NHL Rumor Mill – August 26, 2025
The latest about Oilers captain Connor McDavid’s contract status and an update on the Canucks search for a second-line center in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
SPORTSNET: During last week’s “32 Thoughts: The Podcast”, Elliotte Friedman offered up his take on Connor McDavid’s contract negotiations with the Edmonton Oilers.
McDavid, 28, is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July. So far, there’s no indication that the two sides are close to getting a contract extension done.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).
Friedman believes McDavid and the Oilers will get to work on that after Team Canada’s Olympic orientation camp (Aug. 26-28) is completed. “I just think everybody wants to get it done. I would expect between the Olympic camp and training camp, they sit down and say, ‘How’s this all going to look?”
The Oilers’ training camp opens in mid-September.
OILERS NATION: Zach Laing cited Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson expressing confidence that McDavid’s contract negotiations shouldn’t take long to complete.
Appearing on “Daily Faceoff’s The Sheet”, Jackson told host Jeff Marek that he believes when McDavid is ready, they’ll have a discussion and get a deal done. He pointed out that the Oilers captain loves the city of Edmonton and the team, adding that he has confidence in general manager Stan Bowman. Jackson stated that Oilers owner Darryl Katz and his family have treated McDavid and his wife very well.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This situation seems similar to Leon Draisaitl’s last summer. Weeks of speculation over his status with the Oilers ended when he signed an eight-year extension before training camp last September.
The same situation could unfold for McDavid over the next three weeks. Jackson has every reason to feel confident about getting McDavid under contract. Before he was the Oilers CEO, he was McDavid’s agent.
THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston reports the Vancouver Canucks had hoped to add a second-line center during this offseason. So far, however, there’s little indication suggesting they’re close to reaching that goal.
It’s proven difficult to make trades this summer. Meanwhile, Canucks management has little appetite to sign one of the remaining players in the unrestricted free-agent market. That includes Jack Roslovic, who is no longer on their radar.
The only additions to the Canucks thus far are winger Evander Kane and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. As things stand, their internal options for the second-line center position are the oft-injured Filip Chytil and the untested Aatu Raty.
Johnston believes the Canucks would be interested in Mason McTavish if the 22-year-old Anaheim Ducks center becomes available in the trade market. However, he’s also on everyone else’s radar.
Meanwhile, Johnston’s colleague Steve Ewen reported the Canucks were among the teams interested in Marco Rossi. However, the 23-year-old center is off the market after signing a three-year bridge contract with the Minnesota Wild.
Ewen believes the Canucks could head into training camp with their current group of top-six forwards. He also noted that McTavish has surfaced in the rumor mill, pointing out that other teams are also believed to be interested in him. Ewen indicated the Ducks remain keen to re-sign him.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That list includes Elias Pettersson centering Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk on the first line, and Chytil centering Kane and Conor Garland on the second line. Raty would center their third line.
Barring any developments during training camp and preseason, the Canucks are likely to start the season with those six forwards on their top two lines. Management may have to wait until later in the season to find a trade for a suitable second-line center.
Endless speculation about the Canucks’ search for a 2nd line C (join the club!) is joined by equally-endless musings about dealing Quinn Hughes to New Jersey to “join his brothers.” Such as this recent gem in The Yardbarker:
https://www.yardbarker.com/general_sports/articles/quinn_hughes_trade_could_be_a_career_ending_decision_for_gm/s1_16454_42639430
The one line that really made me wonder if the writer is capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time is “The New Jersey Devils are reportedly in a position to accommodate Hughes’ contract and could make him a centerpiece on their blue line.” Which immediately raises the question – How?
At this writing, the Devils have $6,131,667 in cap reserve BUT they still must get the signature of Luke Hughes on a new deal – and when that is finalized that reserve – and much more – will be gone. So, in order to bring in Quinn Hughes and his $7,850,000 cap hit they will need to free up at least $9 mil.
The first thing someone will say is, “no problem – just trade Dougie Hamilton.” Mission accomplished. Sure – teams are elbowing each other out of the way to bring in a 32 y/o D costiung $9 mil per for the next 3 seasons who’ll be 35 when his contract ends. AND willing to give up valuable assets to do so (NJ can’t afford to take back any significant cap hits). Never mind the fact Hamilton has a NMC AND a MNTC (10 teams), and likely wants no part of Vancouver (or they him).
