Five Key Stories: 9/28/26 – 10/4/26
The 2026-27 NHL season is officially underway and, as expected, there was some notable news away from the ice as well as on it. We focus on the former in our key stories.
Skull Fracture For Faber: The Wild’s back end took a big blow when they announced that defenseman Brock Faber sustained a fractured skull in their final preseason game. He has since undergone successful surgery and there is no timetable for his return. Faber is a crucial part of Minnesota’s blueline and is coming off a career year that saw him record 15 goals and 36 assists while logging nearly 25 minutes per night of playing time, a number that jumped to just under 30 minutes in the playoffs. The Central Division is set to be quite a battle for the top once more and Faber’s absence will make Minnesota’s push to be in that mix considerably more difficult.
Winger Swap: The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets made some headlines with a big six-player swap. Columbus dealt wingers Kirill Marchenko and Miles Wood along with goalie Elvis Merzlikins to Toronto in exchange for winger Matthew Knies, defenseman Emil Andrae, forward Steven Lorentz, and a 2027 second-round pick. Soon after, Marchenko agreed to a six-year, $75MM extension that begins next season. Marchenko had made it clear that he didn’t want to re-sign with the Blue Jackets but Columbus wanted a core player coming back. This deal accomplishes both objectives with Marchenko getting his desired change of scenery and Columbus getting a core youngster signed on a team-friendly deal for five more years. The rest of the deal was largely for cap purposes but the Blue Jackets also added a young defender in Andrae that they hope can be part of their future plans.
Another Red Wing Wants Out: Simon Edvinsson has had a strange summer. With the Red Wings without a GM for most of the offseason, his contract got put on hold. When Shawn Horcoff was appointed interim GM, he reported to training camp but reportedly was only offered bridge deals, leading to him remaining unsigned. Now, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the blueliner has indicated that he now prefers to be traded, joining Dylan Larkin as core pieces wanting out. The 23-year-old was the sixth overall pick back in 2021 and has been a key cog on Detroit’s back end the last two seasons. Of course, Edvinsson isn’t the only young impactful left-shot defender looking to be moved as Carolina’s Alexander Nikishin finds himself in the same situation which could impact Edvinsson’s trade market.
Injured Again: Part of the reason for the high level of optimism heading into the season for the Panthers was the return of their top center Aleksander Barkov. The veteran is a high-end two-way pivot who really gives their lineup a boost. He missed all of last season due to a knee injury and he’s now injured once again. While the full extent has yet to be determined, Florida has already placed Barkov on LTIR, meaning he’ll miss at least 10 games and 24 days, a big blow to their lineup. The Panthers did get winger Brad Marchand back earlier than expected but losing their top all-around player and captain for an extended stretch again certainly stings.
Extensions Aplenty: The start of the new season brought about plenty of extensions. The Avalanche signed head coach Jared Bednar to a four-year extension. The second-longest-tenured coach in the NHL is now signed through the 2030-31 season and his Avs have a .618 points percentage under his tutelage. Meanwhile, veteran goaltender Casey DeSmith won’t test the open market after agreeing to a two-year, $5MM pact with Dallas. The 35-year-old has impressed since joining Dallas in 2024, putting up a 2.50 GAA and a .911 SV% over 58 appearances. The Golden Knights inked veteran center William Karlsson to a two-year, $13.5MM extension, giving him a small increase on his current $5.9MM AAV. One of the few original players left, the 33-year-old has battled injuries the last few years but has been a quality middle-six contributor when he has been in the lineup. Meanwhile, the Sabres liked what they saw from Louis Crevier in training camp to hand him a four-year, $16MM extension. Acquired this offseason as part of the Bowen Byram trade, the 25-year-old will give the Sabres a lift on the back end of their blueline along with some physicality.
But the biggest and most surprising extension came from Anaheim. After sending him to the minors at the end of training camp, the Ducks signed defenseman Tristan Luneau to a six-year, $43.2MM extension. The 22-year-old came into this season with just 14 NHL games under his belt over three seasons but put up big numbers offensively with San Diego. Clearly, the Ducks believe he’s going to have a big year on that front and wanted to get in front of it after what transpired this summer. Luneau was quickly recalled and logged nearly 27 minutes in their season opener against Vegas.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
