Vintage Elias Pettersson.
It’s a phrase we haven’t uttered very often over the past two seasons. But it was justified Thursday night, when Pettersson ripped a one-timer off a cross-ice pass for his second power-play goal of the season. He’s up to four points in three games and is showing glimpses of the player that was once one of the most promising young centres in the NHL. Even when he didn’t find the scoresheet Saturday night, Pettersson still threw eight hits, drew a penalty and rung one of the post. He was everywhere.
Many thought that player was lost forever. Pettersson topped 100 points only a few years ago, but he’s been nowhere close to that level since. The 27-year-old recorded 45 and 51 points respectively over the past two seasons, while going a combined minus-40 over that stretch. Pettersson’s confidence appeared to be shot, and any hope the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks had of moving him for future assets seemed lost. With this impressive start to the campaign, though, maybe Pettersson’s play will intrigue a desperate team enough to make the Canucks an offer at some point.
Canucks may be able to trade Pettersson if he continues to impress
It was never going to be easy to move Pettersson’s contract, though it was virtually impossible once his play started to dip. Now his $11.6-million cap hit doesn’t look so bad after the financial explosion we saw across the league this summer. Pettersson doesn’t even necessarily have to get back to that 100-point level to be moved, as there is a huge shortage of supply and a massive demand when it comes to centres. If Pettersson can get into that 60-70 point range and be strong defensively, he could have a market again around the league.
Overreaction? – No
One thing the Canucks have going for them if they want to move Pettersson is that they would be one of the few teams willing to take draft picks and prospects back in a trade because of their rebuild. We’ve heard this already with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Kirill Marchenko, as well as the Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck. Both teams wanted impact players in return who could help their teams right away. Most contending squads wouldn’t be willing to give up a key contributor off their roster, so the fact that Vancouver would likely be open to future assets in a Pettersson return helps its cause as a trade partner.
Pettersson’s AAV could still be an issue with several years left to go on the deal, but if the Canucks could eat a bit of the money or take a bad contract back in return, it should make facilitating a trade easier. Vancouver has nearly $16 million of cap space to work with, so it’s certainly doable. With all that said, it’s still going to take Pettersson maintaining his strong play for a substantial amount of time before other teams start showing any serious interest. There’s a long way to go, but maybe there’s a team out there that’s willing to make the Canucks a decent offer for Pettersson by the deadline. It certainly doesn’t seem as impossible as it once did.
Poor goaltending could derail Oilers season
It’s only been a few games, but the concerns are already mounting in the Edmonton Oilers crease. Six goals went past Tristan Jarry on opening night as the Oilers lost to an inspired Canucks squad, who finished 32nd last season and figure to be right around the league’s basement again this year. Edmonton got a second crack at the Canucks two days later, and Devon Levi had a worse outing than Jarry, allowing seven to tickle the twine. It took the Oilers 14 goals in two games just to secure one victory. That’s not sustainable.
Despite Jarry struggling mightily in 2025-26 after arriving in Edmonton, the Oilers again chose to only look for a Band-Aid solution this past off-season. Frederik Andersen is a fine option when he’s available, but as we know, that’s rare. He hasn’t appeared in more than 35 games since 2021-22, and Andersen is already on the shelf with an ailment. Levi is a good bet, and he had a much stronger outing Saturday, though he’s largely unproven and would be considered a long shot to carry the load between the pipes. It’s very possible the Oilers are again searching for answers in net as this season wears on.
Overreaction? - No
Edmonton’s biggest move this off-season wasn’t on the ice, as they are banking on new head coach Mike Babcock to provide a huge lift to this group. Although if night one was any indication, there’s really no coach who can compensate for shaky goaltending. That begs the question: Why again did the Oilers not address the position to a greater extent this summer? Yes, they did add two goalies, but neither give you a reasonable amount of confidence that Jarry wouldn’t once again end up seeing the majority of the playing time.