If that remains out of the question, who else could NJ move out to make up the necessary cap? Meier ($8.8 mil) or Bratt ($7,875,000) might make it work … but they each have a full NMC, whereas Hischier ($7,250,000) has a MNTC (10 teams). Besides, I can’t see NJ depleting their offense to that extent to begin with.
If there’s a NJ fan out there who can counter the above I’d love to hear their take.
Stop trying to use logic and math.
The Hughes Brothers Show, coming to NJ in 2027!!
In all seriousness, I don’t think NJ can come close to making a deal for Quinn work unless Hamilton goes somewhere (either to Van or another team).
I had seen multiple rumor-guesses about what it would take from NJ to pry Quinn away. Things like Hamilton/Nemec/Mercer + pick. Or Hamilton/Nemec/Bratt. Etc.
The one thing to remember is that Van won’t get fair value for Quinn if everyone knows he won’t re-sign in Van. There will be a lot of very interesting trade rumors this year if Quinn has not signed an extension.
Detroit has a real need for a guy like Dougie, and has the cap space, but I doubt Detroit is on his 10-team trade list.
Has there ever been an unsigned player of any note who isn’t the subject of sports writers’ sweating scheme and dreams? Especially in August?
“There will be a lot of very interesting trade rumors this year if Quinn has not signed an extension.”
People will continue saying all sorts of ridiculous stuff. But Quinn Hughes isn’t even eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2026. He’s signed through 2026-27.
My two cents is that Quinn is smart enough to realize he would block Luke’s power play time on the Devils.
I think the Canucks will be worse and if i was a rival GM i would already be sniffing around for their 2026 1st rounder…
and I do agree Quinn will be a Devil sooner than later. especially if both teams slow out of the gate
Which brings up the question … what’s holding up Luke’s contract negotiations? i.e, which side is digging in its heels re demands and offers?
Considering his importance to NJ, could this be a case of ongoing dickering re a trade of Hamilton being the first order of business, rather than being put in the position of going over the cap with a contract first to Luke, which then would underscore their absolute need to trade Hamilton and so adversely affect trade negotiations?
good point
honestly if i was the Devils GM i trade the Hughes boys to VAN for EP41, 2026 1st, Garland…..
ds…….LOL!😁
Here’s another line of thought, while everybody seems to be agreeing the Hughes brothers want to play together, is there a team that actually wants all 3 of them. If I’m a GM of a team, I’m thinking if I get all 3 brothers on my team, I’m basically handing controll over to them. Not only would they be eating 30% or more of the teams cap space, together they could dictate who else plays on the team, a GM would have little choice but to go along with their wishes. As a GM I’m not quite sure I’d be comfortable in that situation.
@johnnyzzzz
Jack is going to have career long shoulder issues.
Having a playoff run with all the Hughes healthy is not a certain.
If there will be drama with the Bros wanting to play together and distracts then you have to make the trade.
Obviously NJD have way more to offer for Quinn compared what VAN can offer for 2 Hughes…..
ds….👍😉
Luke can sign a 2-3yr bridge for the $6.13M AAV they now have for space. However, I see them wanting to sign Luke to a 7-8yr deal of around $8M. They could gain that space by trading Siegenthaler ($3.4M x 3) He would garner a bit of interest. But a Dougie trade that reduces their cap by around $5M or more would serve them better.
That reads like a Kypreos scribble. Nothing based in real world circumstances.
Lack of cap space is holding up Luke’s deal. As a Devs fan, I tend to agree that having all 3 is not a good idea. As it is, on PP, Jack habitually (and almost exclusively) looks for Luke to pass to and to some degree, vice versa. Plus, as great as Quinn is, I don’t know that he adds what the Devs need to go on a long playoff run. Maybe as a UFA in 2 years, when some come off the cap. Not before. Quinn for Bratt makes no sense.
