With the NHL regular season just around the corner, trade talk is beginning to pick up again league-wide after getting through the dog days of the offseason when all was rather quiet.
A few deals have already trickled in over the last few weeks, and there could be more on the horizon with the likes of Connor Hellebuyck, Dylan Larkin, Kirill Marchenko and Alekander Nikishin having all be in the rumor mill throughout the summer.
To no surprise, those four led off Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos’ first trade board of 2026-27, however, that wasn’t close to all of the big names who were featured. One of those was another Winnipeg Jet, Mark Scheifele.
“The Jets want to compete, but are they in a position to do that still? If the season starts slowly, urgency to react might pick up. The Jets may be asking themselves if the Hellebuyck trade request is the best time to pivot the direction of the overall roster. As mentioned above, if Winnipeg can get a great package for Scheifele that includes a goalie, it would take the pressure off needing to get a netminder back in a Hellebuyck move,”
The 33-year-old Scheifele has five years remaining on the seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension he signed with the Jets in 2023.
Then, right after Scheifele, came a couple of Norris Trophy winners in Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski.
“Unlike Larkin or Marchenko, Hughes is saying all the right things about Minnesota, but until an extension is signed he has to be a trade candidate to watch. What’s the hold up? It can’t only be money as Minnesota is willing to go to a $20 million AAV for him. How long can the Wild go before they have to trade him or, if a contract doesn’t come, would they hang on to him as if he’s a rental?
Some damage control has been done here by both GM Don Waddell and Werenski after it seemed like a trade was imminent in June. But once you get past that smoke, what’s really changed? He’s got two years left on his contract, we don’t know where the Blue Jackets are going as a team, he’s 29 years old and wants to be chasing a Stanley Cup, but hasn’t tasted the playoffs since 2020,”
Also included on the list were Jason Robertson, Matthew Knies, Alex DeBrincat, Vince Dunn, Erik Karlsson, Jordan Binnington, Pavel Zacha and Vancouver Canucks forwards Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser.
All of this to say: buckle up, hockey fans. We could be in for a wild year of activity around the NHL.
Next: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Admits $500 Million Contract Weighs Heavily on Him
