loaded with goaltenders.
Day followed an excellent junior career with a strong start in the ECHL, but the next step in his development really requires AHL minutes. The problem is obvious: there are three goalies at both the AHL and NHL levels, which leaves Day blocked for now.
The conversation around Mat Savoie is heating up too. A segment of the fan base wants him extended right away, but there’s a case for patience.
Savoie finished last season with 18-19-37 in 82 games, though he managed just one assist in six playoff games. The offence only tells part of the story; he is already ahead of schedule defensively.
With one year left on his ELC, the prudent move may be to wait and see how he fits under the new coaching staff. The cap is going up, and if Savoie keeps developing, giving up a few dollars for more certainty on his future could make sense.
Still, there’s also a line where waiting too long becomes a risk, and Christmas feels like that line.
Then there’s Babcock. Leon Draisaitl finally offered his thoughts on the new Oilers head coach, and his comments carried real weight given his place in the leadership group that met with Babcock.
Draisaitl said, “I think he’s the right guy to get us to where we want to get to. Obviously, it’s a different look, a change in personality, but very excited to learn from him, work with him”.
For anyone who likes to paint NHL stars as pampered and resistant to being pushed, that kind of response tells a different story.
The most obvious on-ice question for Babcock is whether he can tighten Edmonton’s defensive commitment, especially on the penalty kill. The Oilers’ PK was 77.8% last season, which was below league average.
Babcock’s track record in Toronto was mixed at best. The Maple Leafs’ penalty kill finished at 81.6% in 2015-16, 82.5% in 2016-17, 81.4% in 2017-18, 79.9% in 2018-19 and 77.7% in 2019-20, when he was fired on November 20.
Different teams, different eras, different contexts - but the bottom line is that his PK results in Toronto were not strong enough to inspire automatic confidence. That number has to improve in Edmonton.
The league-wide media picture is changing in ways fans will feel quickly. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they will simulcast their televised games on radio after radio play-by-play voice Bob McElligot did not have his contract renewed.
From a broadcasting standpoint, there are really only two reasons to do that: improve the product or save money. In this case, it’s the latter.
And fans are the ones who lose, because television play-by-play is built around visuals, while radio play-by-play has to create the game in the listener’s mind with detail and emotion. Put the TV on mute sometime and the difference becomes obvious.
That leads to the biggest fan-impacting news of the week: Prime Video has signed a twelve-year sub-licensing agreement with Rogers Communications to carry Wednesday Night Hockey in English and French. Prime will also carry two first-round playoff series and one second-round series.
There is an economic upside for the broadcasters, but for fans the result is plain enough - getting all the games now requires two subscriptions instead of one. That matters even more with CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada no longer in the picture.
For all its flaws, HNIC was free and easy to access. Rogers Sportsnet has also raised its annual fee again.
Streaming is clearly the direction live sports are going, and that reality isn’t going away. The issue is what it means for fans.
The NHL has effectively created two classes of hockey viewers: those who can afford to watch everything and those who cannot. The league likes to dress that up as a “premium product”.
In plain English, it means you’re going to pay more for it.
In Other News...
Jets Are Fast Tracking A Top Swedish Prospect For A Reason
Alfons Freij is getting an earlier look at Winnipegs development pipeline than many Swedish prospects do. The Jets 2024 second-round pick will leave Timr IK in the Swedish Hockey League and move to North America for the 2026-27 season, the latest sign that Winnipeg sees the young defenseman as part of its longer-term plan. The decision comes after conversations with Jets management and coaches, and it gives the organization a chance to get Freij into its system before he has spent too much more time in Sweden.
Freij is still likely to face a familiar rookie track once he arrives, with a training camp battle for a roster spot ahead of him and a probable start with the Manitoba Moose so he can adjust to the North American game. For the Jets, the timing matters as much as the player profile: bringing in a mobile Swedish blueliner early creates another layer of competition on the back end and a clearer development path, even if the final step into the NHL will still have to be earned. [Read more 🡒]
Why These Jets Deals Could Keep Winnipeg Contending
For a Jets team trying to stay in the mix deep into the next few seasons, the contract picture matters almost as much as the results on the ice. Winnipeg has already locked in some of its most important pieces at prices that look manageable given the roles they play, and that kind of cost control is the backbone of any contender that wants to avoid a quick reset.
Gabriel Vilardis six-year deal at a $7.5 million average annual value is part of that equation, while Josh Morrissey still has two years left on his $6.25 million AAV contract and Mark Scheifele remains on a five-year pact at $8.5 million. Put together, those are the kinds of commitments that can keep the roster strong without forcing the Jets to overpay for top-end production, even if the real test is whether the group keeps delivering at the same level as the deals age. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Prospect Zach Nehring Is Chasing Size Without Losing His Edge
Zach Nehring spent the offseason trying to get bigger without turning himself into a different player, which is the kind of balancing act that matters for a Winnipeg Jets prospect who still has plenty to prove. The Western Michigan forward added 12 pounds as he prepares for his junior season, working with coach Pat Ferschweiler on a plan built around strength, mobility and the sort of daily discipline that can make a noticeable difference once the pace of college hockey picks back up.
For Nehring, the point of the weight gain is not just to look more mature on paper but to find out how the added size plays in real games, against real opponents, when the season starts to ask more of him. The Jets will be watching that progression closely, since development at this stage is as much about preserving an edge as it is about building one, and Nehrings next step will tell them plenty about how ready he is to keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]