Re Devils and moving Dougie and those saying “no problem”:
Definitely a problem;
BUT not a completely insurmountable one
Hamilton holds a lot of cards (as at now only 10 teams he can be traded to w/o his consent); and, as you’ve rightfully pointed out; very large cap hit
What does work ; (note: albeit somewhat) in Devils favor, is the structure of his contract. He’s been paid his huge SB; so only owed now $14.6 M TOTAL in commitments for final 3 years.
Teams with space willing to “buy” assets; may be interested in being the “middle guy” in a “to-through” retention trade
If Devils end game is Quinn Hughes and they already know what they are willing to give up to get him (including whatever is needed in the exodus of Hamilton); maybe some starting inquiries could happen
The logic: Start at the end game for final acquiring team of Hamilton at 50%. ($4.5 M Cap hit but effective cash AAV of only $2.4 M cash per year) What is that team willing to pony up for a 6’ 6” , 232 lb RH D-man, whose recent campaign 82 pace was 12-41-53 (playing only 16-17 mins/game) and only 2 years removed from 22 goals and close to being a PPG player, and who will only be 34 in the final playoffs under this contract???
Whatever that team is willing to pay in assets; those assets get split up proportionately (based on retention splits) to the middle team and Devils .
So, math is there for a feasible trade.
Still hurdles; still longer odds; but not impossible
IF, big IF, Hamilton is willing to wait out majority of year with a team currently not in his 10 team; BUT willing to agree to it with promise of being moved to a contender at TDL; then perhaps middle team gets larger return at TDL (note then: 2 1/4- 2 1/3rd years left on contract)!
I’m in no way saying this happens; just saying that there is a path (yes on the long odds side) to getting there.
One point of clarification, 8787. When you say “(as at now only 10 teams he can be traded to w/o his consent)” I think it’s actually the other way around.
It’s a list of 10 specific teams to which he would NOT accept a trade, thereby giving him the right to block a move to those organizations.
This is a modification from his previous full no-move clause, as he can now approve a trade to any of the 21 teams not on his no-go list. If he wishes.
LOL. Now, when you query the web the Google AI response has changed from this morning when it said pretty much what I relate above, to the following, depending upon the wording of the question:
“No, Dougie Hamilton does not have full control, but his control has increased as of July 1, 2025, when his full no-move clause was modified to a partial no-trade clause, allowing him to be traded to a list of 10 specific teams. While the New Jersey Devils cannot trade him without his consent, he now has a defined list of preferred destinations, which gives him more leverage than a full no-trade clause, but it’s not full, unrestricted control.”
“ Yes, Dougie Hamilton’s “10-team list” is a partial no-trade clause (NTC) that restricts him from being traded to any team not on that 10-team list. He recently had a full no-move clause, but as of July 1, 2025, that protection was modified to the 10-team trade list, allowing the New Jersey Devils to explore trades with a select group of teams that Hamilton would approve of. “
Holy confusion Batman!
GeorgeO Boston has talked about moving Zacha and or Middlestadt.Seems to me you could get them for draft picks.Is Boston holding out for more?Could they be waiting for the deadline when teams overpay for players?
Sr, when I look at Zacha and Mittelstadt and what they each cost off the cap compared to their production – both recently and career-wise – I see two guys that Boston will have a tough time moving now or at the deadline – unless one or the other – or both – are having a banner season, which would then, of course, give the Bruins pause for sober second-assessment, especially if they’re in the playoff hunt at that time. But as matters now stand I just don’t see anyone thinking they’d be an improvement over what they have as 3rd and 4th line players at those cap hits. Nor is either one a legitimate 2nd line C.
Zacha is a 28y/o 6’ 3” 206lb C/LW who costs $4,750,000 off the cap this season and next, at which time he becomes a UFA and who, in 678 career games, has 125g 217a 342pts for 82-game averages of 16g 28a 44pts, with a high-water mark of 21g in 82gp in 2022-23 and again in 78gp in 2023-24. He dropped to 14g this past season.
Mittelstadt, who turns 27 in November, is a 6’ 1” 195lb C/LW who costs $5,750,000 off the cap, also for this season and next and also a UFA at the end. In 438 career games he has 81g 155a 236pts for 82-games average of 15g 25a 40pts, with a high-water mark of 18g in 80gp 2023-24 with Buffalo & Colorado. This past season he matched his 82-game career average of 15g in 81gp with Colorado and Boston.
