The early-season NHL chatter on October 9, 2026 had a little bit of everything: a trade in the Western Conference, a reassuring update in Toronto, and a Winnipeg fan base that’s turned its frustration with Connor Hellebuyck into a live-money scoreboard.
The day’s biggest roster move sent Jayden Struble from Montreal to Nashville in exchange for Vegas’ 2027 second-round pick. It was the tenth trade MacFarland has made since taking over as GM, and it gives the Predators a 25-year-old left-shot defenseman who plays a heavy style.
Struble is listed at 6 feet and 207 pounds, and he put up a career-high 59 games last season while delivering 115 hits, which ranked second on the Canadiens. MacFarland said Struble brings mobility and a hard-to-play-against presence to the blue line.
For Montreal, the timing made sense. Kaiden Guhle’s return from injury and Adam Engstrom’s strong play had squeezed Struble out of a regular spot, and with restricted free agency coming next summer, the Canadiens turned a depth piece into a second-rounder that could end up near the top of the round.
In Toronto, the attention shifted to Oliver Ekman-Larsson after a scary fall late in Thursday’s game. Jeremy Lauzon hit him in the third period and sent his head to the ice, and no penalty was called on the play even though Lauzon appeared to follow through and push him down. Jim Hiller said afterward he thought it should have been a penalty, and Maple Leafs fans were left unhappy with the officiating while the team initially had little to add.
Friday brought a much better sign. Ekman-Larsson was back on the ice at practice, which strongly suggests he avoided anything serious. His status for the next game still isn’t clear, but after injuries have already started stacking up around the league, Toronto had reason to breathe easier.
Then there was Winnipeg, where one fan took the Hellebuyck situation and ran with it. The site hellebucks.com tracks, in real time, how much salary Connor Hellebuyck is losing while he remains out, and by Friday morning the total had climbed past $400,000.
The counter breaks that number into everyday comparisons, including 378 months of rent on a one-bedroom in Winnipeg or 3,663 lower-bowl tickets to see the Jets’ other goalies. The tagline says it all: “We’d have built you a statue.
Instead we built this counter.”
It’s a pointed snapshot of how far the relationship has slipped. Winnipeg is 3-0-1 and sitting atop the Central with Skinner and Stevenson in net, so Cheveldayoff isn’t facing pressure to make a move.
But Hellebuyck keeps losing money, losing support, and getting rustier, and reports say the league is watching and standing beside Winnipeg on this one. The longer it goes, the uglier it looks for him.
In Other News...
Jets' First Regulation Loss Puts One Early Concern In Focus
The first regulation loss of the season arrived in a lopsided way for Winnipeg, as the Jets fell 5-1 to the Anaheim Ducks and saw a three-game winning streak come to an end. Kyle Connor supplied the lone goal for the Jets in his 700th NHL game, but the night belonged to a Ducks group that got an early lift from Judd Caulfield, who scored his first NHL goal.
For Winnipeg, the bigger concern was how little traction the offense found when the game tilted against it. The Jets could not capitalize on their chances with the extra skater, and when a night like this turns into chasing the game, the margin for error gets thin in a hurry. It was only one loss in a long season, but it did put an early pressure point in view. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Desperation Just Put Connor Hellebuyck Back In The Spotlight
The Rangers goaltending situation has pushed them into the kind of desperation that naturally pulls another teams star into the conversation, and this time its Connor Hellebuyck back in the spotlight. With Igor Shesterkin out for the season and Joonas Korpisalo unavailable for several weeks, New Yorks need in net has become impossible to ignore, which is why the idea of a blockbuster swing at Winnipegs Vezina-caliber starter is making the rounds as a theoretical fix.
It is still only a proposal, not a real negotiation, but the concept shows how far the Rangers might have to go if they wanted to chase a true answer between the pipes. Any such move would come with major obstacles on Winnipegs side, starting with the fact that Hellebuyck controls his fate, and ending with the sort of draft-and-player package it would take to even get the Jets to listen. [Read more 🡒]
Moose Let A Strong Chance Slip Away In Tight Road Loss
The Manitoba Moose came up just short again on the road, falling 2-1 to the Grand Rapids Griffins in a game that stayed tight from start to finish. Noah Gregor provided the Mooses lone goal, but it was not enough to turn a solid effort into points as the club dropped its second game of the season.
Grand Rapids got the edge they needed when William Lagesson broke the tie, and Michal Postava did the rest with a calm night in net for the Griffins. The Moose generated chances and pushed the pace at times, but they will leave this one knowing they had an opportunity to come away with more against a division opponent. [Read more 🡒]