Montreal’s injury pileup just got heavier, and it leaves Oliver Kapanen in the middle of the picture.
With Nick Suzuki sidelined for two to four weeks, the Canadiens have to try to hang on without their captain, whose 546-game ironman streak has come to an end. Montreal is already sitting at 4-3-2 and tied for last in the Atlantic, and the timing could hardly be worse with Ivan Demidov also out. Jakub Dobes has not solved the problem in net either, posting a 4.47 GAA and a .847 save percentage.
That opens the door for Kapanen to take a bigger role. The Canadiens are also expected to give Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky more time on the first power play, while Jacob Fowler has given them a lift with three wins in four appearances. Mike Matheson is also back on the blue line, but Montreal still needs results quickly if it wants to keep from slipping further in a division that is not giving anyone much room to breathe.
Elsewhere in the NHL’s trade chatter, Sunny Mehta has become the latest GM to test his own philosophy.
When he took the Devils job, Mehta said he was wary of spending major assets on goaltending because the position can swing so wildly. Then New Jersey went out and landed Connor Hellebuyck, committing $8.5 million per season and sending Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Alexander Command, Nick Bjugstad and two draft picks the other way. The cleanest read is that Mehta is not abandoning his belief so much as making a deliberate exception for a goalie with Hellebuyck’s résumé, even after his worst NHL season and a strong Olympics.
The deal also signals that New Jersey is pushing in hard. That kind of move can change how the rest of the league sees a team, and the Devils could become more appealing to names like Dylan Larkin and Quinn Hughes.
Larkin reportedly added New Jersey to his trade list, while Hughes has been connected to the idea of joining his brothers there. Still, there is no proof of a coordinated plan to land all three, and that part remains speculation.
And then there was the moment that got hockey fans talking after Edmonton’s 6-5 shootout win over Carolina.
Zach Hyman drew a penalty from Sean Walker after the Hurricanes defenseman cross-checked him from behind while Hyman was already going down. Hyman hit the ice looking hurt, Walker was sent to the box, and then Hyman looked up, grinned and winked. Walker was plainly angry, and the reaction online split quickly between those calling it embellishment and those saying Hyman had every right to make sure the officials noticed the infraction.
Walker did not escape blame, though. It was a clear cross-check in a tied game, and Carolina’s penalty kill had already surrendered three power-play goals.
The sequence became one of the night’s biggest talking points in a game that had all the feel of playoff hockey. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each finished with five points, Edmonton moved to 8-1-1, and the Oilers’ power play has climbed to 31% since Hyman returned.
In Other News...
Hellebuyck Era Ends After Jets Breakup Reaches Its Inevitable Finish
The Connor Hellebuyck chapter in Winnipeg has closed in the most familiar way a star-goalie breakup can: with a trade that sends him to the New Jersey Devils and gives both sides a clean reset. For the Jets, it ends a tense stretch around a player who still had five seasons left on his contract and was long expected to anchor the crease for years to come.
New Jersey gets the proven starter it needed, while Winnipeg moves on with a package of players and draft capital that changes the look of the roster immediately. Hellebuycks departure had been building toward this point for a while, and the deal finally gives the Jets a resolution to a situation that had become impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Devils May Be Closer Than Ever To A Massive Goalie Gamble
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is suddenly at the center of a trade conversation that could reshape the goalie market, with multiple insiders reporting that the Devils and Jets are close to finalizing a deal. The talks have been described as substantial, with significant assets in play and enough moving parts that the framework could stretch beyond a simple one-for-one swap.
New Jersey has emerged as the most likely destination, which would make this one of the biggest roster swings of the offseason if it comes together. There is still plenty to sort out, though, and the structure of the agreement is not settled yet, with the possibility of a three-team setup and Winnipeg looking for scoring help coming back as the negotiation continues. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Were Deeper In The Hellebuyck Chase Than Fans Knew
The Connor Hellebuyck trade chatter has only grown louder, and the latest reporting suggests the Winnipeg Jets are no longer just dealing with background noise around their star goalie. What started as another round of league-wide speculation now feels like a live negotiation, with the Devils reportedly in the middle of the push and the sense around the situation shifting toward something that could move quickly.
For the Jets, the timing matters as much as the return. Hellebuyck remains a franchise-level piece, but the longer the uncertainty hangs over the team, the more it complicates the picture around their roster and their immediate plans. Add in the way other Western Conference storylines are already swirling, from Edmonton losing Mattias Ekholm for at least a week to Brock Boesers frustration in Vancouver stirring more trade talk, and Winnipegs goalie situation stands out as one of the leagues biggest unresolved threads. [Read more 🡒]