NHL this week: 7 storylines to stay up to date with the league
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after scoring his second goal of the game during the second period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 26, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
After one of the most engaging off-seasons in recent memory, and the NHL’s regular season has not disappointed so far.
Here are the storylines to follow to stay up to date with the league.
Alex Ovechkin announced his retirement
For 22 years, Alex Ovechkin has been the face of not only the Washington Capitals, but (along with Sidney Crosby) the face of the NHL. On Monday, he announced that 2026-27 would be his final trip around the league.
Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record near the end of the 2024-25 season. He won the Stanley Cup in 2018, in addition to nine scoring titles, eight first-team all-star nominations, three MVP awards and a playoff MVP award, in addition to numerous others.
“The Great 8″ has stated in the past that once he’s done playing in the NHL, he’d like to go home to Russia and play for Dynamo Moscow, the KHL team where his pro career began.
From the #Gr8: pic.twitter.com/KXVdGYUs5j
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 5, 2026
Season proceeds without Hellebuyck, Larkin, Edvinsson
Connor Hellebuyck
A little more than a year ago, Connor Hellebuyck was named both the league MVP and the best goalie in the NHL. Now, he’s sitting at home, hoping for a phone call.
Shortly after near-single-handedly winning Team USA a gold medal at the Olympics in February, he requested a trade. He feels it was necessary because of alleged threats he and his family received, which Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff confirmed in his season-opening press conference.
Nothing had actualized in the late summer, so weeks before training camp, Hellebuyck put out a statement to publicly confirm that he’d made a request — likely hoping it would put pressure on the team to get something done.
The season is nearly two weeks old and Hellebuyck remains un-traded. He chose to skip training camp and he has sat out the season to this point, without pay.
It’s a complicated trade to make.
On one hand, players of that caliber don’t become available every day. On the other, they don’t come cheap. Not every team has enough trade capital to acquire Hellebuyck.
Dylan Larkin
Another U.S. Olympian who requested a trade this summer (there were several) is former Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin. His situation isn’t as imminent as Hellebuyck’s, and although he began the season on injured reserve, there is speculation that he will play soon whether he’s dealt away or not.
Red Wings fans greeted him with a chorus of booing when the PA announcer introduced him ahead of the home opener on Friday.
Simon Edvinsson
It’s a tough time to be a Red Wings fan. Larkin is no longer their only star who wants out.
Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who is just starting to evolve into a top defenseman, couldn’t come to terms with the Red Wings on a new contract. He attended training camp without a deal in good faith, but things have still not improved.
Edvinsson has returned to Sweden, where he’s practicing with his former SHL team, Frölunda HC. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday that the 23-year-old now prefers to be traded, rather than getting a deal done with the Wings.
Igor Shesterkin: Top goalie, top scorer
Igor Shesterkin is the highest-paid goalie in NHL history, and now it’s clear why that is. He’s not only stopping pucks, but also scoring points.
He potted a goal in the team’s home opener on Thursday and an assist against the Utah Mammoth on Sunday. At this rate, he’s on pace for 56 points this season.
THE FIRST RANGERS GOALTENDER TO SCORE A GOAL:
IGOR SHESTERKIN pic.twitter.com/k7ITHnvtza
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 2, 2026
Barkov out, Marchand in
Florida Panthers captain Alex Barkov missed the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL and MCL. Two games into this season, he’s back on long-term injured reserve with an injury to the other leg.
There is a silver lining, though, for Panthers fans. Brad Marchand, who has been out since March, finds himself healthy again. He even scored on Sunday in his season debut against the Anaheim Ducks.
Barkov’s injury was a major reason the Panthers missed the playoffs last season after three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
Big-ish names on waivers
At the time of writing, no team has played more than four games this season. That’s apparently not too early for some teams to give up on good players.
The Boston Bruins waived Mikey Eyssimont on Sunday. Nobody claimed him.
On Monday, the Calgary Flames placed both Connor Zary and Brayden Pachal on waivers, while the Rangers did the same to Matthew Robertson. Teams have until noon MT Tuesday to place claims on any of those players.
Who remains undefeated?
It’s still mathematically possible for a team to become the first to go undefeated all season. Here’s who has yet to lose:
- Pittsburgh Penguins (2-0-0)
- San Jose Sharks (2-0-0)
- Anaheim Ducks (2-0-0)
- Colorado Avalanche (2-0-0)
- Minnesota Wild (2-0-0)
- Ottawa Senators (1-0-0)
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Kris Letang (58), Sidney Crosby (87) and Evgeni Malkin (71) wait to be introduced before an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) | Gene J. Puskar
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.