Five Key Stories: 8/10/26 – 8/16/26
While the flow of transactions has certainly slowed down as we’ve reached the slow part of the summer, there was still some news of note in the hockey world over the past seven days.
Werenski Open To Extending In Columbus: Back at the draft, it was suggested that defenseman Zach Werenski might not be willing to sign a new deal with the Blue Jackets. That eventually led to a trade with Dallas that he ultimately vetoed. Speaking this week, the blueliner indicated that he’s hopeful to stay in Columbus for the long haul on a winning team. That last part could be a challenge given the team’s recent struggles to reach the postseason but it should provide at least a bit of optimism that a franchise piece could stick around longer than expected.
Off To Switzerland: After veteran winger Jeff Skinner terminated his deal with the Sharks late last season, it was a surprise that he didn’t land somewhere else. Accordingly, it made it that it wouldn’t be a surprise if an NHL offer didn’t materialize this summer. That is indeed the case but instead of hanging up his skates, the 34-year-old has signed a one-year deal with ECH Biel-Bienne in Switzerland. Skinner has picked up 379 goals and 333 assists in 1,110 games over parts of 16 NHL seasons and at this point, it’s hard to see him adding to those numbers. He will still be receiving an NHL paycheck, however, as Buffalo will be paying him for the next four years as part of his buyout two summers ago. He’s set to earn just over $2.44MM per season over that stretch.
Surgery For Marchand: The Panthers might be without a key veteran when the regular season starts next month. Winger Brad Marchand revealed that he recently underwent surgery; specifics weren’t provided but he was dealing with a hip and sports hernia issue last season so speculatively, it relates to that problem. Marchand was one of Florida’s top offensive producers last season, tallying 27 goals and 27 assists in just 52 games for his first season over a point per game in four years. The Panthers are basically capped out heading into the season so, barring further injuries, their options are limited if Marchand isn’t ready to play. They can put him on LTIR (as long as he misses at least 10 games and 24 days) or carry a smaller active roster to keep cap-compliant.
A Near-Reunion: It took a while for winger Anthony Mantha’s market to materialize this summer as he waited a couple of weeks before agreeing to a two-year, $9.5MM deal with New Jersey. It appears there was an agreement with Detroit beforehand, however, though it ultimately got scuttled while waiting for final approval. The Red Wings have lost more firepower than they’ve brought in this summer, headlined by the departure of Patrick Kane who is now back in Chicago. For a team with playoff aspirations and hoping to get Dylan Larkin to change his mind about his trade request, whoever takes over as GM is going to have an uphill battle to climb. That hill might have been slightly less steep had they been able to bring Mantha back.
More Questions On Demko’s Health: Thatcher Demko has been injured much more than he has been healthy the last couple of years. After undergoing surgery last season, the hope was that he’d be ready for training camp. However, things are looking a little murkier on that front now. While the veteran netminder has been skating, there are questions about his potential readiness to participate in training camp next month. Given that the Canucks are firmly rebuilding and Demko’s injury history, the likely outcome here is that they will ere on the side of caution and hold him out of camp if he hasn’t been completely cleared to return by then.
Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.