In short, would I prefer, say, Zacha as my 4th line C more than Eller or my 3rd line C ahead of Pinto in Ottawa? Maybe the 4th line – but not at that cap hit.
How many brothers play together in NHL besides Luke and Jack? Uniting 3 of them, especially highly paid ones, seems a little out of ordinary.
Aside for the 3 Hanson Brothers, the next most famous triplets on the same team were:
Stastny Bros in 80s
Plagers in the 70s
Bentleys in the 40s
That’s all I could find on the www
What about the 6 Sutter brothers?
From what I could find, it looks like a few Sutter pairs played together but never any more at the same time. I did find this where 4 were on the ice at the same time, but from diff teams:
In the 1983–84 season, a game featured:
Brent and Duane on the New York Islanders
Rich and Ron on the Philadelphia Flyers
This was the first and only time four brothers played in the same NHL game.
Slight twist; not 3 brothers, but 2 brothers and a father… Howes with Whalers (I think it was Whalers late 70’s ???? George et al [from the “seasoned veterans” posters group here], is Whalers correct?)
The Houston Aeros of the WHL first featured the 3 Howes around 1973.
What about the 6 Sutter brothers?
There are just 3 instances where 3 brothers played at the same time for the same team:
the Stastny Brothers, Peter, Anton and Marian, who skated with the Nordiques from 1981-82 to 1984-85.
The Bentley Brothers, Max, Doug and Reg who played together with Chicago in the 1940s – although Reg’s time was very short-lived (just 11 games).
Same with the Staal Brothers Eric, Jordan and Jared, who managed to play in 2 games with Carolina in 2012-13, before Jared dropped out of sight.
I don’t think 3 Plagers or 3 Sutters ever played together for the same team.
Yup, looks like those 3 Staals played 1 game together in 2013.
Regarding Plagers: Bob and Barclay Plager were original 1967-68 expansion Blues members. Brother Bill would join his two brothers in St. Louis for two games during the 1968-69 season.
On March 1, 1969, Blues coach Scotty Bowman played all three defensive brothers on the same line in a game against the Montreal Canadians. Scotty started the brothers at forward that night instead of their defensive positions. Bowman played the brothers as forwards for one shift before returning them back to their defensive roles.
I think 2 Sutters played while one coached. I could be wrong.
Thanks for that info on the Plagers, foleyd7. A couple of sites need an updating.
Interesing Note I just read:
Regarding the next CBA terms, Bill Daly clarified there will be multiple stages of implementation regarding all the changes laid out in the MOU. “I don’t want to presuppose their approval, so I’m not going to answer the question specifically. But it does deal with every item that we agreed to as part of the memorandum of understanding. One bucket of items will go into effect as early as this year. One bucket of items will go into effect as of July 1 of next year — so, the league year, the full league year. And then there’s a list of items that don’t go into effect until Sept. 16 of next year.“
Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe played together in the WHA for 6 years with the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers.
They were together in the NHL during one season with the Hartford Whalers, but Marty only played a few games that year.
Lack of cap space is holding up Luke’s deal. As a Devs fan, I tend to agree that having all 3 is not a good idea. As it is, on PP, Jack habitually (and almost exclusively) looks for Luke to pass to and to some degree, vice versa. Plus, as great as Quinn is, I don’t know that he adds what the Devs need to go on a long playoff run. Maybe as a UFA in 2 years, when some come off the cap. Not before. Quinn for Bratt makes no sense.
3-way trade:
Van gets: Morgan Riley (if he waives to go “home”), Dawson Mercer, NJ 2026 1st top 3 protected, Seamus Casey
Trono gets: Dougie Hamilton ($1M retained)
Nj gets: Quinn Hughes
Thanks for all responses. Sutters and Staals were families that came to mind for me. But also was thinking of how many brothers playing right now, that don’t play for same teams.
Habs might dress the Bash Brothers this year, the Sheriff and the Deputy.
Quite a few, Slick62
https://thehockeywriters.com/brothers-in-the-nhl/
My guess is Kane gets a shot on the first line to give Petterssons line some snarl. So Kane, Pettersson and Boeser. Might not work but I bet they will test it