Friday Four: Biggest burning questions heading into training camps

After a long summer of speculation, debate and pondering, the time for talk is over.

Teams across the NHL will soon be hitting the ice when training camps open with the hopes of putting the focus back on hockey, as opposed to off-season banter. That said, there are a number of things that remain unsettled as we march towards puck drop. There are trade requests that are still in limbo and some players who still have a chance to sign extensions before the season commences. 

Deadlines often spur action, and although there is no hard-and-fast rule that all business has to be taken care of before opening night, most teams don’t want certain things hovering around as a distraction during the regular season. 

Plus, there will be a number of players who ended the 2025-26 campaign on a sour note and now have a chance to try and start this year off on the right foot. Fans will be anxious to see how they respond and if it looks like they are in for a bounce-back season. 

Here are four burning questions being asked as camps get underway:

Will Connor Hellebuyck report to camp?

There was plenty of speculation that Connor Hellebuyck would be dealt right before the draft, and now he’s made it perfectly clear that he wants out. The Winnipeg Jets goaltender went public with a trade request at the end of August, months after he privately asked to be moved. Now, as we’re days away from the start of training camp, Hellebuyck is still a Jet, and it remains to be seen if he’ll hit the ice or sit at home. 

Obviously, if Hellebuyck were to participate, it could be a distraction, something that Jets captain Adam Lowry thinks the team can avoid. 

"Helly's a good friend of ours,” Lowry told the media earlier this week. “It's not something that we think is going to really impact the room. It's not going to create a big divide. It's a personal decision he's made and thinks is best for his family."

If Hellebuyck does show up, he could potentially risk injury, which would jeopardize a possible move, but missing training camp isn’t ideal, especially for a goaltender. You may remember Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman missed training camp back in 2024 while trying to work out a new contract, and he couldn’t catch up. Swayman finished with an .892 save percentage and a goals-against average over three that season, easily the worst numbers of his career. 

There’s been no indication that a Hellebuyck trade is imminent, so the Olympic gold medallist is going to have to decide how long he’s willing to sit out if a deal doesn’t materialize soon. 

Do the Senators and Drake Batherson get an extension done?

It sounds like both Batherson and Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios want to get an extension completed, but the only question is what the terms will be. The 28-year-old is coming off a career-best 33 goals and 71 points, and Batherson has now increased his point total every season since he entered the league. 

Batherson will undoubtedly be getting a huge raise on the $4.9 million he’s scheduled to earn in 2026-27, and there are some recent deals he can use as a comparable. Adrian Kempe signed for $10.6 million per season, and Alex Tuch landed on a $10.5 million AAV over the past year, but both wingers inked their pacts before the NHL’s financial landscape shifted forward in a big way this summer. You’d think the starting point would at least be around what Kempe and Tuch got, although perhaps Batherson is aiming higher after the market exploded. 

One deadline coming up that could help get a deal done is that players can only sign for eight years until Sept. 16. Both Kempe and Tuch opted for eight years, and maybe Ottawa would be open to the same strategy if it helps get Batherson’s AAV down a little in exchange for some term. 

Can Matvei Michkov regain his rookie form and have a bounce-back season?

The dawn of a new season means a chance at redemption for Michkov, who fell out of favour with Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet down the stretch and into the post-season last year. Michkov averaged less than 12 minutes per game in the playoffs and failed to find the back of the net in eight outings. He was also scratched multiple times last spring. 

Tocchet even noted that he felt Michkov came to training camp last year not in shape, comments he recently said he probably should have kept to himself. Now Michkov will attempt to start this season on a more positive note and work his way back up the lineup and into the top six. It would be a welcome development for the Flyers, who ranked 21^st in goals per game last season and finished 12^th out of 16 teams in that department during the playoffs. Philadelphia has a handful of talented players, but maybe none have a more dynamic skill set than Michkov. 

It was just two seasons ago that Michkov scored 26 times and tallied 63 points, putting together an impressive rookie year that left Philly fans full of excitement for the future. A strong training camp for Michkov would go a long way towards the Flyers forward regaining that impressive form.  

Will Red Wings have a general manager in place?

It’s coming up on two months since Steve Yzerman was relieved of his duties, and the Detroit Red Wings still haven’t found his replacement. 

The Red Wings have plenty of business to conduct, and things are getting to a critical juncture. For instance, standout defenceman Simon Edvinsson is a restricted free agent and needs a new contract imminently. Edvinsson has said he plans to participate in training camp even without a deal, though he can’t suit up on opening night without one. Alex DeBrincat also recently expressed his willingness to sign an extension in Detroit after a career season, so that needs to be taken care of as well. 

Then there’s Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade all the way back at the beginning of June. It’s been quiet on that front for a while, and you’d think a new general manager would help get that moving. Larkin has reportedly submitted only a few teams he’s willing to move to, so a new GM will need to try and get him to expand his list to see if this can be resolved. It really does the Red Wings no good if Larkin sits at home. If he’s no longer willing to play in Detroit, the ideal scenario for the Wings is to try and get a few assets back to help the team immediately. 

Or is there any possibility the fences could be mended? We know Larkin didn’t have the best relationship with Yzerman, so maybe a new voice could help smooth things over. It’s probably worth a shot to try to keep their captain and a Michigan native in the organization, but none of that has a chance of happening without a new general manager in place.