Five Key Stories: 8/24/26 – 8/30/26
August has nearly come to an end and with training camps set to start soon, we’re starting to see an uptick in news across the hockey world. We’ll recap the most prominent from the past seven days here.
Hellebuyck Asks Out: Before the draft, there were rumblings that Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck would be open to a change of scenery. It turns out that he’s not just open to it, he’s flat-out asking for it after making his trade request public. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner has five seasons left on his contract at a $8.5MM AAV while he’s coming off a down showing in 2025-26 where he had a 2.86 GAA and a .895 SV% in 57 starts with Winnipeg missing the playoffs altogether. Still, his reputation and track record should have generated some strong trade interest, though GM Kevin Cheveldayoff hasn’t pulled the trigger on a move just yet. Unlike Dylan Larkin in Detroit whose yes list is very small, it appears Hellebuyck’s list of teams he’d approve a trade is much larger. We’ll see if that helps get a trade across the finish line in the coming weeks.
Oilers Injuries: The injury bug has struck in Edmonton before training camp has even gotten underway. The team revealed this week that goaltender Frederik Andersen, defenseman Alec Regula, and forwards Mattias Janmark and Matthew Savoie won’t be available when camp gets underway. Regula and Janmark are still recovering from late-season surgeries while Andersen and Savoie were injured in offseason training. Savoie is expected to miss some regular season action while he will miss less time than Andersen, meaning the netminder’s injury isn’t a minor one. With the injuries and uncertainty, the Oilers could be a team to look at on the PTO front in the coming weeks.
Record-Setting Contract: Macklin Celebrini’s reign as the highest-paid player in the NHL (effective next season) is over before it even began. The Avalanche signed defenseman Cale Makar to an eight-year, $163.2MM extension (beginning in 2027-28), setting another new record for the biggest contract in NHL history. At a $20.4MM AAV, it comes in just $400K per season below the maximum salary for an extension signed this summer. The 27-year-old is generally viewed as the top defenseman in the league and has been a Norris finalist in six straight years, winning the award twice. Makar has also averaged more than a point per game in five consecutive seasons, making it a no-brainer that he was going to set the new record. By getting the deal done now, they were able to get eight years and a much more favorable structure in terms of signing bonus money before the rules on term and structure change on September 16th.
Hayes Heads Overseas: Veteran center Kevin Hayes wasn’t able to secure a contract in the NHL in free agency so rather than hope for a PTO, he has elected to sign elsewhere. The 34-year-old inked a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. Hayes was a quality second-line center with a strong defensive game in his prime, helping earn him a seven-year, $50MM contract in his last trip through free agency. Unfortunately for Hayes, his play and production dipped sharply over the last few years while he found himself in a fourth line/reserve role last season. He’ll look to rediscover his scoring touch overseas, although the KHL is not a particularly easy league to score in.
Blues Prospect Hospitalized: Blues prospect Matthew Mayich has been hospitalized after collapsing during an early-morning offseason workout at Arizona State University earlier this month. The nature of the workout was described as military-style calisthenics. Mayich transferred to ASU this offseason and was set to play a prominent role on their back end. He’s now in a coma with everyone in the hockey world now simply hoping for Mayich’s recovery.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports.