The Toronto Maple Leafs moved two goalies this summer, including Joseph Woll, who has good career numbers and could probably be counted on as at least a 1B. Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Cup and Vezina winner who is a future Hall of Famer, also hit the market. Then there’s Connor Hellebuyck, who demanded a trade months ago and is still sitting at home. Granted, some of these things may be out of the Oilers' control, like whether Bobrovsky had interest in Edmonton or if Hellebuyck would even waive his no-move clause for a Canadian team. But it certainly does feel like solidifying the goaltending hasn’t been as big of a priority as it should be in Edmonton.
Maple Leafs will regret trading Knies
It would be fair to say the reaction to the Matthew Knies-Kirill Marchenko trade in Toronto was mixed. Most Maple Leafs fans were excited to get a player of Marchenko’s calibre, but were puzzled as to why Knies’ name constantly surfaced in trade rumours through two management regimes. Knies is still just 23 years of age, on a very friendly long-term contract and has a unique skill set that’s hard to find around the league. That skill set was on full display in Knies’ first game with the Columbus Blue Jackets, as the rugged forward scored twice and added an assist during an opening-night win. It’s the kind of game-changing talent that could make the Leafs regret this trade someday.
Overreaction? – Yes
One stellar game from Knies shouldn’t define this trade, and Marchenko is already building chemistry with Auston Matthews that should only continue to grow over time. If those two can form a solid duo that helps the Leafs secure Matthews to a long-term extension, that alone will make the trade a win. The only reason Toronto would regret this trade is if a centre or top defenceman comes available where they could’ve used Knies as their biggest trade chip. Those players rarely become an option via a trade or free agency, so upgrading the group with Marchenko today was still a shrewd move. Hindsight is 20/20, and there’s always a chance a trade could not pan out, but Toronto’s logic with the Knies trade here was sound.
Panthers are in trouble after Barkov’s injury
Not again. After missing all of last season with a torn ACL suffered in training camp, Aleksander Barkov went down in only the second contest for the Florida Panthers and will miss at least 10 games on LTIR. Things really snowballed in a bad way last season for the Panthers after Barkov went down, as injuries and inconsistency led to the team missing the post-season after back-to-back Stanley Cups. There’s no doubt Barkov is the team’s most important player, as his 200-foot game is unrivalled in the NHL and Florida's captain can be used in any situation. In a tough Atlantic Division, there’s a real danger it could be deja vu for the Panthers this season and that their playoff chances have taken a massive hit.
Overreaction? – Yes
Barkov is obviously a massive loss for the Panthers, but they shouldn’t be as vulnerable as they were last year. Keep in mind, Florida was also without Matthew Tkachuk until January last season, and it was coming off three straight Cup Final appearances. The Panthers had played a ton of hockey over that span and were clearly feeling it, making it tougher to overcome key injuries. In 2026-27, the Panthers are returning from a long summer rested and recharged and have added Brady Tkachuk, so they should be in better shape to hold the fort down until Barkov returns. Plus, there is optimism this ailment isn’t season-ending for Barkov. Hopefully he should be back at some point to help them with a playoff push.
Nick Robertson will score 25 goals this season
As far as debuts go, it’s hard to have a better one than Nick Robertson did this week with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Robertson scored twice in his first regular-season game in a Pens jersey, taking advantage of playing on the top line with Sidney Crosby. That’s not a bad place to be if you want to pad your stats. Nobody ever questioned Robertson’s shot in Toronto, it was more the consistency that kept him from cementing a place in the top six and getting more ice time. Pittsburgh isn’t as logjammed with high-end talent as the Maple Leafs were, so Robertson has a real chance to stay up there this season. And if he plays with Crosby, the sky is the limit. He’s never even scored 20 goals before, but could 25 be in sight in a full campaign next to Crosby?
Overreaction? – No
We’ve seen Crosby drag plenty of okay players to respectable seasons before, and if you have some skill and savvy as Chris Kunitz did, you can really thrive. Robertson definitely has an excellent shot, and you can bet Crosby is going to find him in prime scoring areas if he can get open. Plus, Robertson played 15:02 on opening night after never averaging more than 12:40 during his time in Toronto. It’s clear the Pens want to give him a real look at the top of the lineup, and if Robertson can just work his way into some consistent power-play time as well, 25 shouldn’t be out of reach.
