The NHL’s record goalscorer Alexander Ovechkin signed a one-year contract to stay with the Washington Capitals this season, which some fans predict may be his last.
Ovechkin to decide hockey future after season, with health biggest factor
Chants of ‘1 more year’ follow Ovechkin off the ice
The 41-year-old Russian has repeatedly danced around the issue, most recently at his team’s pre-season media day, where he cheekily told reporters: “I’m focusing right now on training camp – I have to make the team!”
The prodigious Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has two years left on his contract as he chases an elusive Stanley Cup at the height of his powers.
Oilers camp after off-season of controversial moves
McDavid wins 5th Ted Lindsay Award, tying Gretzky
The 29-year-old has come heartbreakingly close to ending a longstanding Canadian drought for the NHL’s top prize, losing in the championship series to the Florida Panthers in 2024 and 2025.
The Carolina Hurricanes are chasing rare back-to-back titles with oddsmakers putting them about even with the Panthers to lift the trophy in June.
They will start the season without forward Seth Jarvis, after he underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season, relying on the stability of two-way center Sebastian Aho.
The Winnipeg Jets generated all the wrong kind of buzz ahead of the season, as their talismanic goaltender Connor Hellebuyck publicly requested a trade last month and was suspended by the team last week for failing to report to training camp.
Jets not rushing to trade star goalie Hellebuyck
Multiple teams have surfaced in the NHL rumour mill as potential landing places for Hellebuyck, who played the hero in the United States’ gold-medal win over Canada at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, a worrying sign for fans after the team finished second-to-last in their division last season.
The Panthers acquired Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, 27, in a blockbuster trade in the off-season, seeing him join brother Matthew, 28, on the perennial powerhouse team.
Brady Tkachuk says he asked for a trade to start the ‘next chapter’ of his career
The pair worked nicely together on and off the ice in Milano Cortina, bringing extra chemistry to the eventual Olympic champions United States as they combined for the team’s opening goal of the Games.
“We don’t want to be just attached at the hip and just be us two everywhere,” Brady told reporters ahead of the season. “We’re still our own individual people and for myself it’s just getting to know every single person in this organization. I mean, of course, we’re always going to gravitate toward each other.”
